Weezer

Weezer’s performance at The Tabernacle in Atlanta last Saturday night (12/6/14) was anything but ordinary.

I had seen Weezer perform three times in the last few years and each time they came on stage and played a set comprising virtually all of their big hits along with a couple of new tunes and a couple of songs that true fans love but casual fans wouldn’t know. Well that was not the formula Saturday night.

The show started with front-man Rivers Cuomo casually sitting on the edge of the stage, apparently just quietly waiting for everyone to notice he was there. Eventually he stood up, grabbed an acoustic guitar, stepped up to a mic and began singing in a barely audible voice. I don’t even know what he was singing. He gradually picked up the volume and then mid-way through his second song he was joined by Brian Bell who also picked up an acoustic.

In turns, Scott Shriner and drummer Pat Wilson joined in and the band embarked on an all-acoustic set including some songs they rarely play live or hadn’t played in years, like “December”, along with a few classics like “Island in the Sun” and “Buddy Holly” plus Scott Shriner leading the way on "King". This first set was played at the front edge of the stage with the house lights up and the rest of the stage hidden behind the curtain.

After a break, the house lights dimmed and the curtain lifted to reveal a different stage than one is accustomed to seeing at a Weezer show. There were four large flat screen monitors – two on either side of the stage. Gone from behind the band was the giant illuminated W and in its place was a huge tapestry with the cover art from Weezer’s new release Everything Will Be Alright in the End. And that was no accident as Weezer proceeded to play the new album from beginning to end.

The monitors helped the crowd a bit by displaying lyrics to the songs, but the lyrics were often out of sync with the performance. Rivers Cuomo had great energy and seemed to really enjoy putting on a show that I can only guess was a lot more enjoyable and rewarding for him and his band-mates than their standard fare.

Some of the audience, on the other hand, was likely disappointed that they didn’t get to hear the songs they’re accustomed to hearing: Undone (the Sweater song), Hashpipe and Beverly Hills were among the missing. After the final track from EWBAITE, the band put their instruments down and left the stage.

They returned for a single encore: Surfwax America. This is another song that is a standard at Weezer shows and that more dedicated fans know and love – myself included - but many casual fans probably don’t.

Despite the atypical format and offerings, the crowd was enthusiastic and seemingly grateful to see such an accomplished band in the intimate and stylish confines of The Tabernacle. For someone who has seen Weezer before, the show was a real holiday gift!

I have seen Weezer play live 10 times and I am seeing them for the eleventh time this week. I went on both Weezer Cruises.

Weezer is one of the tightest live bands I have ever seen. They deliver an outstanding show every single time. I can not get enough and I go see them every chance I get. I believe they are one of the greatest rock bands of our time. Weezer features incredible guitar hooks, catchy lyrics and musicianship. Anyone in the band could swap instruments and they all have their own bands, as well.

Weezer's live performances have evolved with time. The biggest change from the first time I saw them in 1997 to current shows is the bassist. Original bassist Matt Sharp left the band in 1998 and was replaced by Mikey Welsh, who was then replaced by Scott Shriner in 2001. Matt is known for his work with the heavily-Moog band, The Rentals.

Scott is an incredible bassist, whose influence on recordings after the Green Album is significant. Scott also sings lead vocals at most shows. He often sings Dope Nose and on the second cruise, to everyone's delight, he sang King.

In the early days, Weezer's frontman Rivers Cuomo allowed Matt to do most of the speaking in between songs and was quite nervous on stage. Now, Rivers is much more comfortable on stage and is lively. He quite often comes into the audience with a wireless microphone and sings a song. On the first Weezer cruise, he climbed up the dry waterslide on the deck of the ship while singing Photograph.

On the current tour, the drummer Patrick Wilson is featured on lead guitar and Rivers plays drums. On the current tour, Pat sang two songs at the Myrtle Beach show, including a cover of Blur's Song 2. Brian Bell plays guitar and sings mostly backup vocals, but he often sings lead vocals on a song, too.

At almost every show, Weezer plays their hits and throws in at least one b-side, rare track and/or a cover song. This year, they are working on a new album and often include the new song, Back to the Shack. I encourage you to search Youtube for live Weezer from different time frames and get tickets to a show this year.

I double checked my ticket to confirm that this show was not billed as a double headliner however that's certainly what it was...and not in a good way. Panic! At the Disconplayed for as long as Weezer causing the main band to start at 10pm which usually isn't an issue export at this venue...
Panic! Had it's fair share of fans in the crowd (I'm not one). I was bored of hearing falsetto and an overlong set of new wave rock (although it was packed full of dramatic moments and an excellent stage show).
By the time the boys came on (after a long period of waiting required by the elaborate stage set), everyone was ready for a nice summer night at Weezer Beach. The boys delivered with a fun set however it was formulaic to a fault. The setlist was identical to every other night of the tour and each song clocked in the same as its length on the album. There was no improv, no live excitement built into any of the songs.
As for PNC Bank Arts Center it is an atrociously bad place to see a concert. The PA system experienced a near total failure during Weezer's set causing the lawn to only hear a muffled version of songs. As has become customary, the lawn was vastly over sold causing an uncomfortable stand and zero visibility of the stage.

Weezer is just as good live as on their albums, if not better. The concert was much anticipated, which was apparent by the nearly 3 block line to get into the armory, where the concert was held. Although the line was long enough that we missed the opening band, it took nothing away from Weezer's performance. Once Weezer came out, they took over and blasted everyone in the audience away. They talked with the crowd and made jokes and seemed like genuinely nice guys.
Weezer got everyone in the audience to sing along with them, even if (like me) they didn't know all the words. They were very family friendly and the crowd was just as friendly. Normally when the tickets say "all ages", I expect no one younger than 16 or so to be in the crowd, but this concert was truly "all ages". The boy standing next to me, screaming along with all the songs, got Weezer tickets for his 10th birthday, and the person in the front of the stage right next to the band was wearing a tiara and couldn't have been more than 8.
Over all, the experience was amazing and I would absolutely see them again.

The Weezer concert was amazing and I loved it. This has been an iconic band for 24 years, and the audience at the show was a mixture of new fans and long-time adorers.
The performance was authentically Weezer - weird, fresh, fun, surprising, and weird some more. We got not only a night of fantastic sounds and true rock spirit, but also a collection of the strangest images you've ever seen. The set was thought out really well, treating fans to a taste of all Weezer has gone through and mixing in some unique audience connection to each show.
It was a really wonderful ode to all their work together. We got an amazing collection of their best songs, biggest hits, earlier work, and iconic moments throughout their nearly-three-decades-long history. The whole thing was completely and utterly unforgettable.
They're never gonna stop being weird, man. And I fucking love it. We need more dorkiness in this world. Thank you, Weezer.

One of the best concerts I have ever been to!

Although it was highly choreographed, with multiple stage 'sets' and a time when Rivers (the lead) went all the way through the audience, picked up a guitar and did a few songs to the crowd on the lawn. They played all the songs you know and wanted to hear live from across their entire catalog. They also showed respect to rock history by doing covers of songs by The Animals, Green Day, Aha, and Toto (I don't get the current fascination with the song Africa, but it was cool to see Weezer play it).

The whole band seemed to be having fun and, while the set changes had lots of gimmicks (different looks, logos, fire, fireworks, etc.) it really worked and was super-entertaining.

I would absolutely go to see then again!

We got there with plenty of time so we could enjoy the Wombats and Pixies. I had heard them all on the radio growing up. It was surreal and i found myself mezmorized with the talent before us. We brought my older children and my daughters friend (his first concert was an awesome pick). I was in awe of the talent before us. It was an amazing show from start to finish. Everyone enjoyed the music we were not disappointed. The only non positive was someone kicked my daughter in the back on purpose. She didn't let it affect her enjoyment of the rest of the show. Too bad some people can't be considerate, common sense isn't so common.
Thank-you to the artist for a fantastic show.

Eagerly anticipated by our 8yo son and us (not seen Weezer since Reading festival 2002), and they did not disappoint!

Support act, Dinosaur Pile-Up, were good: played well and funny (drummer kept breaking something on his kit, but they laughed it off as standard!). They were super grateful to Weezer (guitarist/lead singer referred to his teen email: mynameisjonas@hotmail or something!)

Weezer were on top form. Rivers and the gang were cheerful, energetic, funny. They played a great mix of songs from the past and off the new White album. The sound quality was excellent and they were true pros.

We loved seeing them and can't wait for next time! Woop woop!

Weezer was the very first concert I had been too and I am so glad it was! They played their hit singles; My Name Is Jonas, Say It Ain't So, Buddy Holly, Island In The Sun, Hash Pipe and few other songs that I can't think of at this momet. Another great thing about Weezer is that they sound even better live! Rivers is incredible! I invited my friend who only knew about 2 songs but she loved the whole concert! You meet such interesting people at a Weezer concert. I will remember this concert till I die!

It has been ten years since I saw Weezer and, my, how they have slowed. I liked that the setlist leaned heavily to the older stuff, but I could do without the covers (Green Day, Oasis, Africa, etc.) Mostly, though, they need to do something to get people pumped - that shows they aren't just going through the motions. They can't be THAT much older than ... say ... Muse, right? And letting the crowd sing along a couple of times and riding a scooter around the venue won't cut it.