By DYLAN LONG
We can all agree that Weezer needs no introduction, nor did they get one this past Saturday night at the Trocadero. Instead, after almost an hour and a half of fans trickling in to fill the joint to capacity, Weezer mainman Rivers Cuomo meekly appeared on the lip of the dimly-lit stage in front of the curtain and kicked off an acoustic set that mixed deep cuts (“You Gave Your Love To Me Gently,” “Why Bother”) with the classics (“El Scorcho,” “The Good Life” and of course “Buddy Holly”). Each song seemed to lure another Weezer member onstage until it became a full-band acoustic set. Rivers addressed the giddy crowd many times throughout, with loud happy cheers always in response. You could tell just by the reception of the acoustic set we were in for a good night. It’s really hard to not love these guys. Their kicked-back, anthemic popcraft was destined to attract hoards of diehard fans from the get-go of the band back in ’92. Kickass singles like “Beverly Hills” and “Hash Pipe” have made them a fixture of the arena circuit. After churning out some absolute classics like “Buddy Holly” and “Island in the Sun” with three acoustic guitars, a piano, and a snare & kick drum, the band slowly morphed into a full-on electric set. Switching through various costumes (notably their lab coats), the band dug into a great set, full of old and new, including a brand new single called “Da Vinci,” one of their strongest tracks off their new album, Everything Will Be All Right In The End. They also treated the crowd to a rare performance of “The Other Way” off of Make Believe, which, we were informed, only one other crowd has ever heard live. While some very popular songs were left out — including “My Name Is Jonas” and “Pork & Beans” to name a few — all in all it would be hard to be upset with the genuine and generous hour and a half these guys gave this audience. In addition to rare tracks, choice hits and the new album played beginning to end, the evening featured massive confetti, C02 blasts, a full choir onstage for the outro of “Foolish Father” and a killer, one-song encore of one of the songs that started it all, “Surf Wax America.” — DYLAN LONG
EXCERPT: The Complete Oral History Of Weezy