A Sold Out Night With Weezer and The Pixies
Saturday night in Austin, Texas was the night that many people were waiting all week for. This night would be the sold-out spectacle show combing two personal favorites of mine, Weezer and The Pixies. The crowd was mostly of the same age, from an era that wore Doc Martens and Chuck Taylors (some things never change). A group that remembers what it was like to enjoy a show instead of filming it on their smart device. What was refreshing to see is not only being these patrons here to relive their youth, but they took it upon themselves to bring the whole family.
Pixies frontman Frank Black entered the stage accompanied by bandmates Paz Lenchantin, Joey Santiago and David Lovering. The Pixies began their roughly 70-minute set with much crowd anticipation from the crowd. What made it even better was that it was approaching the golden hour for the day. The Pixies played on a stripped-down stage with no pyrotechnics or special visual aides. Black didn’t pause between songs to ask how the crowd was doing or reflect on how great it was to be in Austin.
He played the songs with the spirit that his fans came because people liked the songs, and the songs were what he planned on giving. As the sun began to eclipse Black, him and the rest of the band transitioned into crowd favorite “Monkey Gone to Heaven.” Black’s face was drenched in sweat as he cried the line, “And God is seven,” to a fiery room screaming it right back at him. As the Pixies ended their last song, “Debaser,” the crowd was completely on fire with passion.
As the amphitheater dimmed and the crowd howled its approval, the time to unveil Weezer on a set re-creating Arnold’s diner from the music video for “Buddy Holly.” Rivers Cuomo was front and center, embellished in a sweater and tie, with bandmates Scott Shriner, Pat Wilson and Brian Bell quickly taking into their original breakout hit.
The crowd harmonized along word for word, not only to this song but every song, during the 75-minute set as Weezer performed most of its much-revered Blue Album, skipping only three songs. They played with the same enthusiasm and heart that made the Blue Album the anthem for everyone who thought like they were an underdog as a teenager.
Weezer’s show was the exact contrary of the Pixies;, with streamers firing into the masses and three set changes that took them from the set of “Buddy Holly” to a mock-up of a local garage to an ’80s-inspired set, hanging cold metal designs burning in pyrotechnic glory that would look at home at a Van Halen concert. Cuomo changed into four outfits while playing. It was usually a simple jacket variety, but the effort was there to build an experience for the fans.
As the night came to an end with the final song, “Say It Ain’t So,” the crowd was still a full crowd, no one considering the beat-the-traffic shuffle. When the last words sang and Cuomo made his hands into a ‘W’ to the audience, the packed amphitheater did the same. It surely was a night to remember.
Pixies setlist:
Wave of Mutilation
Play Video
Bel Esprit
Monkey Gone to Heaven
Um Chagga Lagga
Isla de Encanta
U-Mass
Classic Masher
I Bleed
Crackity Jones
Caribou
Gouge Away
River Euphrates
Break My Body
Bone Machine
All I Think About Now
Debaser
Tame
Head On
Hey
Gigantic
Velouria
Here Comes Your Man
Winterlong
Where Is My Mind?
Weezer setlist:
Buddy Holly
Beverly Hills
Hash Pipe
Undone-The Sweater Song
Pork and Beans
Perfect Situation
My Name Is Jonas
El Scorcho
No One Else
In the Garage
Happy Together
Island in the Sun
Wonderwall
The Good Life
Feels Like Summer
Africa
Susanne
Say It Ain’t So
