Junior year in high school, my friend and I found out that Weezer was coming to town. It was going to be awesome! Unfortunately, when we rolled up to the local Ticketmaster outlet, we were greeted with terrible news: only ONE ticket remained in the entire ticketing system. Being young and naive and oblivious to the benefits of ticket scalping, we decided to maintain our loyal friendship and pass altogether. What a dumb choice!
More than a decade later, with Rivers and Company kicking off the U.S. leg of their Troublemaker tour at Tsongas Arena in support of their sixth studio album the Red Album, I had my chance to recover some of those Weezer memories I never had. Of course, present-day Weezer is a very different band from Weezer circa-1997. On stage, the band doesn't have that geeky brilliance of those early years; on the contrary, they look and feel like seasoned performers. Though with none of the theatric, arena rock posturing that defined Angels and Airwaves' earlier set, Weezer is clearly comfortable on stage. At one point, Rivers even declared Weezer the "coolest band on the planet." Hmm.
Stage presence aside, I was there for the music. Like many Weezer fans, I enjoy nearly all of their releases, but my heart remains with the Blue Album and especially with Pinkerton. So seeing Weezer live results in mixed feelings. Experiencing "Pink Triangle" live was pretty incredible. But hearing newer pieces alongside their cherished classics didn't help my appreciation of the new material. Songs like the ridiculous "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived" and even the catchy, funny "Pork and Beans" seem sloppy and inconsequential next to "El Scorcho" and "Say It Ain't So."
Personal preference aside, Weezer put on a fantastic show. Here's a quick rundown of my top moments of the night:
1. The two Pinkerton cuts, of course.
2. The dozens of pre-selected Weezer fans (and their instruments) who filled the stage for performances of "Island in the Sun" and "Beverly Hills." During this segment, Rivers also revealed that in an earlier life, he had attended a five-week summer session at Berklee studying jazz. That obviously didn't pan out.
3. The multiple costume changes - from white jumpsuits (pictured above and below) to red athletic warmups to blue soccer duds.
4. The crowd. Young, hyper, Make Believe/Red Album-era fans crowding the front, Pinkerton-era fans further back. All deeply into the music. And one crazy dancer, who went insane during "Say It Ain't So" and was escorted from the venue by security during "Keep Fishin.'"
5. The stage setup/lighting. Spotlights from both sides of the stage, dramatic, colorful back-lighting, and (after the first three songs) fantastic backing LEDs fit the music and made it a pleasure to photograph and watch. A quick aside: as a concert photographer, if you can't get good results from this setup, it's time to hang up your camera. Seriously.
But I'm still kicking myself for the missed opportunity back in high school.
WEEZER SET LIST
1. Dope Nose
2. Hash Pipe
3. Dreamin'
4. Undone
5. Automatic
6. Say It Ain't So
7. Susanne
8. Troublemaker
9. King
10. My Name Is Jonas
11. Pink Triangle
12. Pork and Beans
13. Keep Fishin'
14. Perfect Situation
15. El Scorcho
16. The Greatest Man That Ever Lived
17. (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (Oasis Cover)
18. Island In The Sun
19. Beverly Hills
20. Heart Songs (played on vinyl) into Sliver
21. Buddy Holly
