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Weezer Kick Off North American Tour

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“We’re the coolest band. Yeah, I said it,” boasted a white jumpsuit-clad Rivers Cuomo on the opening night of Weezer’s North American tour at Lowell’s Tsongas Arena Tuesday night.

Quirkiness has always been the band’s strong suit on record, but Weezer have finally pulled it off live with an electrifying array of both reliable and unpredictable tunes, a renewed band dynamic, and an entertaining yet completely random onstage silliness.

Surrounded by a sea of college types and assorted older fans, the alt-pop quartet plowed through a set of the usual classics — “Buddy Holly,” “Pink Triangle,” and “Hash Pipe” to name a few — and to the audience’s delight, offered many welcome twists. With other band members singing some of Cuomo’s leads (and Tom Delonge of opener Angels & Airwaves guesting on “The Sweater Song”), a massive onstage “hootenanny” that had fans playing along to acoustic renditions of tracks like “Island in the Sun,” and covers of Oasis’ “Morning Glory” and Nirvana’s “Sliver,” the band has never been so refreshing.

New songs like “Troublemaker” and the wonderfully epic “The Greatest Man That Ever Lived” — both off the band’s SPIN-approved 2008 self-titled album — were the surprising highlights, partially indebted to Cuomo’s silly jumpsuit, Super Mario Bros mustache, and sheer bravado, coupled with the songs’ goofy soliloquies. An elated crowd singing every word and jumping in-time to every song proved that in Boston, at least, Weezer are finally performing at their quirkiest, most confident, and absolute best.

Check out pictures from last night on page 2.


Weezer’s Scott Shriner / Photo by Tim Bugbee


Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo / Photo by Tim Bugbee


Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo / Photo by Tim Bugbee


Weezer drummer Pat Wilson / Photo by Tim Bugbee


Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo / Photo by Tim Bugbee