Weezer’s Indie Rock Road Trip tour rolled through White River Amphitheatre on Sunday with co-pilots Spoon and White Reaper in tow. A headliner for all generations, Weezer had the dads dancing, the moms drinking, and the kids vaping! America’s hottest band teacher (lead singer Rivers Cuomo) has been Weezing since ’92, and their songs haven’t left the radio since. “Beverly Hills,” “Say It Ain’t So,” that curious cover of Toto’s “Africa…” Even if you think you don’t know Weezer, you do. They’ve released 15 studio albums, and by golly Buddy Holly does it show in their live performance.
Before Weezer took the stage, an instrumental version of “Africa” played overhead and brought the crowd to attention. I haven’t heard that many people sing ba ba ba ba dop boom ba in unison since high school jazz choir! Under purple lighting, a black curtain fell to reveal an impressive road trip-themed set design. A shiny structure represented the sleek dashboard of a station wagon complete with steering wheel, radio dial, and Weezer logo—the audience was the driver. A screen behind the band played road trip illustrations, sometimes switching to live footage of the crowd. Drummer Patrick Wilson sat atop the Weezermobile for the duration of the set, which was very cool and also scary!
As polished as Cuomo’s square glasses, the boys knew exactly what they were doing to us when they came out swinging with “My Name Is Jonas.” I’m convinced Cuomo (53-year-old boy-man) hasn’t aged physically or vocally since the ’90s. Weezer’s entire set sounded like a recording—flawless, consistent, masterful. Cuomo and guitarist Brian Bell interacted with each other throughout, often meeting in the middle for some cool dad band shit like holding their guitars really high. The two demonstrated incredible skillmanship and even looked like they were having fun doing it.
The group veered into “Beverly Hills,” Cuomo replacing the lyrics with “Seattle, Washington” a few times. Each time he did this, the singer cracked a grin as if trying not to laugh at his own joke. God bless the rains and God bless Rivers Cuomo. The rest of Weezer’s 90-minute set felt like a trip through the decades in the band’s spaceship-sized station wagon. The group placed heavy emphasis on their first few albums, which basically qualify as classic rock now. The Indie Rock Road Trip wrapped up with “Hash Pipe,” which is probably something guitarist Bell had in his pocket the whole show.
Spoon and White Reaper proved to be stellar openers. Spoon, another still-relevant ’90s band, has mastered everything from indie rock to power pop. They dropped little snacks from their 10 studio albums like “The Hardest Cut” and “I Turn My Camera On.” I nibbled them up like a tiny field mouse and wondered if I was at a Weezer/Spoon co-headlining tour. Garage-punk White Reaper brought a loud, hard-hitting opening set with numbers like “Might Be Right” and “Judy French.” They delivered a kickass performance despite what began as a thin crowd.
The amphitheater filled out when Weezer took the stage, but at what cost? Auburn was 195 on the Air Quality Index, which is considered “unhealthy” by the EPA. This is just six points away from “very unhealthy,” which constitutes a public health alert. Ticket-holders flocked to White River Amphitheatre’s social media searching for answers. “Why is the show still happening?” “Will refunds be available?” WRA continued to post on social media throughout the night but failed to respond to questions or make an official statement. Live Nation really said, “Nothin’ to see here, folks!”
Smoke aside, Weezer was everything you would ever hope they would be and more. Engaging, polished, and locked in—their exceptional set design helped make the tour next level. Accompanied by the iconic Spoon and garage cuties White Reaper, I think I just went on the best road trip I’ve ever taken. Now beam me up, Cuomo! I know there’s room on that wagon!
