It's the battle of the century. Good vs. Evil. Sane vs. Crazy. Frontman vs. Frontman. In this corner we have Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl, a gum-snapping, whiskey-chugging ball of hilarity who's had a hand in everything that's good about rock 'n' roll for the past 20 years. In the other corner is Weezer's Rivers Cuomo, the awkward antihero who helped make the geek movement mainstream with catchy pop songs and KISS references. They're both famous singers for widely beloved bands, and now they're together at last, co-headlining a highly anticipated tour that hits the KeyArena on October 26th.

This year saw new records from each side. Foo Fighters released In Your Honor, an ambitious double disc marking their 10-year anniversary, and Weezer released Make Believe, a sorta vapid attempt at re-creating their early sound with lame lyrics and strong guitar hooks. While these releases are profoundly different, both have been largely successful—the records each debuted at number two on the Billboard charts. It's a close call, so ultimately who's the bigger rock star? Let's compare their stats, shall we?

AGE

CUOMO: 35

GROHL: 36

PREVIOUS BANDS

CUOMO: A prog-metal band called Avant Garde.

GROHL: Nirvana.

COLLABORATIONS

CUOMO: Crazy Town, Cold.

GROHL: Queens of the Stone Age, Nine Inch Nails, Tenacious D.

NUMBER OF TIMES ON THE COVER OF ROLLING STONE

CUOMO: One.

GROHL: Three. Twice with Nirvana and once with Foo Fighters.

FAMOUS FEUDS

CUOMO: Matt Sharp.

GROHL: Courtney Love.

CRAZY FACT

CUOMO: Lengthened his right leg by enduring many months of slow and painful "bone stretching."

GROHL: As a child and self-proclaimed UFO junkie, he would lie outside and hope to be abducted by aliens. Never happened.

SAMPLE LYRIC

GROHL: "Line up the bastards, all I want is the truth."

CUOMO: "The truth is, I don't stand a chance."

And the winner is... well, our statistics show it's a draw. Rivers "Don't Make Eye Contact" Cuomo certainly acts like a bigger rock star (what with his history of wild groupie rumors and that whole hermit phase), but his strange nü-metal fetish (and his last three releases) really shoot him in the foot when pitted against the Foos' more consistent catalog. Grohl, however, is far too approachable and funny to be a real rock star. I guess so long as Weezer don't ignore their first two records and Foo Fighters play everything off There Is Nothing Left to Lose during Wednesday's show, we'll all be winners.

For all ages listings see page 61.

megan@thestranger.com