Weezer

Have you ever experienced something so great that when you woke up in the morning you felt like you just woke up from a really good dream? That was the feeling after seeing Weezer. Cheezy, yes, but is there really anything much better than seeing one of your favorite bands for the first time? No.
Rivers Cuomo, Brian Bell, Scott Shriner and Patrick Wilson got on stage — a very big stage for four guys and a black curtain — and began to play. No rock star escapades, no explosions, dry ice or fireworks. They got on stage and started to play. They opened with "Island in the Sun," and once that song was finished Rivers decided to address the audience for the first time with the thought that he wanted to play "In The Garage" with one of his "old school guitars." The audience, much of whom were clad in sweaters (striped, argyle, what have you…) and cords, lost it. They screamed like it was Kiss on stage and the year was '76.
Not only did they play the songs everyone wanted to hear, but they played them well. "In the Garage," was played with a skill and finesse only comparable to the Beach Boys playing "In My Room." (Ever notice the similarity?)
The quartet seemed lost on that huge stage, seemingly more fit to play somewhere smaller; they just don't seem like arena type folks. Right when they began, the black curtain dropped to reveal a huge grid of color and metal, flashing lights and two giant flashing W's. The vibe was a roller rink on disco night…it was good.
They eased into "Crab," with Rivers and Brian harmonizing, making the entire sound a little rough and dirty, not quite to the quality of the CD, but that made it even better.
Then came "Knock Down Drag Out" leading into the second new song. As they played the second new song, they said that it wasn't named yet, and asked the crowd to, "Please e-mail us ideas."
In all, they played three new songs; the last one called "We Go Together." All three were reminiscent of the Blue Album, which was good, and sounded like they've been watching Grease in the tour bus a few times too many, but the '50s sound was working for them.
The one song they played from Pinkerton was "Tired of Sex," and then came "Jonas," which they messed up the first two times they tried to play it, making the Kaiser all of a sudden feel like you were seeing a new, small band in a little club. Not many bands can achieve that and still have total control over the audience and their music.
One of the best things about seeing them live was the change in the emphasis of their music. Weezer is a band predominantly known for their lyrics and a sound that has lasted through grunge, boy bands and pop, but seeing them live showed their skilled musicianship: Rivers playing lead guitar adding in various lead solos that made the show; Patrick hitting the high hats perfectly, never missing a beat and Brian accompanying the band on rhythm guitar, adding that flavor that makes Weezer who they are.
Then came the encore…first they played "Buddy Holly" and they ended with "Surf Wax America." It was an incredible show, so incredible that it should make Madonna a little nervous about holding onto the No. 1 concert of my year. Oh yeah, when I was standing by the stage, Rivers walked by. He smiled at me.
– Laney Erokan

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