Monthly archives for September, 2007
Resident posts home video of Renton firefighters battling fire at “Just Parrots” on Aug 23
Sep30
2007
Written by Randy Corman
2007
Written by Randy Corman
Renton’s H.O.M.E. Schoolers began classes this month too!
Sep30
2007
Written by Randy Corman
2007
Written by Randy Corman
The Renton School District has been a leader in partnering with homeschool families to provide a flexible and rich educational envronment for homeschooled students. The District runs the H.O.M.E Program, which offers classes, tutoring, P.E., Music lessons, College Running Start enrollment, and even Renton School district high school diplomas for Homeschooled youth.
The program benefits families and students by providing experiences that can’t be duplicated easily in the home or elsewhere in the community; and the program works well for the district because in addition to helping students, the School District receives the normal state allocated student funding for every H.O.M.E. child that keeps a journal of their studies.
The program is a huge hit with the parents as well. Parents provide both assistance and teachers to the H.O.M.E classes, and can effectively homeschool and traditional school simultaneously if they wish. Many long-time friendships have been developed through this program, and I recommend it to anyone who has explored homeshooling for their children.
We homeschooled our children K-12, and were first-year members of this program a decade ago; My children that have reached college age have marched right on through to their college diplomas with “straight A” averages.
Homeshool families generally try to adhere to the same schedule as the local school district, so that our kids are on vacation the same days as their friends. We even take snow days, to keep everything in harmony. There is a myth that homeschooled kids lack social skills, but that is far from accurate. The social opportunities for students and their parents are immense, as they all get together to plan, study, and take classes, and go on countless field trips together.
Renton is a great city for kids to learn in… whether it’s in one of our beautiful public schools (which have nearly all been rebuilt in recent years), in one of our highly respected private schools, or out in the community as a homeschooler, with all the help a parent could ask for.
Here are a few shots of some H.O.M.E. Program families at our home for a book club/planning meeting/social event, as the year gets kicked off. (Note: That’s GINGER ALE on the table, although most of the parents will drink socially occasionally like everybody else )
Renton Airport in Today’s Seattle Times; residents speak their minds
Sep30
2007
Written by Randy Corman
2007
Written by Randy Corman
Mayor Kathy Keolker’s office sent out a Request-for-Proposals (RFP) for a Renton Jet Center without council approval late last year. When the proposals started coming in, outraged citizens started turning up at council meetings, informing us that they had many, many concerns about this direction for our airport.
The council asked for more time, and for a noise study, before we proceed with a jet center or make any significant long-term leasing decisions.
Here is the latest news from the Seattle Times on this topic. You can get more background by clicking here.
Renton residents worry about airport expansion
By Karen Johnson, 9/30/07
Times Southeast Bureau
More Southeast King County News
As a flight attendant for United Airlines for 40 years, Renton resident Peggi Galster grew accustomed to airport noise and loud planes.
“When I was working, I would cease a conversation when the engines started,” Galster said.
But at her home in the Kennydale neighborhood, Galster says she has to cover her ears when planes fly overhead.
Jesse Tanner’s Citizen of the Year Nomination; Mayor Tanner gave us Renton’s Renaissance
Sep30
2007
Written by Randy Corman
2007
Written by Randy Corman
CITIZEN OF THE YEAR
Nomination for Jesse Tanner
Renton’s Citizen of the Year has historically been awarded to individuals who have made a significant contribution to making our community a better place to live and work. Mayor Jesse Tanner, during his many years of service on behalf of Renton citizens, made a positive mark on this community that will benefit Renton for generations. For his enduring contributions, we feel Mayor Tanner is a strong candidate for Citizen of the Year.
Born in Sandersville, Georgia on April 11, 1927, Jesse was a war veteran who served in the U.S. Navy, and later earned his Master’s Degree in civil engineering from the University of California at Berkley. He retired from the Federal Aviation Administration as deputy director of the Northwest Region after nearly 34 years of service. Jesse passed away on February 6, 2007.
Jesse cared about Renton and devoted many years working to make it a better place to live, work and raise our families. After serving six years on the Renton City Council, Jesse was elected mayor of Renton in 1996. During his two terms in office, he lead a dedicated city staff to implement significant changes in the way the city conducted business, which resulted in the major redevelopment projects of recent years and literally put Renton on the map as a place to do business. It was under his leadership that many of the public centers and additional city services we enjoy today were built. This includes the new Henry Moses Aquatic Center; the IKEA Performing Arts Center; City Center Parking Garage; the Pavilion Building; Piazza Park; Veterans Memorial Park; a new Highlands Neighborhood Center; Fire Stations 12 and 14; the Renton Transit Center, and Skate Park. In addition, it was during his tenure that Renton City Hall was relocated to its new home and the very popular Neighborhood Program and Renton Farmer’s Market were launched.
As Mayor, Jesse was a tireless supporter and promoter of Renton. He was behind the slogan “Renton, ahead of the curve.” He led a city government that oversaw major investments as part of the jumpstart to a long-awaited redevelopment of downtown. This included bringing IKEA and Fry’s to Renton.
Jesse also devoted time to making sure the city government served the citizens of Renton better. He reorganized city hall to merge long-range planning and economic development departments. This improvement to the way city government operated helped bring Michael Christ’s Southport to Renton; facilitated Paul Allen’s purchase of a large tract of land on Lake Washington that will be the home of the Seattle Seahawks; and enabled Boeing’s development agreement on their surplus property which set The Landing in motion.
As Mayor of Renton and a city councilman, Jesse was a dedicated and tireless public servant. He worked to ensure that city government better served the day-to-day needs of the citizens of Renton. He also worked to ensure that the citizens of Renton have a better tomorrow. Jesse put forth a vision for the future that we now see turning into reality. For his years of work serving his community and his leadership, we ask that you consider Mayor Jesse Tanner as Renton’s Citizen of the Year for 2007.
Janice Tanner
Donna Youngblood (Jesse’s daughter)
Debbie Hanson (Jesse’s daughter)
DeAnna Schukar (Jesse’s daughter)
Some words from Jesse’s grandson Brandon Kindle; beautifully read during Jesse’s memorial service.
Sep30
2007
Written by Randy Corman
2007
Written by Randy Corman
It takes a lifetime for us to reunite with our loved ones when they pass. But what takes us an entire lifetime to achieve in order to meet our God, happens in a blink of an eye to them.
Tattoos gaining in popularity; Diamond Tattoo of Renton has some great artists
Sep27
2007
Written by Randy Corman
2007
Written by Randy Corman
It seems that half the people I know under age forty are looking to get tattoos these days. The artists are better than ever, and there are endless creative ideas shared over the internet and in many magazines and journals devoted to this art. While no one in my family currently has a tattoo, I don’t know if it will stay that way. Sometimes I think the fact that the world has reached six billion people is causing everyone to make an additional push for individuality one way or another.
My friends Scott and Jennifer Douwes invited several of us along when they went to Renton’s Diamond Tattoo to get some original and personally meaningful tattoos by Jibo, a steady-handed and congenial artist. The atmosphere in the business was fun to take in…very clean and antiseptic around the tattoo stations, but artsy, colorful, and with a rebellious decorator’s edge in the waiting areas. Also, they have some very retro pieces of furniture and objects on display, such as a mint condition bicycle with high handlebars, a big headlight, and a bananna seat exactly like the one I received on my seventh birthday.
If you know someone getting a tattoo, ask them if they will bring you along for a fun and unusual experience.
My wife and her friends look on, as Jen gets her tattoo
Last night’s council meeting; Stonegate Neighborhood vs. Langley
Sep25
2007
Written by Randy Corman
2007
Written by Randy Corman
Last night’s council meeting was long and interesting, but blessedly lacking in the drama that we saw the week before. There was controversy, but it was between citizens of Stonegate and Langley Ridge Developers, instead of controversy between council members. The Stonegate/Langley issue, which we dedicated most of the meeting to, was actually a consent agenda item that surprised us by bringing thirteen citizen speakers with it.
The Stonegate/Langley Ridge audience comment, and the accompanying council questions and deliberations, consumed ninety minutes or so. The issue boiled down to the Langley project developers needing a twenty foot emergency right-of-way along an existing access easement in Stonegate. City attorney Larry Warren felt the city had rights to the easement that they could extend to Langley. The Langley team agreed, but the Stonegate residents and their attorney disagreed. Langley’s attorney, Mr. Brain, gave us copies of the deeds to Stonegate, but the text was so small it was hard to make out (yes, the fine print). I had to borrow Don Persson’s reading glasses, and then I was able to make it out. My impression was that the Stonegate folks had a better case than Langley, but I could see both sides of the issue. Dan Clawson felt that Langley’s case was slightly better, but could also see both sides of the issue. A relatively civil, normal disagreement. We all agreed that it was in everyone’s best interest for the applicant (Langley) to get together with Stonegate to see if they can work this out before next week.
If they can’t, I will probably take the view that it is the applicant’s burden to prove they have title to all the property and easements they need, not the city’s burden, and that the matter will have to be resolved by the court before I will approve the plat. Others may disagree.
The other thing notable about the evening was the intense tension throughout the Executive floor of Renton City Hall. It is very similar to the month when we endured the lipstick investigation. Like thousands of others, I am so disappointed with Dan Clawson right now….It think his false accuasations are going to waste hundreds of thousands of dallars for the city and cost Dan both his jobs. I’m wondering if we need to take the money out of the mayor’s wayfinding budget, since we have no where else where this much money is sitting and not earmarked, and since the mayor (who is pushing the way-finding) appears to be the impetus for Dan’s phony lawsuit.
The body language is so interesting to see, but also so sad, with various people glaring, avoiding, and downright shunning one another. Some of the staff are showing so much stress, I think we may see some nevous breakdowns. I personally can only keep a positive attitude because I am so confident Denis will move to the Mayor’s office in January. It would be sad for our city to think of more months, or years, of this.
Greg Taylor’s campaign fundraiser at the Red House
Sep25
2007
Written by Randy Corman
2007
Written by Randy Corman
We had a great time at Greg Taylor’s fundraising event tonight at the Red House. Gene Sens, the owner, is an exquisite chef and a gracious host. And the conversation and fellowship was wonderful. Greg will be an excellent Renton council member.
A little later in the evening, my wife and I attended a very exciting campaign meeting at Denis Law’s new downtown headquarters. The headquarters is beautiful, well-equipped, and professional. And, as usual, his campaign remains extremely organized. The senior campaign manager, Barbara Chadwick, runs excellent meetings. Having participated in countless labeling and sign making parties in rec rooms, garages, and front lawns in the past, I can say Denis’s campaign has set a new standard for organizing in our city….Renton is really growing up. It was a very upbeat meeting, as doorbellers and online polls are showing Denis way out front in this race. Yay!
Informing the media of my response to Dan’s lawsuit
Sep20
2007
Written by Randy Corman
2007
Written by Randy Corman
Having been challenged by Dan Clawson, I have sent my public response to the Seattle Times, Seattle PI, and Renton Reporter, appended onto Dan’s original public release. (As an aside, Dan still seems to resent me for making my email public!?)
Update on Dan Clawson’s wasteful and frivolous lawsuit
Sep19
2007
Written by Randy Corman
2007
Written by Randy Corman
I have not seen the lawsuit yet, but an attorney has told me it is based largely on a post-it note that Dan Clawson found while crawling around under the council dais, and rummaging through Don Persson’s garbage can. The note said something like “did you talk to Garrett”. Apparently, Dan had the delusion that he had found O.J.’s bloody knife or something. He used this note to extrapolate that four council members had all had conversations with the Master Builders Trade Association about the legislation that was pending, and that this would constitute an illegal meeting.
Never mind the fact that I had not spoken with the Master Builders Association, or received any kind of communication with them whatsoever. Never mind that the note was not mine, and I had not even seen it. If Dan is going to crawl around like a dog under our desks pulling paper out of cans littered with Pizza crusts, he ought to at least put some rational thought into what they mean and where they came from.
When the Master Builders and I get deposed, it will become clear to all that Dan has no case, and that the whole “meeting” idea was a complete fabrication on his part. But it is already too late for him to avoid ethics violations. Even though he could have easily determined that there was no factual basis for his imaginary meeting by simply asking me a few questions, he filed a politically motivated lawsuit, and I will not consider this over until the state Bar penalizes him for it.
As a little bit of further background, Dan filed this lawsuit within 14 hours of the cantankerous city council meeting, in which Dan loudly insulted his colleague Marcie Palmer, and my resultant defense of Marcie had left Dan visibly shaking. He filed the lawsuit himself, the way Chris Clifford used to file countless lawsuits against the city of Renton when Mr. Clifford was unhappy with a vote.
I have a feeling that had Dan gone to an attorney, the attorney would have advised Dan to calm down for a few days, and to get more facts before getting himself into something he can’t get out of.
Even if there had been a private meeting, which there wasn’t, the fine would have been $100. But Dan’s lawsuit may cost Renton Taxpayers $300,000 if it goes like the City of Shoreline’s two years ago.
As for me, there is nothing I can do other than try to penalize Dan for being an idiot. I can’t lawfully admit to something I didn’t do, so I can’t make this go away. Dan will need to do that, but he seems like he may have had a break with reality.
Finally, lest anyone believe that Dan’s interest is open government, try to remember that I got accolades from across the United States for opening my council email to the public this December. Interestingly, I had resistance to this move from only one person, who insisted that our email should be private. You guessed it….Dan Clawson. I wrote a blog about it at the time, including the original email discussion between me and Dan but decided it was rubbing his nose in it after all the positive press I was getting. But I just made the blog public, since the theme of his phony lawsuit is open government. You can see it for the first time here. You can also see his anger-management issues jumping out of his email.
Potential legal tab in Shoreline council lawsuit “ridiculous”
By Jim Brunner
Seattle Times staff reporter
Former Shoreline Councilman John Chang
A lawsuit accusing four current and former Shoreline City Council members of holding illegal secret meetings two years ago to oust the city manager and decide on his replacement could mean a few hundred dollars in fines for the politicians if they lose.
But for Shoreline taxpayers, the case already has packed a much bigger wallop.
The city is on the hook for more than $340,000 to a private law firm for defending the council members. A second law firm was hired for $7,500 to advise the council on whether to keep paying for the council members’ lawyers. And the city itself was recently added to the lawsuit as a defendant, forcing it to hire a third set of lawyers.
If the city loses the case, it also could wind up paying the plaintiffs’ legal costs, which already top $250,000.
“Ridiculous,” Councilman Ron Hansen said of the mounting legal expenses — a sentiment that both sides seem to share.
The civil suit against council members Maggie Fimia, Robert Ransom, Janet Way and former member John Chang accuses the four, which constitutes a majority, of holding secret meetings in 2005 to force the resignation of then-City Manager Steve Burkett.
The council members deny wrongdoing and say the lawsuit amounts to harassment by disgruntled political opponents.
The case was filed by former council members Constance King and Kevin Grossman and local attorney John Hollinrake Jr. Grossman lost his council seat to Fimia in 2003; Hollinrake and King are longtime critics of the accused council members.
Recent mediation talks failed to produce a settlement. Both sides are digging in for a trial and blaming their adversaries for the mounting legal bills.
The lawsuit has become a major election-year issue for this city of 53,000, a suburb immediately north of Seattle that incorporated in 1995. Fimia and Ransom are up for re-election and have been slammed over the lawsuit in political ads.
The dispute wasn’t supposed to be so expensive. In court papers, the plaintiffs originally said they wanted to make sure “the citizens of Shoreline are not penalized” for the alleged council actions.
But after the local lawyer who filed the case moved to Eastern Washington, the plaintiffs hired new attorneys who dropped the language about protecting taxpayers and added the city of Shoreline as a defendant. State law says attorneys’ fees in such cases can be recovered only from governments.
“It is a divisive lawsuit,” said Steve DiJulio, the attorney for the accused council members. “Where it was a personal attack on the defendants, it’s now an attack on the city itself.”
But critics say the council members have only themselves to blame. The case, they say, could have been settled earlier for a small fine and an apology.
“You can point fingers in any direction that you want, but my opinion is the defendant council members have had the ability to settle this if they wanted to,” said Hansen, who had supported keeping Burkett as city manager.
The City Council last week voted to keep paying the legal bills for the accused members and former member Chang. The accused council members were not allowed to vote on the matter.
“We have to provide this defense. We’re in a contractual box,” Hansen said.
The case centers on whether a series of meetings, e-mails and phone calls among the four council members in December 2005 amounted to an illegal action under the state’s Open Public Meetings Act.
The law says city councils, school boards and other local legislative bodies must debate and make their decisions in public, although closed, executive sessions are common for discussing personnel matters. But under the law, a majority of council members cannot get together and hash out decisions in secret and then trot them out for a rehearsed formal vote in public.
The lawsuit against Fimia and the other Shoreline council members contends they did exactly that — conspiring in a series of private conversations before a Dec. 12, 2005, council meeting to force Burkett’s resignation in exchange for a $140,000 severance package.
Burkett’s ouster came after a contentious November election shifted the balance of power to a majority critical of Burkett and a city-sponsored redevelopment of Aurora Avenue North.
The lawsuit points to a Dec. 9 letter signed by the four council members to an attorney, saying they wanted to terminate Burkett’s contract and were seeking legal advice. The plaintiffs also point to dozens of e-mails and phone calls among the council members.
The lawuit also accuses the council members of deciding on Burkett’s replacement in secret.
Ransom announced at a Dec. 15 Christmas party, according to the plaintiffs, that a majority of the council had “made a decision” to hire Robert Olander, the deputy city manager, to replace Burkett. The council later voted to hire Olander, who has remained in the post.
“None of them seem to see the public-confidence problem they were creating here. Why do you feel you need to go behind everybody’s back and stage this coup?” said Michele Earl Hubbard, an attorney for the plaintiffs.
Fimia says there were conversations among the council members before the Dec. 12 meeting, but they were always careful to avoid gathering as a group of four. That would have been a quorum of the seven-member council and a violation of the open-meeting law.
Tim Ford, open-government ombudsman for Washington state Attorney General Rob McKenna, agreed that council members can hold some private discussions as long as they do not gather as a majority.
But Ford noted that council members are not automatically safe if they gather in smaller groups. Courts have ruled that a series of such discussions, including via e-mail, can amount to an illegal decision if a majority participates and arrives at some kind of collective decision.
Fimia, who formerly served on the King County Council, said council members have to be allowed to prepare for meetings and hold some discussions about pending issues. Otherwise they could never get anything done, she said.
Asked whether she could have handled the Burkett situation better, Fimia said she believes her political opponents would have tried to block and harass her no matter how the action was carried out.
“I don’t know what would have happened, but it might not have been any better,” Fimia said.
The case likely won’t be decided before the Nov. 6 election. Lawyers for the city, which was only recently added to the lawsuit, are expected to request that the trial be delayed until early next year to give them time to prepare.
Jim Brunner: 206-515-5628 or jbrunner@seattletimes.com
Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company
More of my thoughts from last night’s meeting; Do’s and Don’t for the mayor and council members
Sep18
2007
Written by Randy Corman
2007
Written by Randy Corman
Here are a few more thoughts from last night’s council meeting.
Most importantly, it has become obvious to me that the Mayor does not understand the rationale or the goal behind a public process. We have a public process so that all the parties affected by new rulemaking, laws, expenditures, and other city actions can ensure that we are getting the best results possible, with the most equitable and fair outcome. This public process ensures that we get the best product out there, and spend public resources in the wisest possible way. Everyone who has input to give should be valued for making the end-product better.
But it seems our mayor, and perhaps some councilmember’s, see the public process as a legal nuisance, that slows down the implementation of their “good” ideas. This is obvious from the number of citizens who have reported playing a sort of shell game with the administration, showing up at hearings and being told it’s the wrong one, and then missing the “critical” one because they were out of town or they didn’t hear about it…only to be told that they missed their chance for input. This does not come across as an administration that is trying to get the public’s input.
This was obvious last night as some of the latest work from the mayor’s office had reached the council approval stage, while citizens were still telling us they had not had opportunity for input or there was much work to be done. Instead of the mayor taking council’s position of “let’s get that input as quickly as we can, and make this the right product,” the mayor read a lengthy and one-sided, pre-prepared statement alleging how many times the citizens could have made their inputs if they had wanted to.
The most bothersome issue is that she must have known this complaint was coming (she had a prepared response after all). But in advance of the meeting, instead of her picking up the phone to speak with any of the citizens involved, or let the council know that major stakeholders were not satisfied, she chose to expend city resources trying to convince us that the citizens had all the time they deserved to make their comments.
This might be understandable once, but it has become the absolute pattern with this mayor. It is the same issue we dealt with eighteen months ago at the infamous meeting in which when she tried to prevent highlands citizens from speaking at a public hearing, on the evening that brought us Lipstickgate.
Here are my suggestions to the MAYOR, to prevent another council meeting like last night.
Do:
-Think of the public as the ultimate source for the best information
-Think of citizens and businesses as partners
-Recognize that the executive branch (that’s you) must do the necessary coordination to resolve both the mayor’s concerns and the council concern’s
Do NOT:
-Bully through the public process with an already-firm result in mind
-summarily dismiss citizen suggestions
-Hold it against a working-person if they are late to, or even have to miss, a day-time meeting
-Insult a councilmember who asks to take extra time during a reading of an ordinance
And here are my suggestions to TWO OF MY FELLOW COUNCILMEMBER’S to prevent further entanglements with me.
Do :
-Treat citizens at the podium with respect and courtesy
Do NOT:
-Try to characterize every question by a council member as “another attack on city staff.” (It’s completely obvious you are using the vulnerability of our hard-working city employees, and our affection for them, to hide from accountability for your own actions and decisions.)
-Talk about campaigning for mayor while you are in city hall performing your function as a councilmember.
-Hurl insults at your fellow council members just because you were on the losing side of a vote
Whoa…that was quite a council meeting tonight!
Sep17
2007
Written by Randy Corman
2007
Written by Randy Corman
I would not have guessed we would see so many sparks fly at tonight’s meeting. The agenda seemed simple enough.
The two main controversies developed over “downtown wayfinding signs” and “building design guidelines.” The common theme with both issues was that individual councilmembers and other stakeholders felt excluded from the decision process. But in both cases a straightforward request to allow more input started a barrage of insults. Yikes!
I’ll have plenty to write about this, but it’s too late tonight.
Good night all,
Randy
Sonics proposal in Auburn would still cost 452M
Sep17
2007
Written by Randy Corman
2007
Written by Randy Corman
A new sonics arena in Auburn would be 78 million dollars less than in Renton, but still cost 452 M. It’s hard for me to see this being any more feasible than reworking the Key Arena, given the fan base is centered in Seattle. As a reminder, the legislature balked at even considering 300M last session. Unless the Muckleshoot indian tribe (which owns the land) has hundreds of millions of dollars to spend, I don’t see this happening.
Lincoln Institute of Land Use Policy: Alternatives to eminent domain
Sep16
2007
Written by Randy Corman
2007
Written by Randy Corman
Renton’s efforts to revitalize the Renton Highlands got sidetracked by an unnecessary fight about the possible use of eminent domain, something I and the majority of the Council opposed, but the Keolker administration hung on to. This debate harkened back to an old dispute my wife and I had with the City before I was elected to council (described by this news article).
The complete court case can be found here.
Ultimately, Denis Law and I lead the passing of a motion (I moved, he seconded) which removed eminent domain from the table in the highlands. The mayor reacted by saying that it would now take years for something to happen in the highlands, and she pulled staff time away from the revitalization effort. She seemed convinced that Denis and I were just being narrow-minded, and that the eminent domain plan must be a casualty of misinformation.
State Attorney General Rob McKenna is now investigating use of eminent domain statewide, and the Renton dispute is prominent in his official files. The link below takes you to the Attorney General’s news clippings on disputed uses of eminent domain state wide. (Pages 10-30, approximately, cover the Renton dispute). Click here for Mr. McKenna’s news files on this issue.
I still insist our problem in the highlands was a result of not accepting public input when we needed to, a passionate debate I had with the mayor. Meanwhile, a Cleveland based non-partisan policy center, Lincoln Institute of Land Use Policy, has been analyzing the use of eminent domain for economic revitalization, and they have produced some interesting articles on the topic. I subscribe to their newsletter. Here is their latest:
Weird Al Yankovic at the Puyallup fair
Sep13
2007
Written by Randy Corman
2007
Written by Randy Corman
My family and I enjoyed a great show at the Puyallup Fair last night. Weird Al Yankovic, who does parody songs based on the latest rock hits, gave fairgoers an energetic, musical and hilarious two-hour-and-fifteen-minute show.
Our family has most of his albums, and we can sing many of his versions of pop songs by heart, so needless to say we loved seeing him. He is a fantastic showman, and made at least ten significant costume changes during the show. He would accomplish these by running an entertaining video on the big screen, which was either a parody interview of a star, or a music video of one of his many hits.
Some of my favorite performances last night were his tune “White and Nerdy”, which is a parody of the rap song “Ridin Dirty.” For this tune he appeared on a segway, and manged to dance on it for the first third of the song.
Other favorites were his two Star Wars hits, “The Saga Begins” which is based on “American Pie,” and “Yoda” which is based on “Lola.” “The Saga Begins” is probably Weird Al’s best work ever, as he puts the entire Star Wars Episode-One story into a single song, which makes both his fans and “Star Wars” fans (and there is a lot of overlap) delighted. My oldest daughter and her friends used to sing this ten minute song over and over, so it was really fun watching Weird Al and his band sing this hit in Star Wars costumes last night.
He dressed up in a funny fat-suit for for “Fat,” a takeoff of “Bad”, but by then my camera battery was running low, so I missed the photograph.
His encore song was a long ballad called Albuquerque, which he rarely performs because it is so hard on his vocal chords. You have to see it to believe it.
Here are some of the pictures I took of him last night:
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