Weezer
Del Mar Race Track
8/2/14
Weezer rode into Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar Saturday night to a rowdy audience of old skool fans who were ready to party and make every last dime spent on the babysitter for the night count. And in the spirit of the band's forthcoming album Everything Will Be Alright In the End and its first single Back to the Shack (released last month), Rivers and the crew gave us a set that really did take us back to the strat with the lightening strap.
Opening the show with Jonas, front man Rivers Cuomo made it clear that he was there to shred on his signature trusty Fender Stratocastor. Weezer played a nearly two-hour long set that never failed to keep the crowd rocking out and singing along. In fact, that is what most Weezer shows are — a giant, '90s nostalgia sing along. And speaking of '90s nostalgia, the setlist the band performed played like your favorite Weezer playlist.
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With all the classics in tow — “Say It Ain't So,” “Surf Wax America,” “Island in the Sun” and everything in between — the band weezed through their set with the same level of angst and nerd hero fury that they brought to their first ever shows back in the mid-1990's. Which is not a simple feat, considering Weezer has been making music together for a good 20 years now. And along with all the radio favorites, the band also played a few die hard fan favorites like “El Scorcho” and “Keep Fishin.”
Other highlights of the show included Rivers and the boys belting out a cover of Blur's party anthem, “Song 2.” Another great moment was when Rivers got on the drums and sang “Photograph,” while banging out the beat on the drum kit. The cherry on top definitely had to be Bud Holly as the last song of the night.
The only low-light of the night? The venue. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, do not go see a show at Del Mar racetrack if you can help it. From the agro security guards, to the straight up booty food vendor selection, to the throngs of cops posted up as far the eye could see, this place blows to see a concert. Which is sad if you think about it, since the now defunct Hollywood Park racetrack (R.I.P.) in Inglewood, would have a summer concert series after the last race in summertime, and those shows were awesome to see! Whether you were able to catch the last race or not, you could always count on tons of food trucks and plenty of room around the show stage to see enjoy the show without security staff pushing people around for no reason.
Del Mar racetrack on the other hand, had pushy security (saw one kid get bashed into a fence by a guard for merely trying to see over it), no food truck options (just your choice of two food vendors) and the big kicker — they denied people's pre-paid tickets to the show at the door. They even denied your humble reviewer her pre-paid review ticket!
Moral of the story? Never stop going to Weezer shows, but stay away from Del Mar racetrack if yall can help it.
The Crowd: Aging '90s rock fans. Lots of chucks, jeans and Members Only jackets.
Overheard in the Crowd: Oh my God, why is security pushing through the crowd again, there's not even a mosh pit here!
Random Notebook Dump: Brian Bell's long haired look had him looking like a sexier, more musically talented Jared Leto.
Setlist:
My Name is Jonas
Hashpipe
Perfect Situation
Trouble Maker
Island in the Sun
Beverly Hills
Dope Nose
Say it Ain't So
Back to the shack
Surf Wax America
If Your'e Wondering (If I want you to, I want you to)
Keep Fishin
El Scorcho
Pork & Beans
Photograph
Song 2 (Blur Cover)
Encore
Sweater Song
Buddy Holly
