Show Review

Weezer has always been one of my favorite bands, even before I was into pop/emo punk. Their S/T CD was one of the first CDs I ever purchased and I'm so glad I picked it up. The songs on their S/T and the different but still amazing songs on "Pinkerton," Weezer's most recent release, have combined to form emo/alternative rock "anthems." Me and a few other hardcore Weezer fans have memorized every single lick, lyric, and drum part to pretty much every Weezer song. I love Weezer, needless to say, and I was really, really excited to go to this sold-out show. I had bought tickets months in advance because I wanted to ensure getting in; I missed their earlier Denver appearance at the Ogden theatre with the Gamits.

The Get Up Kids are definitely another one of my most listened to bands. I love their style of punk/keyboard/emo/rock and couldn't wait to check them out. I loved their CD "Something to Write Home About" and I was excited to see them live.

As for Ozma, I had only heard one of their songs before the concert, and thought they were good, but not spectacular. It was probably because I listened to one of their not-so-amazing-songs or something like that, because I was blown away after hearing their set.

The crowd was full of lots of die-hard Weezer fans, most of whom knew all the lyrics, riffs, and solos. They love Weezer and have forever, it seems. All sorts of age groups were there; literally from 16-50! It was awesome to see the well-rounded group there.

Anyways, let's get down to it. The concert was set to start at 7 P.M. and we got there around 6. There was already a huge line from the entrance of the Fillmore weaving down about a block or two to get into the concert. We got in at around 6:15 and tons of people were scoping on the very expensive merch, but most were piling in the pit at the front of the stage. A lot of kids were there already. Unlike the mass of others, we decided to just briefly check out the Pepsi/Yahoo! eye candy along the side of the auditorium; there were video games, a guitar simulation thing, and some computer stuff. Pretty neat, but not "weezer-neat."

Finally, at around 7, Ozma opened up. They were simply amazing. They had an Asian rhythm guitarist (;)), a guitar/lead vocals guy, a bass/lead vocals guy, a drummer, and a female keyboard player. I loved their style of Weezerish sounding stuff; I say "Weezerish" because they sounded a lot like Weezer in some ways. But mostly, they were a lot different than Weezer due to their inventive combination of switching lead vocalists. Not to mention their keyboard player. The crowd was really calm during their set, probably because Ozma was softer than most were accustomed to. Their set was relatively short but I thought they were spectacular.

After Ozma's set, (and a 10 minute pause), The Get Up Kids scrambled up to the stage and played with the most energy I've seen in a long time. The crowd wasn't dead, after all, and tons of kids were crowdsurfing and going crazy. The band themselves were really talkative and energetic, and they played a variety of stuff from all their CDs. Most of their set was from "Something to Write Home About," however. The Get Up Kids played really well, but I thought they were somewhat "loud." Maybe it was because Ozma wasn't that loud, but I think it was because the keyboardist for The Get Up Kids had a lot more power behind his instrument. My ears were ringing pretty hard after they played but I liked them a lot.

In like 20 minutes time, Weezer took the stage with extravagant displays behind them; a "homecoming" feeling stage setup with 2 basketball hoops with video displays as backboards and 3 high pillars, the middle of which Pat (drummer) sat high above the rest of the band. Rivers (lead vocals and guitar) stood in the middle with his always calm, contemplative complexion and thick-rimmed glasses, with a striped polo style shirt and slightly baggy pants. Brian (rhythm guitarist, backing vocals) had a button up shirt tucked into white khaki pants. Suprisingly, he brandished a Les Paul guitar, as compared to his usually red Gothic guitar. Finally, Mikey (bassist, backing vocals) was on the other side of Rivers, ready for action. Weezer was welcomed on by the crowd's extremely warm response. However, even with this welcoming, loud response, Weezer all stood calmly, as if to say "whatever." It was somewhat humorous and just was simply because that's the style they are; whatever is as does. They didn't really react to the crowd at all throughout the entire show, except at one point when some crazy kid was performing some acrobatics on the rafters towards the end of Weezer's set. (Rivers said "do it, jump" when the kid was dangling from the rafters, staring at Weezer).

Weezer's set consisted of a mix between their incredibly popular self-titled album and their most recent release, the more subtle "Pinkerton." I really love all the material Weezer has officially released so far, and was glad to see the hundreds of kids around me singing the lyrics and humming the solo riffs (all of which Weezer performed without flaw). As well as their previous two albums, Weezer played about three songs from their new (forthcoming at the time of the show) album. I only remember "Hashpipe," from the three played, and I thought it was a pretty cool song. But I don't think any of Weezer's new material really can match their self-titled CD or Pinkerton.

I loved the concert a lot. I thought the three bands played wonderfully. However, I think the Get Up Kids definitely had the most energy of the three bands (anyone there will agree with me). One of my friends thinks the Get Up Kids "headlined" the show. I suppose I kind of agree but I still think Weezer played wonderfully. I guess the only thing I would've liked better is cheaper tee-shirts and maybe a little more crowd acception and acknowledgement by Weezer. If Weezer does come to your town, though, be sure to go check them out. You won't be disappointed.

review by Andrew Martin