Wednesday, October 08, 2008

In an age where virtually nothing a performing act can do would surprise you, Weezer showed Tuesday at the E Center that it has more than a few surprising tricks up its collective sleeve.

In a fun show, the geek-rock quartet pulled off a number of surprises that made the nearly two-hour concert a virtual variety show rivaling even the heyday of Donny and Marie Osmond.

Here were the surprises of the show:
* For starters, Tokyo Police Club was on the bill to start the show, but in its place Salt Lake City band Tolchock Trio opened.
* The second opening act, Angels & Airwaves, showed that its frontman, Tom DeLonge, can still lead a riveting show after leaving Blink-182.
* When Weezer took the stage, all were in white jumpsuits, with the lead singer and guitarist, Rivers Cuomo, looking like a mummy with what appeared to be a white stocking pulled over his head.
* The opening number was one of Weezer's best known songs, but instead of Cuomo singing the lead, the three other members of the band all sang, with Cuomo only playing the rollicking harmonica solo at the end.
* Throughout the night, Cuomo let other members of the band sing regularly, with bassist Scott Shriner singing lead on "King," drummer Pat Wilson singing lead on an Oasis cover, "Morning Glory," and rhythm guitarist Brian Bell singing lead on "El Scorcho."
* While the song choices included all of the band's numerous hits, such as "Pork and Beans," "Say It Ain't So," "Hash Pipe," and others, the band played rarities, like "King" (a hidden track on the deluxe edition of the band's latest album) and "Suzanne," a B-side from a single from the band's first album.
* At one point, the band pulled off their white jumpsuits to reveal red sweatsuits with white running sneakers.
* For Weezer's first hit, "Come Undone (The Sweater Song)," Cuomo invited two members of Angels & Airwaves, including DeLonge, to play on the song. DeLonge sang the song as a duet with Cuomo.
* The normally reserved Cuomo was talkative and amiable all night, even telling him an anecdote about how he and his daughter Mia visited the Discovery Gateway the day before the show.
* Near the end of the set, Weezer played "Morning Glory," a reference to a show earlier in the month when the song's author, Noel Gallagher of Oasis, was attacked on stage while playing the song.
* The biggest surprises came during the encore, when more than 30 young musicians gathered on the stage and played along with the band in versions of "Island in the Sun" and "Beverly Hills." The musicians included a 10-year-old guitarist, an accordion player (who played the solo in the former song) and a saxophone player (who played the solo in the latter song).
* The second encore began with the band absent, with only a record player playing the vinyl of "Heart Songs." When the song came to the lyrics about Nirvana, the band came onstage, knocked over the record player and tore into a fierce version of Nirvana's "Sliver." After playing "Buddy Holly" to close the set, the band finally left the stage to a wall of feedback, signaling there were no surprises left. Until the next time the band comes to Utah.

Set List:
My Name is Jonas
Pink Triangle
Perfect Situation
Say It Ain't So
Suzanne
Keep Fishin'
King
Come Undone (The Sweater Song)
Pork and Beans
Dreamin'
Dope Nose
Troublemaker
Automatic
Hash Pipe
El Scorcho
Morning Glory
Greatest Man Who Ever Lived

First encore: Island in the Sun, Beverly Hills
Second encore: Heart Songs recording, Sliver, Buddy Holly