It might have been the Friday before Halloween, but the only spooky thing on this night was the amount of traffic as we worked our way to go catch Weezer at the O2 Academy.
It was with great sadness that we went through the doors of the Birmingham venue, as the absolute madness of cars and traffic had meant we missed both of the supports, making it a 4th time I have now missed a chance to catch Ash live. This will have to change!
However the atmosphere in the room soon changed our mood, as the sold-out venue was full, both up and downstairs. The range of attendees going from teens to those who could potentially be grandparents, all sharing a common goal. To catch one of the most influential bands from the 90's.
As the lights dimmed, the band made their way onto the stage, with a gorgeous lit up band logo behind them. Wearing what you'd call 'Classic Weezer' attire (colourful suits), they burst into the set, opening with 'The World Has Turned and Left Me Here' (from the debut album), one which they haven't played this tour! The crowd ate it up and went wild, singing along to every word. You could tell from this moment it would be a night and a half.
The show pushed on, with hits after hits bursting out of the band and it was great to see a range from their entire discography. However this Birmingham date wasn't just a normal show, as earlier that day the latest album 'Pacific Daydream' had been released. The band were taking this show as a way to celebrate this, and you could tell it.
As the set progressed, the varying costumes came out. Starting with a regal cape and royal crown it progressed into a gorgeous Mexican sombrero. But it wasn't just the costumes that differed, the music took a brief detour into cover-land. After an unforgettable rendition of Undone (where the crowd drowned the band out singing), a quick version of Mike Posner's 'I Took a Pill in Ibiza' came out.
As the 4 piece came out for their encore, it was kind of sad. The audience blatantly didn't want this to end and frankly nor did I. As they tour into the last and only song of the encore ('Buddy Holly'), Rivers Cuomo whipped off his jacked and proceeded to whirlwind while the huge confetti cannons blew into the audience. With the ENTIRE crowd holding up the Weezer W, the four took a well deserved bow. Weezer put on one hell of a show and god-help Birmingham when they come back again.