Back in 1994, when Weezer released “Undone – The Sweater Song” and “Buddy Holly,” I was 15. Despite being into grunge bands like Nirvana and Stone Temple Pilots, I was also hiding a pop music-loving heart. Weezer was neither really pop or grunge, but I didn’t care: I loved them. Having said that, I must admit that I was the kind of casual fan who didn’t own a single album but knew all the words to every one of their radio hits. And that’s how it went for twenty years. Then, in 2014, I finally caught Weezer’s act live (at BottleRock Napa Valley). I was absolutely floored, and that was the day that my Weezer fandom finally became real. So almost ten years later, when they embarked on an epic “Indie Rock Road Trip” tour with White Reaper and Spoon that was coming to an amazing small venue near me? You better believe I wasn’t going to miss it.
Because the show fell on a Thursday night, the noise curfew gave these three bands until 10 pm to play. White Reaper took the stage promptly at 6 pm, and they were really fun. While it’s expected that the first band on tour like this only gets about 30 minutes to play, they maximized my entertainment in that short time. In particular, I enjoyed “I Don’t Think She Cares,” “Might Be Right” (which they dedicated to someone named Opal), and “Pages.”
A little while later, I was ready for another round as Spoon began their set. This is a band I’ve only seen once or twice, but in the past few years, I’ve come to consider myself a fan. It was particularly sweet for me to see them in Berkeley, as I always knew them as “Jen’s favorite band” until I actually discovered them for myself. Who’s Jen, you may ask? Jen is one of my closest friends from college – we went to Cal together; seeing her favorite band in Berkeley really took me back to the fun times I shared with her, making it even more special for me.
Spoon started their set with “Wild,” which is one of my favorite of their songs. “The Way We Get By,” “The Hardest Cut,” and “My Babe” were all brilliant, just as I expected. At one point in their set, Britt Daniel paused to compliment the shirt of someone in the crowd, after which he introduced Ricky to the entire audience, which I found endearing. (Ricky was wearing a Weezer fan club t-shirt, in case you were wondering.) I was disappointed not to hear “Hot Thoughts,” but got over it when I heard their cover of The Cramps’ “TV Set,” which was fantastic and so much fun. I really enjoy this band, and this show was no exception. I’ll be looking forward to the next time I get to see them.
Later, as I waited for Weezer to arrive, I passed the time by watching all the people. It didn’t take me long to notice that clearly, there’s no such thing as a “type” when it comes to fans of Weezer (or Spoon, or White Reaper, as the case may be) – there was so much diversity in the crowd, and it was really pleasing to see so many different kinds of people coming out to just enjoy some great live music.
Finally, it was time for the main event. As a small group of fans behind me began to chant “Weezer, Weezer” (with Toto’s “Africa” blasting over the PA), a huge black curtain dropped, revealing a giant inflatable dashboard, complete with steering wheel and radio (of course). Over the course of the evening, Weezer took us on a road trip that Rivers Cuomo said was a “journey across America and a journey through time… starting in 1994 and ending right now.” They began with “My Name is Jonas,” followed by “Beverly Hills.”
A little while after “Pork and Beans,” we were treated to “Undone – The Sweater Song” featuring special guest Toro y Moi! This was a fun surprise, and then during the writing of my review I discovered that this artist is a huge Weezer fan, which makes the moment even sweeter.
Later, Cuomo talked about a time early in the band’s history when he was just starting to finally get some attention from women, which, of course he was enjoying. He talked about having had the idea of going out with a different woman every night, but of course, that eventually gets old. This led to a Cuomo solo, “Tired of Sex,” which I found refreshing and honest. When he had finished the song, Cuomo sang “Weezer come back” (to the tune of Player’s “Baby Come Back”) and of course, they did.
Up next was a lovely acoustic version of “Susanne,” and a little while later, during “Island in the Sun,” the crowd joined Cuomo in singing. I’m almost always a fan of little singalong moments, and this was no exception. There’s a sweet relationship between Weezer and their fans, and this was one of several moments where that was apparent; I found it very charming. “You guys are awesome!” Cuomo gushed. “What I mean to say is I love you… from the bottom of mi corazón! Te amo!”
After “All My Favorite Songs,” Cuomo declared that it “doesn’t count as a road trip until dad takes a family photo,” adding “smile, kids!” before he took photos of the crowd. “Say It Ain’t So,” “Hash Pipe,” and of course, “Thank You and Goodnight” followed as the time grew ever closer to the looming 10 pm curfew. There was an encore, but of course they didn’t have much time to leave the stage and then reappear. They handled this brilliantly, however, reappearing almost immediately to give us a bit of “Surf Wax America” and then “Buddy Holly.”
I left the venue admittedly a tiny bit disappointed, as I’d hoped I’d get to hear their absolutely perfect cover of the aforementioned “Africa” (originally by Toto), but I hadn’t really expected it and was just as happy to play it in the car on the way home. Considering how many songs this band has created that I’ve enjoyed over the years, I was more than satisfied with those I got to hear, and I’ll just hope to hear other favorites at a future show. Thanks for the wonderful road trip, Weezer – I didn’t even get car sick!
