Thanks to Carlyn Carter for this one. Photo stolen from Weezer's Myspace.
Thanks to Jim for getting us in.

Arriving to see Weezer at the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles felt initially a bit like going to a Monster Truck Rally or a hockey game. I had never been and the $22 parking made me feel like I was going to be sucked dry by the end of it (I did end up finding street parking, luckily). The KROQ truck blasting electronica and the swarms of 14-year-old girls and nerdboys made me feel a bit out of place. I wasn’t even able to play the fashionably late card, as my friend and I arrived right at 6:30.

After the hassle of crowds, we found our seats, which were halfway up the stadium to the left of the stage. After a beer, I was thrilled to see Tokyo Police club do their thing. The only curious part of it was how they were crowded on a small patch of the enormous stage – right up front, center. They were definitely into what they played, and we were into it too.

After a quick roadie struggle, Angels and Airwaves were up. The intro was dramatic with huge strobes, organ music and robot voice-overs. They filled the stage quite nicely – with an incredibly elevated drumkit and professional spacing. Musically, the band puts forth a very interesting ambient and poppy vibe, not unlike the Cure. The vocals and lyrics lost me a bit as I’m more closely aligned with the Tom Delonge from the Blink 182 days than with this darker, more interesting endeavor. I spent the rest of the set in the downstairs bar-area.

Weezer was professional as always. With a huge video screen in back and matching white jumpsuits, it is clear they have been doing this for a long time. They opened with My Name is Jonas, then played my personal favorite song (as a Pinkerton fan) of the night, Pink Triangle. They continued with Say it Ain’t So, El Scorcho, some other hits. The white jumpsuits come off to reveal red ones. Frontman, Rivers Quomo flew across the stage on his knees. Tom Delonge came up to sing the first verse of The Sweater Song, while Rivers was jumping on a trampoline. I thought Weezer were infamous for never really moving on stage. It was a very pleasant surprise to find that myth proven wrong. The Greatest Man that Ever Lived was the last thing I heard before I left to beat the crowd.

All-in-all I was thoroughly entertained by Weezer. I only wished Tokyo Police Club could have had the stage time / presence that Angels and Airwaves was given.