By Isabelle Chan
The lights blackout, thousands of people standing up and cheering, then the tall black fabric drops. On stage are lead singer Rivers Cuomo, rhythm guitarist Brian Bell, bass player Scott Shriner, and drum kit player Patrick Wilson.
On September 2, the 90’s alternative rock band performed at the Fivepoint Amphitheater in Irvine, California. This would be the 29th out of the 30 shows on their tour across America. The concert was one of the many sold-out shows and had two opening shows featuring garage punk band White Reaper and rock band Spoon. White Reaper performed several of their songs including “I Don’t Think She Cares”, “Raw”, “Might Be Right”, and many more. Following their energetic performance, Spoon enters playing different songs such as “The Way We Get By”, “Rent I Pay”, “Don’t You Evah”, and once again many other of their dynamic rock songs.
These opening shows were perfect to start off the night right before Weezer.
The black fabric hiding their set drops down to reveal a large screen with animated backgrounds to accompany the songs. The set on stage was like a dashboard on a car creating the illusion of a road trip.
Weezer played 23 of their top songs from their large variety of albums including “Say It Ain’t So” from their Blue album, “The Good Life” from their album Pinkerton, “Island In The Sun” from their Green album, and many more.
Out of the variety of songs they played, they included a song from their canceled rock opera album “Songs from the Black Hole” which was recorded originally between 1994 and 1996. The album was supposed to tell a story about a crew of astronauts going to space and the drama that ensues between them. “Blast Off!” was the song they had played during the concert which portrays an argument between the captains of the spaceship.
However, instead of releasing the album, Cuomo ultimately decided to call it off due to several factors including personal medical issues. He canceled the album and instead wrote the album “Pinkerton” which was initially voted as the 3rd worst album of the year (1996) for its rather “uncomfortable” lyrics and concepts, but is now known as one of their best and an all-time favorite by fans.
Another honorable mention is the song “Susanne” from their Blue album released in 1994. The song was written as a sort of thank you to a woman named Susanne. When Weezer started off they were trying to find record studios that would start up with them. She was the A&R assistant at Geffen Records. Geffen Records has record labels with big bands such as Guns N’ Roses, Nirvana, John Lennon, and many more big names. Since this was Weezer’s first album they had low expectations, however, Susanne was extremely helpful and they were able to get their first album released with the studio. Without the help of her, Weezer may not have been what it is today.
The overall tour was a huge success with sold-out shows across America. Weezer is a timeless band that can bring people of all ages together, whether they’re old fans who rocked out to the Blue album on its initial release or newer fans who fully enjoy the classics and their new music. The concert was an experience like no other that took the Weezer community on a memorable indie-rock road trip.
Isabella Chan
Isabella (Ella) Chan ('26) is a second year arts and entertainment journalist for the Redwood Gigantea. You can reach out to her by emailing at isabe.ch5254@vusd.us
Tags: band, concert, music, rangers, Redwood, redwood gigantea, redwood high school, redwood journalism, redwood rangers, rhs, songs, visalia ca, Weezer, weezer concert
