[Photo by AMY Z. QUINN]
JUST LIKE BUDDY HOLLY: Weezer, Susquehanna Center, Saturday Night
BY AMY Z. QUINN I was pretty sure I’d made it through Saturday night’s Weezer show without feeling too old when on the way back to the car, niece Jenny turned to me and said “Who is Buddy Holly, anyway?” Cue that wah-wah-waaaaah “Thank you for playing!” sound effect. Of course, I was happy to tell her all about the Texas rocker, about the nerd-sex glasses and “Everyday” and “Peggy Sue” and The Day The Music Died, though I stopped short of going into why I still think Weezer’s “Buddy Holly” video is the best thing I’ve ever seen. She’s only 13 and was born well after “Happy Days” went off the air and has no idea about The Fonz. But judging strictly by the number of kids her age in the audience — mostly packs of longish-haired boys — at the Venue Formerly Known As The Tweeter Center in Camden, we likely weren’t the only ones having a conversation like that after the show. [Continued after the jump]
WEEZER: Buddy Holly
*
BY JENN W. On Saturday my aunt Amy, who is the Editrix here on Phawker, took me to the Susquehanna Bank Center formerly known (and what my friends still call) the Tweeter Center. we went to see one of my favorite bands, Tokyo Police Club. My aunt got me into them. They are really great and I never expected them to come to tour in Philly. I knew a few songs by Weezer and the other band Angels & Airwaves. I got some songs from the Blue album by Weezer and listened to them for like two weeks straight. I originally did it just to learn a few words but I found myself dancing around my room to “Buddy Holly” and “Undone (The Sweater Song).” The week before the show I kept saying to my friends, ‘The show is on Saturday. I can’t wait!.’ I could tell they were ready to duct tape my mouth shut. [Continued after the jump]
BY AMY Z. QUINN I was pretty sure I’d made it through Saturday night’s Weezer show without feeling too old when on the way back to the car, niece Jenny turned to me and said “Who is Buddy Holly, anyway?” Cue that wah-wah-waaaaah “Thank you for playing!” sound effect. Of course, I was happy to tell her all about the Texas rocker, about the nerd-sex glasses and “Everyday” and “Peggy Sue” and The Day The Music Died, though I stopped short of going into why I still think Weezer’s “Buddy Holly” video is the best thing I’ve ever seen. She’s only 13 and was born well after “Happy Days” went off the air and has no idea about The Fonz. But judging strictly by the number of kids her age in the audience — mostly packs of longish-haired boys — at the Venue Formerly Known As The Tweeter Center in Camden, we likely weren’t the only ones having a conversation like that after the show.
Jenny had come all excited to see Tokyo Police Club, the quartet of baby-faced Canadians on their first “big” tour, whose bass-heavy, hand-clappy power pop nicely filled out Weezer’s stage. It’s a big step from the basement at the First Unitarian Church and upstairs at Johnny Brenda’s, which TPC played on their last few trips through town. They grow up so fast, don’t they? Also on the bill was Angels & Airwaves, blink-182 guitarist Tom DeLonge’s side project, which had a really nice banner and tried hard to sound like U2.
Anyway, about Weezer. Rivers Cuomo continues to be your favorite smart-guy kook, his baby face now partly obscured by a porn-y mustache. Weezer came onstage in matching white work jumpsuits, which later came off to reveal matching red track suits with the band’s name embroidered across the back. Cuomo’s straight-man vocals always doing justice to the band’s wry, sly, smart lyrics on most of the songs. In fact, despite being quoted saying the band’s latest self-titled album (Red) was an “experimental,”Weezer in 2008 sounds much like Weezer did in 1994, all crunching guitars and sing-along odes to six degrees of alienation. “My Name Is Jonas” isn’t markedly different from mid-career tracks like “Hash Pipe,” which isn’t a far stretch from new songs like “Troublemaker” (a classic if only for its rhyming of “biyatch” and “kids”) and “Pork and Beans.”
What stood out were a pair of covers: Oasis’ “Morning Glory,” which for which Cuomo and drummer Pat Wilson traded places, and an encore of Nirvana’s classic “Silver,” which began in curious fashion: At first, a record player was placed onstage with a copy of Weezer’s latest, and played part of “Heart Songs.” As the band came back onstage, Cuomo grabbed the small table on which the turntable sat, violently flinging it aside before launching into the Nirvana song. Was a comment from Cuomo on the quality of his own work compared to Kurt Cobain’s, or did it just seem like a cool thing to do at the time? It’s all part of the mysteries of rock, kids.
The other highlight of the night — aside from watching Cuomo bounce up and down on a small trampoline while playing guitar — was during “Island In The Sun,” when Weezer brought onstage about 20 additional musicians to join in. Philly/Camden’s version of the “Weezer Hootenany” was a contest through 104.5 FM (you can watch some audition videos on YouTube) and resulted in an Arcade Fire-worthy menagerie of instruments; it very possibly the first time a rock band employed digeridoos (two), harps (two), a melodica and theremin in one song. They stuck around for “Beverly Hills,” too. Verily, a cool rock moment. Grade: A
*
BY JENN W. On Saturday my aunt Amy, who is the Editrix here on Phawker, took me to the Susquehanna Bank Center formerly known (and what my friends still call) the Tweeter Center. we went to see one of my favorite bands, Tokyo Police Club. My aunt got me into them. They are really great and I never expected them to come to tour in Philly. I knew a few songs by Weezer and the other band Angels & Airwaves. I got some songs from the Blue album by Weezer and listened to them for like two weeks straight. I originally did it just to learn a few words but I found myself dancing around my room to “Buddy Holly” and “Undone (The Sweater Song).” The week before the show I kept saying to my friends, ‘The show is on Saturday. I can’t wait!.’ I could tell they were ready to duct tape my mouth shut.
When we arrived at the Susquehanna and were walking to the door I was getting more and more excited with each step, (corny, I know). After getting our tickets and getting in the actual door of the inside lobby, the place was already filled with people buying drinks and merch. I kept close in toe with Amy as we quickly walked to the music. Then..there they were, Tokyo Police Club. Not alot of people were standing like I knew they would for Weezer, but nonetheless I was still flippin’ excited. Amy and I found our seats that were very close to the stage, Thank You Mr. Valania. [Please, call me ‘dude’. Or ‘El Duderino’ if you’re not into the whole brevity thing. — The Ed.] I stood up and was jumping and singing to the songs that I had sung in the shower many times before. Tokyo Police Club played through their set as I snapped many pictures. Next Angels & Airwaves came on and alot of people cheered for them. After their set, Amy and I left the stage area and I bought a t-shirt with a Tokyo Police Club logo on it. We went back to our seats and waited with every other anxious fan. I scoped out all the teenage boys while we talked.
When Weezer came out every person in the place jumped out of their seat and yelled as loud as they possibly could. Everyone including myself held up their Weezer =W= over their heads. I sang every song I knew and snapped a zillion pictures. They told funny stories and Rivers Cuomo played his harmonica. They switched instruments and danced around as the crowd danced with. Even if you hadn’t known a word to a song, it was hard not to get into it.
I jumped to the left and to the right, on the ground and on my seat. I head banged and screamed the words. Next they cleared the stage and like 30 or 40 people and the band came out with all these instruments like a harp, a saxaphone, a flute, the bongos, and many acoustic guitars. Rivers stood in front and sang along with the tune of two of my personal favorites “Island in the Sun’ and “Beverly Hills.” The next thing they did was leave a record player out on the stage playing a song. Towards the end, the band came out and Rivers knocked it over and Weezer started into a cover of “Silver” by Nirvana. It was a really great cover and alot of people were into that. After, they played “Buddy Holly.” I stood on my seat and bounced up and down, yelled the song, did the =W= and smiled to myself.
Weezer put on a really great show that will stick out in my mind. I will always remember it being the most I’ve ever jumped on a chair while snapping pictures yelling and dancing. My mom would be proud of my multi-tasking.