I Already Know What the Next Song Will Be
WEEZER
Zepp Bayside Osaka
Tuesday, January 7, 2025
19:00-20:40
This past winter, I finally got a chance to see the celebrated rock band Weezer perform live. The concert began promptly at 7pm, like a movie in the theatre, but without the popcorn and dimly lit aisles. Their entire performance clocked it at around one hour and 40 minutes.
Before attending the show I did not check their previous show setlists. I prefer being surprised by what a live act will do on any given night. I knew that Weezer had recently wrapped up a tour in the United States which celebrated the 30th anniversary of their classic debut Blue Album. On the American tour, the band played said record in its entirety (and presumably in order). In Osaka, it was a mystery if this was on their agenda. The show began with a smattering of non-Blue Album radio hits, which included the likes of "Beverly Hills" (Make Believe - 2005), "Island in the Sun" and "Hash Pipe" (Green Album - 2001) and even the college-radio-hit “You Gave Your Love To Me Softly” (Angus Soundtrack - 1995). Weezer then launched into a series of songs from their much-loved, but not at the time critically-adored, but now heavily-lauded, sophomore album, Pinkerton. They played "Across the Sea", "Getchoo" "Pink Triangle" and one or two others. Still no sign of the Blue Album. Enter a short intermission and a clothing change. After an announcement from frontman Rivers Cuomo that they were about to enter the Blue Universe it was apparent what the next 40 minutes would entail: The Blue Album played front to back, sequentially and with very minimal (if any) stage banter in between.
And this brings me to my key observation and question: Is hearing a legendary album played live sequentially an exciting and/or overall good experience? Subjective of course, but aren’t most essays? I argue that while it was most excellent to hear every song on The Blue Album performed live, knowing that they were playing it in order and without much interruption or anticipation was surprisingly a little awkward and an oh-so-slight, well, almost, dare I say, letdown. That may be a harsh critique, I understand. Clearly a lot of these album anniversary tours are geared to do just that: Rehash a memory of 20 plus years ago, tantalizing our collective amygdala, as we sing-a-long in an irreversible bliss of nostalgia. However, there is zero element of surprise when an artist/band/musician plays an entire album in its entirety in its recorded order. No one leaves the concert saying to their friends, “I cannot believe they played the near-eight-minute closing song ‘Only in Dreams’”! It took a bit of the mystery and wonder away from what a live show has the potential to be, and nearly made it feel like watching a movie for the third time. Still entertaining, but you know exactly what is going to happen.
