As Lucy wasn’t able to catch Weezer on the first day of Austin City Limits, I thought I’d take some time to review their hour long performance at the festival over the weekend!
Though I would have undoubtedly first heard Weezer in the mid 90s, and certainly knew a few of the singles, it wasn’t until 2003, when Spike Jonze released his Directors Label DVD, that I truly discovered Weezer, delving into their back catalogue after re-falling in love with songs like “Buddy Holly” and “Undone (The Sweater Song), thanks to Jonze’s phenomenal music videos for both.
Fast forward to 2012 in Austin, Texas and I’m finally getting my first chance to see the band live – a band who will funnily enough be touring Australia for the first time in 16 years in January, bringing fans The Blue Album in full. Though they didn’t play it in full at ACL, they certainly gave me and all their fans more than enough of its hits – opening the set with its own opener “My Name Is Jonas” and closing with the aforementioned stunner “Undone…”. The filling in between was nothing short of a fan’s paradise.
There’s little beyond the music to say about Weezer’s set, and I would expect that this is pretty common of their performances; Rivers Cuomo and his troupe come on, perform your favourite songs – often with perfection – and then depart. They aren’t showman and they aren’t trying to be anything more than the musicians they are. But when you’re a fan of the band what more do you need? My easy highlights of the set were the aforementioned opener and closer, plus “Pork and Beans”, “Hash Pipe”, “El Scortcho” and my unashamed guitly pleasure “Island in the Sun”, which featured a spontaneous opening from the band about wanting a dance partner. The full setlist is below.
If their performance at Austin City Limits is anything to go by, Weezer fans will not be disappointed by their Australian tour in January. I for one had a smile on my face from start to finish, as I punished my vocal chords to every song and relived the singles from my youth and the albums I feel like I only discovered yesterday.
If they crammed this much into an hour set, imagine how much we’ll get at their arena shows!
SETLIST:
My Name Is Jonas
Memories
Surf Wax America
(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To
Dope Nose
Island in the Sun
Perfect Situation
Buddy Holly
Hash Pipe
El Scorcho
Beverly Hills
Say It Ain’t So
Pork and Beans
The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)
Undone – The Sweater Song
