The Weezer boys hype new disc, maintain staus Coumo while “D” shocks crowd

Weezer’s high profile concert Tuesday, Nov. 13 at the Rose Garden was definitely a satisfying show, but left some of the devoted fans a little hungry for more.

That isn’t to say that the band wasn’t any good. Weezer’s live sets are tight and well-played; Rivers Cuomo and the rest of the band definitely know what they are doing. They’ve definitely had a lot of practice since their debut album was released in 1994, and they get just the right sound out of each and every one of their songs. Weezer’s meek demeanor masks their ability to play intense songs. Watching them go into an instrumental freak-out during “Surf Wax America” showed their ability to rock the house as well as any other band.

The only real disappointment about Weezer’s set was their choice of songs. The new Green album was heavily pushed, with almost every other song during the show coming from the new album. It was a treat for fans to hear brand new songs, but blank faces and a distinct lack of singing along were very noticeable. Their sophomore album, Pinkerton, was grossly under-represented with only one song making it into the play list. The older songs definitely got the best reaction; ‘In the Garage’ and ‘Say it Ain’t So’ had everyone dancing and singing along, and ‘Only in Dreams’ came complete with lit-up Weezer symbols and Mylar confetti from the ceiling. The lack of popular B-sides such as ‘Jamie’ or ‘You Gave Your Love to Me Softly’ was disappointing to a lot of hardcore fans, including myself.

The opening bands, Jimmy Eat World and Tenacious D, were formidable unto themselves. Jimmy Eat World had an unfairly short set, having been ousted out of second billing by the higher profile Tenacious D. While being the shortest of all three sets, the intensity was on par with Weezer and far more energetic than Tenacious D. Bleed American, J.E.W.’s new album, was also heavily pushed, making up over half of the set. However, it was exactly what was needed to kick start the evening. Jim Adkins’ enthusiastic playing helped warm up the crowd, and the catchy pop punk sound of the new album had everybody nodding their heads. You could tell where the real fans were, though, by the mosh pits and hot spots of dancing that would break out in the middle of the floor.

Tenacious D played a good set, even though their particular brand of humor didn’t seem to sit too well with most of the crowd. Musically, the duo did an excellent job; making two guys with acoustic guitars seem more than enough to rock a crowd. The songs, however, ranged from hilarious “The Greatest Song in The World”, “Wonderboy” to flat out offensive “Fuck Her Gently.” Tenacious D was definitely entertaining, but probably not the best pick for an opening band at a show like Weezer.

Was it worth the money and the time? For any fan of Weezer, absolutely. It probably won’t be the best concert you ever went to, but it was definitely one to regret missing.