Weezer @ Toyota Music Factory, Irving, TX

Words and photos by Scott Rowe

It's a bit amazing to think that I haven't seen Weezer perform since they headlined How the Edge Stole Christmas back in 2014 at the then-named Verizon Theatre (now the Texas Trust CU Theatre) in Grand Prairie. While the band has been back to DFW, most recently at Globe Life Field with the Hella Mega Tour, they paid a visit the the Pavilion at the Toyota Music Factory to give their loyal fans a nice dose of nostalgia. I remember first listening to Weezer back at my best friend's house in elementary, as his older brother was playing "Undone - The Sweater Song" and it immediately caught my attention. Of course, the song came from their iconic self-titled debut, most commonly known as The Blue Album, and that album really struck a chord with me. Despite my adolescence, I heard the brilliance in the songwriting and enjoyed the fun, yet sometimes aggressive, mood of the album as a whole. Fast forward nearly thirty years later, and the band are still selling out venues, not only to their older fanbase, but welcoming a younger fanbase yearning to hear their classic sound.

One thing's for certain, Weezer's production has gotten lightyears better than the last time I saw them, when they only had stage lighting and the lit up, giant 'W' hanging above the drummer. While that stage setup fits the band's aesthetic of no frills, music-first mentality, the extra production does bring a little extra that concertgoers seek. With that said, the music comes first and foremost. As the stage lights come on, a giant car dashboard and steering wheel appear, as the radio shifts back and forth until it finally settles and the band jumps into "My Name is Jonas", the first song off of their aforementioned debut, The Blue Album. It's a wonderful springboard and set the tone for the remainder of the show. The band continued the fun with "Beverly Hills", that launched the first of many singalong. With so many great songs to sing to, those who were seeing the band for the first time were in for a treat.

After a handful of songs, Rivers Cuomo made his way onto the top of the car dash, where he performed a few of songs including "El Scorcho" and one of his solo tracks, "Blast Off!". Before moving back to the main floor, he and the band performed one of their bigger hits in "Undone - The Sweater Song", that had one of the louder singalongs of the night.  After descending from the dash, the band performed stage-center, performing semi-acoustically including "Do You Wanna Get High?", a song that had not been performed in since 2017. By this point, the band were flying through songs and were really hitting their stride as they performed hits such as "Island in the Sun", "Say It Ain't So", and "Hash Pipe". The band finished their set with a three-song encore that finished with an amazing performance of "Buddy Holly". With all hits in tow and a 23-song setlist, this show definitely got my seal of approval.

Photos of the show are below:

enjoy.