There was at least some hubris inWeezers 30th anniversary Blue Album tour announcement.
Openers theFlaming LipsandDinosaur Jr.are more than potential show-stealers, theyre established headliners in their own right.
How do you follow that?
At one point in Weezer’s tour kickoff in Saint Paul, Rivers Cuomo revealed that he was an alien from the Blue Planet.Adam Bettcher/Getty Images
You drop a giant curtain to reveal a Weezer-branded spacecraft.
It revealed Weezers four members in NASA-esque jumpsuits gripping their instruments.
The stage was covered in space boulders; periodically, small planets and UFOs would hover above their heads.
A giant screen behind them showed a mission through the CGI stars.
The only solution is to travel there and perform the debut album they released 30 lightyears ago.
My guy literally did theMuppets From Spaceplot.
This is the Weezer arena show we want.
And of course, all of the songs soundtracked some space-narrative CGI stuff on the jumbotron.
Red Album songs were played as red planets whipped by on the screen behind them.
Island in the Sun, in this tours context, is about an island literally inside a sun.
Hmm, he responded, it looks familiar.
After a beat, the robot replied, The Pinkerton Asteroid Belt, of course.
The crowd howled as the stage was bathed in pink light.
The band performed a block ofPinkertonsongs including Why Bother?
Weezers playing was airtight.
The performances were exceptional throughout the set, guitar solos and vocal harmonies hitting just right every single time.
Its impressive how this band can stay so faithful to their source material decades into their tenure.
An adult man in my section excitedly screamed, Its the Blue Planet!
Cuomo lamented that the planet was dying.
We need the Blue Album to bring it back to life!
Dinosaur Jr. kicked the show off with a tight 30 minutes.
Since they werent the headliners, it wasnt the most maximal Flaming Lips show thats ever been thrown.
beneath an inflatable rainbow.
Wayne Coyne encouraged the crowd to take advantage of what he called a built-in moment.
Church-style, he told the crowd to turn to their neighbor and express their love.
I love you, guy, said a total stranger two seats down from me.
