Concert Review: Weezer’s Indie Rock Road trip makes a stop in OKC
Review/Photos by Madison Walters
Weezer brought their Indie Rock Road Trip tour to the Zoo Amphitheater, selling out the 7500 occupancy venue. The OKC show marked the fourth stop of the tour, so all the bands had started to get into a nice rhythm. With support from Momma and Modest Mouse, the Indie Rock Road Trip is a must-see concert event this summer.
The concert started with Momma, who toured with Death Cab For Cutie earlier this year. The band played directly into the blazing sun. Earlier in the day, a storm had blown through Oklahoma, so things were heated up to a sweltering and muggy ninety degrees for the show,. Despite all this, the band persevered, delivering an unforgettable set that seamlessly merged indie and grunge. Before playing their final song “Speeding 72,” the band expressed their gratitude to Weezer, saying “We feel very, very blessed that we’re on this tour with them.”
Next, Modest Mouse took the stage for a set that could only be described as a perfect dose of indie bliss. The highlight of their performance was seeing their percussionist pull out various strange and unusual auxiliary percussion instruments. At times nearly psychedelic, Modest Mouse had security guards dancing along to their easy going music. Oddly, the group didn’t play their most well-known song, “Float On.” Modest Mouse was a perfect segue between Momma and Weezer with their set that was somehow both raw and light-hearted.
Before Weezer took the stage, their pre-show playlist took a fun shift. First, Blur’s “Song 2,” played as the audience joyfully supplied the “Woo-hoo” parts. Then, Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” began to play, which is a reference to the cover Weezer released last year as a tribute to the great rock band. As the lights dimmed, Toto’s “Africa,” filled the air—also a reference to Weezer’s cover.
A medley of snippets from various Weezer songs played while the stage designs flashed in time to the music. As each song shifted, the dial of the massive radio in the background changed with it.
Finally, Weezer danced on stage before immediately launching into fan favorite “My Name Is Jonas.” After finishing the song, singer Rivers Cuomo took a drink from his sippy cup, while remarking about the children’s cup. The band had a pleasant surprise in store for fans during “I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams.” Members from Momma took the stage, supplying backing vocals to Cuomo.
Afterwards, the band slowed things down a bit with an acoustic set, breaking out songs like “Only in Dreams” and “Susanne.” The latter of which saw the band perform similarly to barbershop quartets, and “Susanne” benefited greatly from it. Cuomo also broke out “Across the Sea,” a song about a young woman who wrote a letter to Cuomo during the early days of Weezer.
Perhaps the highlight of the entire evening was the band’s performance of “The Greatest Man That Ever Lived.” Before starting the song, Cuomo donned a cowboy hat, getting into the Oklahoma spirit. The five minute song is a sight to behold live with its drastically shifting movements throughout. Afterwards, Cuomo broke out a disposable camera, saying, “It’s not a real road trip until dad takes a photo. Smile for the camera, kids!”
As the night came to an end and fans began the trek back to their cars, a different song was on everyone’s lips, humming along to the ear worm that would no doubt accompany everyone home.