The Rumors Are True, I Saw Weezer
Hi, everyone. Welcome to an off-topic episode of Hysteria. I’ve been so incredibly backed up with schoolwork this quarter, so I figured, why not talk about something that I did last week! Last week, I saw the bands Silversun Pickups, Shins, and, of course, Weezer, perform at the United Center in the South Loop.
If you know anything about me, you'll know that Weezer is one of my favorite bands and has been my top artist on Spotify Wrapped for about five years now. I also have a lot of their stuff in physical form, which definitely makes me qualified to go to this concert.
In fact, when I first met my boyfriend, we struck up a conversation about Weezer (and we've been dating for almost two years now!). This band means a lot to me, and though I was hyped for Pinkertour, this experience will suffice for now.
Everything was amazing! The theatricality of it all is what really surprised me, especially from Weezer. I mean, when you're playing United Center, it makes sense to have a cinematic backdrop since 3/4ths of the people who are watching you will be suspended tens of feet in the air. For reference, here was the view from my seat, and I was in the 300s.
There was an entire narrative about a little boy who wanted to see Weezer perform so badly that he called them up for a gathering (?) in his backyard, and I quite liked the yard setting because the seasons and occasions would change based on the song/album. I thought it was really funny that all of the Pinkerton songs had a sad, rainy ambiance.
They also had pyrotechnics, which is extremely funny to me, because why does Weezer need projectile flames while they're playing Hash Pipe from the Green album? It reminds me of when Paul McCartney goes on tour, and he blows up. Unnecessary, but ridiculously fun. As for the openers, I really enjoyed the Shins and was stoked that they were playing with Weezer, but the Silversun Pickups left a little to be desired. The only thing I think is ridiculous is the food and drink prices at the United Center. Thirteen dollars?! For a SODA?? AND IT'S NOT EVEN COCA COLA?!?!?!? After the concert, I promptly walked to the McDonald's on Lake and Ogden that has saved me so many nights and ordered a large Diet Coke.
Anyways, I'm going to wrap up this episode because I have a lot to do tonight! I promise I will be talking about something particularly interesting for the beginning of October, which serves as a segue into creepier subject matter.
Have a good afternoon!
Mila
The detail about the seasonal and weather changes matching each album really stood out to me, especially the rainy ambiance tied to the Pinkerton songs. It makes me wonder how much a stage narrative like that shapes the crowd's emotional response versus just hearing the songs straight. Did the backyard storyline feel cohesive across the whole set, or did it get lost once the bigger hits started? Also, the pyrotechnics during Hash Pipe sounds like a wonderfully absurd contrast to that wistful rain imagery.
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