RIVERS CUOMO FOR GOVERNOR: Tonight I caught Weezer's show at the Jones Beach Ampitheater on Long Island- it was my first time at this excellent venue, as well as my first time seeing this standout band. I can tell you if you'd told me 18 months ago I'd be paying to see Weezer, I'd have looked at you like you had two heads- their recent comeback has been that remarkable.
Most surprising about the show was the focus on the band's older material- they played the hell out of both their debut and (surpisingly), "Pinkerton," the band's second and best album that they had until recently almost completely disavowed. They focused much less on last year's "The Green Album" ("Hashpipe" was conspicuously absent from the show) and played minimal music from this year's middling effort "Maladroit." Of 17 songs on the setlist, 11 were from Weezer's pre-breakdown period.
Frontman Rivers Cuomo, having gotten rid of his ridiculous-looking beard, exhibited a surprising amount of energy for a singer who rarely moves around or cracks any type of facial expression on stage. My only complaint was that the vast majority of the audience (I'm talking 95%-plus) was 16 years old and younger- these are people who were in third grade when The Blue Album came out. To them, Weezer's just some new band, just like underwhelming opening act Dashboard Confessional.
So how 'bout it, Rivers for governor? Those suits he favors are certainly nicer than Andrew's, he's a lot smarter and may not be a native New Yorker, but then neither is Hillary. Too bad 14-year-old girls (half-Japanese or not) can't vote.