Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Our Comic Conman

I have no interest in Comic Con, but I can score a free press pass, so I go.

Last year I tried to get a look at Angelina Jolie's lips up close, but so many people lined up to meet her it was impossible. This year, I saw Charlize Theron speak, but I was too far back.

I thought I saw Gene Simmons, the tongue in KISS, walk by me. I figured it wasn't him, since whenever I hear him on Howard Stern (locally on 103.7 FM), he's always trying to sell merchandise. I assumed if he was at Comic Con he'd be working a merch booth. I found out later that it was Simmons.

Sponsored
Sponsored

I went to see Tenacious D, the comedic acoustic/metal band that features actor Jack Black. They played on Sunday in Hall H, which holds over 6,000 people, and it was filled to capacity.

Guitarist Kyle Gass came out and pulled down his pants. At first I thought he was mooning the audience, but it was because filmmaker Kevin Smith (a Comic Con staple) introduced the band by saying they are two of only ten guys he would "service sexually." Kyle had him cornered and dropped his shorts.

Jack Black was wearing a Padres floppy hat. He maniacally thrashed his head around, but the hat stayed in place. He threw it into the audience mid-way through the set.

Black said he thought fans only paid $10 to get in, but when he found out it was $35, they decided they should give $35 worth. After one song, Black said, "We're up to $23 now." Tenacious D played over an hour of music.

Aside from their campy original tunes (including a few from the movie they are making), they did a cover of Queen's "Flash Gordon," and encored with a medley of Who songs from Tommy.

I tried to get backstage with my press pass, and as they were letting me in a guy in a sports coat said, "Media isn't allowed back here unless they have a backstage pass." I then went outside the Convention Center and around to the back of the building. There were about 25 fans waiting to meet the band. A young kid was working security. I showed my pass and he let me back.

Gass said, "Hey man, I like your T-shirt." We were both wearing the same one. It said "Trainwreck," which is a band he is in that does humorous cover tunes (they played the Casbah a few months ago and the Epicentre in Mira Mesa a few years ago).

Jack Black was walking around surrounded by security guards. He was sweating profusely. Since he had a Whiskey-A-Go-Go shirt on (a club on Sunset Strip in L.A.), I asked if he'd be playing there anytime soon. His eyebrows flared up and he said, "We already played there, man. It was great."

A few people shook his hand before he got onto an elevator.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Gonzo Report: Three nights of Mission Bayfest bring bliss

“This is a top-notch production.”
Next Article

The vicious cycle of Escondido's abandoned buildings

City staff blames owners for raising rents

I have no interest in Comic Con, but I can score a free press pass, so I go.

Last year I tried to get a look at Angelina Jolie's lips up close, but so many people lined up to meet her it was impossible. This year, I saw Charlize Theron speak, but I was too far back.

I thought I saw Gene Simmons, the tongue in KISS, walk by me. I figured it wasn't him, since whenever I hear him on Howard Stern (locally on 103.7 FM), he's always trying to sell merchandise. I assumed if he was at Comic Con he'd be working a merch booth. I found out later that it was Simmons.

Sponsored
Sponsored

I went to see Tenacious D, the comedic acoustic/metal band that features actor Jack Black. They played on Sunday in Hall H, which holds over 6,000 people, and it was filled to capacity.

Guitarist Kyle Gass came out and pulled down his pants. At first I thought he was mooning the audience, but it was because filmmaker Kevin Smith (a Comic Con staple) introduced the band by saying they are two of only ten guys he would "service sexually." Kyle had him cornered and dropped his shorts.

Jack Black was wearing a Padres floppy hat. He maniacally thrashed his head around, but the hat stayed in place. He threw it into the audience mid-way through the set.

Black said he thought fans only paid $10 to get in, but when he found out it was $35, they decided they should give $35 worth. After one song, Black said, "We're up to $23 now." Tenacious D played over an hour of music.

Aside from their campy original tunes (including a few from the movie they are making), they did a cover of Queen's "Flash Gordon," and encored with a medley of Who songs from Tommy.

I tried to get backstage with my press pass, and as they were letting me in a guy in a sports coat said, "Media isn't allowed back here unless they have a backstage pass." I then went outside the Convention Center and around to the back of the building. There were about 25 fans waiting to meet the band. A young kid was working security. I showed my pass and he let me back.

Gass said, "Hey man, I like your T-shirt." We were both wearing the same one. It said "Trainwreck," which is a band he is in that does humorous cover tunes (they played the Casbah a few months ago and the Epicentre in Mira Mesa a few years ago).

Jack Black was walking around surrounded by security guards. He was sweating profusely. Since he had a Whiskey-A-Go-Go shirt on (a club on Sunset Strip in L.A.), I asked if he'd be playing there anytime soon. His eyebrows flared up and he said, "We already played there, man. It was great."

A few people shook his hand before he got onto an elevator.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Gonzo Report: Three nights of Mission Bayfest bring bliss

“This is a top-notch production.”
Next Article

Todd Gloria gets cash from McDonald's franchise owners

Phil's BBQ owner for Larry Turner
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader