Weezer @ John Cain Arena
TAKE A ROAD TRIP BACK TO THE 90’S WITH ENERGETIC INDIE HITS & BALLADS
Review and photos by Danielle Annetts
It has been almost six years since the iconic Los Angeles formed alt rock indie band Weezer has toured down under since the Hella Mega Tour with Green Day and Fall Out Boy was cancelled in 2020. It’s Friday night in chilly Melbourne and there has been whispers of dedicated fans lining up since 6 am here at John Cain Arena. Upon entering the arena, you can see the swarm of VIP bright blue bucket hats embellished with their iconic ‘W’ vigorously rushing towards the barrier to secure the spot they’ve been waiting for.
Opening up this short but sweet three date tour with Weezer, is Australian punk trio that is Regurgitator. I hadn’t seen them live before, but a colleague at work said I was in for a good time, so I was trusting them and really looking forward to it! As the house lights faded, the stage lights slowly came to be with a bright orange screen with a message illuminates the background. We see a shadowy trio walk out on stage dressed in Nun outfits whilst Heaven is a Place on Earth by Belinda Carlisle is projected out into the arena. The screen reads “…Regurgitator …says YES!”. A bellowing applause roars from the crowd and fills the arena in support towards the upcoming vote towards the Indigenous Voice in Parliament. Great to see a band use such an extensive platform to show their opinion on the matter.
First song kicks in, I Sucked a Lot of Cock to Get Where I Am and blends straight into, I Will Lick Your Asshole. The crowd’s anticipation elevated dramatically along with the rest of the band. As Quan Yeomans (guitar and vocals) bounces on the stage, the crowd bangs their head enthusiastically in sync to the funky beat of the song. A few songs in and the Nun costumes have been stripped off. All three members are now seen rocking all white outfits consisting of a ‘Choose Yes’ shirt in bold black font, a white denim jacket and jeans that have been assumedly drawn on by the band. Showcasing a creative costume change donned in black ink of various sized penises, symbols and words like “suck, fuck, wank, love etc.
Their 45-minute set included other hit songs such as Polyester Girl, Black Bugs and even a sneaky instrumental cover of Metallica’s Enter Sandman. Regurgitator ended their night with what seemed to be the crowds most highly anticipated song ! (The Song Formerly Known As), leaving everyone feeling charged and ready for what’s to come with Weezer up next.
As the house lights slowly faded, the music transitioned into the classic Africa by Toto and the screams from the crowd are almost deafening. The backdrop creates the scene of an interstate map reflecting back to the name of their current tour “Indie Rock Road Trip”, displaying fun digital graphic scenes of palm beaches, the snow, desert and cityscapes throughout the show. They burst out into My Name is Jonas, the first track off The Blue Album and there’s a mixture of fans banging their heads in excitement to the song and looking up at the band in admiration.
Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar, keyboard) explains to the audience they’ve been practicing something special but might just play it tonight for some extra practice time. Suddenly, the drums kick in and Kiss’ Strutter echoes through the arena. Teasing what will appear the following night as they support Kiss at Sydney’s Accor Stadium, the show carries on and people are up out of their seats cheering to what they are witnessing. Dedicated fans are treated to a full band performance of their song Photograph; which is the first time this has occurred since 2015.
Lighting now stripped down to a solo spotlight set on Rivers as he tells a story about a girl, he met back in 1993 during recording of The Blue Album. How they hit it off and she never called him the following day. The arena filled with a sea of swaying phone lights moving to the tune of this emotive ballad. Not too long after a few slower acoustic songs, Weezer were back on a high energetic tempo and the song everyone was waiting for, Island in the Sun starts playing and it was like a game of Where’s Wally? to find at least one person not singing along at that moment.
After finishing Thank you and Good Night, the band hopped off stage for a few minutes and it wasn’t long before an encore chant started. “Weezer, Weezer, Weezer” rumbled through the arena and they were back on stage in an instant to play three more songs. An extensive hour and a half set took us on a road trip spanning a three-decade long career ending on another fan favourite Buddy Holly. Before running off stage with the rest of the band, Rivers says “it’s not a road trip until Dad takes a photo” before snapping a quick photo of the crowd on a polaroid camera. He then jokingly said “See you all later at Revs for the after party!” which left many of the older crowd giggling at the joke.
A standout from the night for me was the diversity of the audience. There were patrons from all ages, including kids in oversized Weezer tees who were likely sharing this experience with their parents for what may be their first concert, teen fans who may have only just recently discovered either bands and long-time fans of either/both bands re-living some of their favourite memories of the 90’s. It was a special night either way for everyone in attendance and a show I won’t forget for a long time.
