If you drove down Main Street in Half Moon Bay on your average Tuesday night, you would find empty streets and darkened store fronts. But on this particular Tuesday (Sept. 28), you would have found a crowd of young adults dancing in the street, in front of a well-lighted M. Coffee’s, wearing record sleeves on their heads like hats.

What could have driven these folks to such extreme lengths? Could it have been the heart attack inducing amounts of coffee they drank inside the café? Could they have been trying to keep warm on that foggy coastal night? Or could there have been a man with an accordian in the middle of them, trying to teach them a dance?

Skyline student, Nick Hoffman, knows it was the latter, and Jason Webley was the man with the accordian. Nick, who has seen Webley perform six times all around the Bay Area in the last year, also knows that no two shows are ever the same. And never has he seen an incident like that one.

“I think that was the most extreme [thing Webley has done],” Hoffman said. He also described an incident where Hoffman came on stage wearing a sheet and a mask with a boom box. While he passed out carrots to the crowd while the boom box emitted a Stephen Hawkings-like voice that went on about farming. He then asked the crowd to, “hold [their carrot] up to the light and examine it. Know [their] carrot by heart.” He went on to tell them to, “…close their eyes, put their carrot in their mouth, and focus on the experience.” By the time the crowd had finished their carrots, Jason was in a big coat, his fedora hat and his accordion, playing songs.

So what is it about him that can cause people to follow along with such insane performances?

“He’s such a powerful performer,” Hoffman said. “I wouldn’t doubt that people would go to great lengths to follow him. I’m going to follow him to Seattle. [for the show on Oct. 30]. I don’t think he’s the kind of person to use people or trick them. But he definitely has that kind of power.”

* If you’re interested in finding out more information on Jason Webley and his wild and weird ways, go to his Web site: http://www.jasonwebley.com