Windsor Concert Review of My Close Personal Friend Al. It was sort of a gloomy day in Windsor. However, with Al rolling into town, it certainly became much brighter. This was to be one of the last stops on his first major Canadian tour. My partner in crime, Nick Kraft, and I met up with Carlotta shortly before 5PM. We yapped for a bit then decided to walk down to the theatre to find Sue Perry who also was in on the adventure. We found her walking with glowing eyes as she showed us the enormous write up on Al in the Windsor Star from about a week prior, which can be found on my "Weird Al" Web page. Just then, Al strolls by as if he had nothing better to do. We waved yelled hi. Certainly this brief encounter would be enough for some people, but for us, it was only the beginning. Just before the concert, we had picked up our backstage passes and surveyed the crowd. It was a fairly typical crowd for an Al concert. For Nick and myself, this was to be our sixth Al- venture, and almost uncountable for Sue and Carlotta. The crowd was a mix of young kids who dragged their parents to see the show as well as the people who have loved Al for many years. The doors opened and the rush to buy shirts and other souveniers was on. Having fairly close seats, I began to feel a big sugar kick just waiting to explode. Then we waited for Al. Early in the tour, Al caught a minor cold, however, after nearly a solid month of exhasuting concerts and mobs of screaming, drooling fans, he burst onto the stage with so much energy that even his classic "Generic Blues" made you feel ecstatic to be alive. All the other wonders such as "Eat it", "Smells Like Nirvana", "Bohemian Polka", and "One More Minute" were power packed and certainly showed no signs of performace fatigue. Bermuda, Jim and Ruben also displayed their wide range of styles they are known for to perfection. Steve was off doing some work for PBS, so Larry became his replacement and proved that he was worthy of being a member of Al's band. One of the highlights of the concert was when Al played a new song from his upcoming album. "Since You've Been Gone", is a catchy a capella tune that explained how bitter sweet romance can turn terribly sour. There certainly weren't any tears when Barney was devoured in the mega-bass version of "Jurassic Park" that shook the theatre. As always, the show included the non-stop food medley, clips from AlTv and "UHF", and the infamous "Yoda" encore. It's always sad to hear the end of the concert, but that is when it is time to find out when you will get your next Al fix. Afterwards, the four of us went backstage to pay homage to the Al Mighty, and possibly weasel an autograph out of him. Bermuda walked in, and I immediately went over to talk to him while everyone waited for Al. We had a nice conversation while Al came in and started signing. I eventually wandered in to line and was just thrilled to be there. One fan showed Al a tatoo he had on his arm of Al holding an accordion, from the cover of his first album, with signature below. Al was certainly stunned. Finally, it was my turn and I said "Hi, Al. I'm Marty." He responded, "Yes, Marty Lick. I know you." In shock of disbelief, I replied "You do?" He immediately questioned "Do you still live at..." and rattled off my address as if it had been burned into his skull for a millennium or seven. Everyone instantly expressed befuddlement. Unfortunately, Nick, Carlotta and Sue didn't have a similiar experience. After Al had finished, he decided to leave. That's when a whole swarm of fans that didn't have backstage passes trapped Al at the backstage door and asked him to do more signings. He thought he was done, but sat down and kept right on going with a smile. There are so many things that are unique to an Al concert. Sure, any performer could do a multitude a costume changes, sing in the audience, use a chainsaw for a prop, provide solos for the band members (keep praciticing, guys!), and still be happy to greet the fans afterwards. However, to repeat that with such a continued positive attitude night after night takes serious dedication and a butt-load of energy. Where does he get his energy? Is it the twinkies? Is it the shoes? Is it some cosmic force with powers beyond that of crazy glue that we cannot begin to comprehend? We may never know. It's this kind of enduring energy that sets Al apart from all other performers. Well, at least we don't think it's his odor that does.