Every now and then a show comes along where being a fan makes it rather difficult to write a review that isn’t full of hyperbole and inexplicable excitement. For me, Weezer was one of those shows. But don’t let my status as a “fan” belittle any praise bestowed upon this gig. I’ve seen Weezer before, and they weren’t this good. I’ve been to many shows as a big fan before, and rarely do they deserve such praise – after all, the bigger a fan you are, the easier it is to be let down. This was one night where it was good to be a fan, one night where no one left disappointed. And, irrespective of hyperbole, how often can one say that about any show, period? But before we get there, let’s take a look at the supports…
First up were Brisbane’s Ball Park Music, who opened as many bands do, with the opening track of their latest album. “Fence Sitter” off of the acclaimed Museum was given the honours tonight, in front of the Entertainment Centre’s earlier arrivers (read: massive Weezer fans). “Sad Rude Future Dude” followed, then “All I Want Is You” and “Coming Down”, one of my favourite tracks off of Museum.
All tracks were solid and showed off a band who were comfortable on the stadium stage. Things really kicked into gear though with fan favourite “iFly” (aka “I Fucking Love You”), which had a clever ballad style opening; a variation on its standard. Then came the stellar “Surrender”, the hit single off of Museum which came out like a stadium rock anthem, proving that this was a band who deserved their spot, and belonged on the stage. The set closed with “It’s Nice To Be Alive” and “Literally Baby”, as the crowd grew along with the applause. The only way from here is up!
Speaking of which, one band who we haven’t seen around these parts for some time are Sydney’s own (well Blue Mountains-via-Sydney’s own) Cloud Control, who relocated to the UK last year to work on the follow up to their breakthrough debut Bliss Release, and build upon their European successes. They even supported Arcade Fire in a Colosseum in Italy. Who does that!? Having been supporters of the band from the beginning, we couldn’t be prouder of the group, but we couldn’t be happier to have them back home, either. It was a joy to see them open up for Weezer tonight.
The set wasn’t quite as monumental as their sell out show at the Metro, or their massive appearances at Splendour in the Grass, rather it was a chance to reconnect with the band (albeit in a massive setting), and get to hear a few new tunes along the way. There were new tracks like “Scar”, which was a key heavy number, “Promises” which was similar to the pop rock that Ball Park Music have helped make popular, and done with style. Both were solid numbers and have us quite excited for the new music. “Ice Age Heat Wave” didn’t have as much punch as the others, but given the name wasn’t even final, I’m guessing they’re still roadtesting that one.
The set also included favourites like set opener “Meditation Song #2 (Why, Oh Why)”, “This Is What I Said” and “There’s Nothing In The Water We Can’t Fight”. “Gold Canary” was given special treatment with a Butthole Surfers interlude (“Pepper”) that the band thought ‘Weezer fans would appreciate’. Touche. “Ghost Story”, meanwhile, closed the set, seeing guitarist Jeremy use his backline case as a drum, adding to the high energy already coming off the stage. An as always solid set from the local heroes. We can’t wait to hear what comes next!
But tonight was all about Weezer, and indeed they did not disappoint. The venue packed up tight as they took to the stage and played through an hour or so of their greatest hits. They reminded us why we liked them in the first place (fun, catchy songs), they reminded us that they’re incredibly talented musicians (which, when you’re the masters of fun, catchy songs is often easy to forget – but Rivers is a bloody good guitarist, especially during tracks like “Dope Nose”!), and more than anything, they reminded us what it was like to be a teenager. Because by the time the Greatest Hits set was coming to an end, and they cranked out “El Scortcho”, every single person in the Entertainment Centre reverted in one swift moment to their teenage years. They screamed every word to every song. They fistpumped in the air. They jumped around and headbanged. They approved of the band who earlier dedicated “Hash Pipe” as their ‘sacrifice to the gods of rock’ because the 15 year old inside them told them to. It was an intense, contagious energy.
And then, after an entertaining intermission that featured Karl Koch narrating a slide show that took us through the making of The Blue Album, and a few liner notes about their last Australian tour (in 1996!), we were given the album in full, from start to finish. It was the aforementioned 15 year old inside all of us’ wet dream. We sang, we reminisced; it was nostalgia from a band who are still legitimately making music. Not as a reunion, not as a rehash of an old idea gone terribly wrong. Save for a the post-Pinkerton hiatus, they have barely stopped playing shows, and the band as it is today is the same as it was when The Blue Album was released, save for the bass guitarist.
But in spite of this, I think the thing that came as a surprise to all of us was how much energy and passion the band gave to their music, new and old. This didn’t feel like a cash in. It felt very much a “thank you” to their fans (especially ones as painfully rejected time and time again on their touring schedule like us in Australia), and a chance for the band themselves to reminisce. Rivers also mentioned with excitement how much fun it was playing Pinkerton in full in Melbourne, and he hoped to get back to bring that album to Sydney. He did, however, hurt his knee at that show, but he didn’t let that get in the way of jumping around and being the ever charismatic frontman.
It’s hard to say what the highlight of the album was live, because we all have our favourites – mine is “Undone (The Sweater Song)”. But it seemed for many in the room, “Say It Ain’t So” had those honours and it received arguably the biggest singalong for the set.
The night ended with all members on the drums, before taking a bow and returning for a surprise encore (as no other Blue Album shows on this tour has been treated to an encore) that included one of their biggest hits (at least in this country), “Island in the Sun”. It was a satisfying conclusion to a set that was about as crowd pleaser as you get. Play the crowd their favourite songs, play them well, tell a few stories and jokes along the way and you just can’t go wrong. Well, history would say otherwise, but Weezer have certainly shown them how it’s done.
SETLIST
Memories
(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To
Pork and Beans
Troublemaker
Perfect Situation
Beverly Hills
Dope Nose
Hash Pipe
El Scorcho
You Gave Your Love to Me Softly
—
My Name Is Jonas
No One Else
The World Has Turned and Left Me Here
Buddy Holly
Undone – The Sweater Song
Surf Wax America
Say It Ain’t So
In the Garage
Holiday
Only in Dreams
—
Island in the Sun
