"dreamt i died in chicago next weekend (heart attack in my sleep). need to write my will today." - Mikey Welsh, 9/26/11

"Mikey Welsh, most famously known as the bassist for the rock band Weezer, died unexpectedly Saturday, according to the band. He was 40.

The cause of death was not immediately known.

Darryl Baety, a Chicago police spokesman, said that officers responded at 1:45 p.m. Saturday to a call from the Raffaello Hotel regarding a guest who had been scheduled to check out, but had not.

After first knocking on the door, hotel personnel entered and found someone who was "unresponsive and not breathing," according to Baety.

Police are conducting a death investigation related to the case, pending autopsy results, Baety said.

According to Welsh's official website, he was a painter before he made the the shift to music at age 19. A decade later, he had achieved fame as the bassist for the band Weezer, replacing the band's longtime bassist Matt Sharp.

Welsh was part of the band's 2001 "Green Album" release, which featured "Hash Pipe." The single became one of the band's biggest hits, peaking at No. 2 on Billboard's Alternative songs chart." [CNN]

Speaking of shows the Shins are playing...

"DeLuna Fest and Five Flags Tourism Group are excited to announce the performance schedule for this year's music festival taking place on the gorgeous sugar-white sands of Pensacola Beach, FL, on October 14th, 15th, and 16th. DeLuna Fest's five stages and waterfront hotels along Pensacola Beach will play host to over 80 bands..... Go to http://lineup.delunafest.com/schedule to see the full schedule for this year's outstanding line up for DeLuna Fest 2011 which includes Linkin Park on their only US Fall date, The Shins, Weezer, Cake, Jane's Addiction, Cut Copy, Big Boi, Matt & Kim, Girl Talk, Wanda Jackson, Bettye LaVette, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Dirty Dozen Brass Band and many, many more.

Tickets are on sale now for only $189.95 for all three days, all stages and in/out privileges."

photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin

The Flaming Lips and Weezer played their second of two co-headlining shows at a wet Jones Beach on Friday (7/29). As we learned from the first show in NJ the night before, Wayne and Rivers opened the show by riding in their own space bubbles as the remaining members of both bands played "Sweet Leaf" (Black Sabbath) on stage. That was followed by alternating sets by the two bands every few songs, starting with The Flaming Lips.

According to Rolling Stone, "The Flaming Lips had a tougher job because they were playing to what was clearly a majority Weezer fan audience. They even had to endure some obnoxious "Weezer! Weezer!" chants between songs." Those in attendance who do appreciate the Flaming Lips's great work were treated to their recent Neon Indian collaboration "Is David Bowie Dying?," in addition to popular standouts like "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song," "What Is the Light?" "The Observer," and "Do You Realize??"

Weezer, whose new material is slightly lacking (to say the least), focused a little more on their earlier stuff like they did on their Blue Album/Pinkerton tour. They played old favorites like "El Scorcho," "My Name is Jonas," "Surf Wax America," and "Buddy Holly," though they didn't touch on early b-sides like they did the previous night when New Jerseyans were rewarded with "You Gave Your Love to Me Softly" and "Susanne," in addition to two more Pinkerton tracks. They also covered Radiohead's "Paranoid Android" like they did in May when they posted a live-in-studio video of them recording the track to their YouTube account.

The encore saw both bands rejoin on stage for one of each band's quirkier tracks. Wayne and Rivers traded verses on the Lips' "She Don't Use Jelly" and Rivers sang lead on "Undone - The Sweater Song" as Wayne ran into the audience shooting confetti.

Yeasayer opened the show in the rain with a short set made up of their singles and fan favorites.

More pictures, videos, and setlists from the show below...

Continue reading "Weezer & the Flaming Lips shared the stage again @ Jones Beach (pics, setlist, videos & Yeasayer too)"

photos by Toby Tenenbaum

The Flaming Lips and Weezer played side-by-side sets at PNC Banks Arts Center last night (7/28) with an opening set from Yeasayer (who we missed). Pictures from the NJ show are in this post.

As mentioned, Rivers Cuomo was quoted in a recent press release saying, "I asked Wayne if he has an extra bubble I could ride in." He wasn't joking! Toby Tenenbaum, who shot the show, writes:

The special intro comprised the two lead singers from Flaming Lips and Weezer (Wayne Coyne and River Cuomo) pulling one of the most original stunts I had ever seen. They were both inside their own inflatable balloon and used it to crowd-walk/surf over the heads of the crowd. It was truly awesome and unique.

The two bands then alternated every few songs. To quote Toby again, "With the average song length for FL being about 6 minutes per song and for Weezer its the standard 3 minutes per song it felt that Weezer were simply playing intermittently between a Flaming Lips show. One high point for Weezer was the Radiohead Paranoid Android cover." The bands also played together at the end of the show. The full setlist and other videos are also below.

All three bands will play again tonight (7/29) at Jones Beach Theater in Long Island. Tickets are still available. Stay tuned for pictures and a review from that show too, and congrats to all the BV contest winners that were/are in attendance.

More pictures, the video and the NJ setlist below...

Continue reading "Weezer & the Flaming Lips played 'side by side' @ PNC Bank Arts Center (pics, video & setlist)"

photos by Josh Darr

Flaming Lips @ Aragon Ballroom in Chicago on 7/7

Cruises are all the rage. There's Jam Cruise and Holy Ship!, and to a smaller extent Bruise Cruise, and now this January Weezer are launching the first ever Weezer Cruise. The cruise takes place over the course of 4 days (1/19-1/23) on the Carnival Destiny from Miami to the island of Cozumel, and features performances by a lineup curated by Weezer, who will also be performing themselves. The lineup is pretty heavy on members of the Dinosaur Jr. family including Dinosaur Jr. themselves, Sebadoh, J. Mascis, and Lou Barlow. Hey, they're all trapped on a boat together for four days, might as well mix up the formats. Other bands playing include Wavves, The Antlers, Yuck, and many others. Full lineup below.

As recently mentioned, Weezer and The Flaming Lips will set up "side-by-side" (sort of like "in the round") at their co-headlining shows happening at PNC Bank Arts Center in NJ (7/28) and at Jones Beach in NY (7/29). Both dates are with Yeasayer. Tickets for both are still on sale, and BrooklynVegan is giving away 2 pairs of Flaming Lips/Weezer tickets EVERY DAY between now and 7/26. Each day we'll award one pair of tickets to the NJ show, and one to the NY show. This will be the last time you see a post about it on the site though, but check our Facebook each day for an updated chance to win. Instructions on entering via email are below.

The Flaming Lips have also added more shows this summer, including a weird one: in Long Beach, Long Island on September 9. No more details on that at the moment. All dates are listed below along with a set of pictures from the 7/7 Lips show at Aragon Ballroom in Chicago.

The Flaming Lips, who released collaboration EPs this year with Neon Indian and Prefuse 73, are currently working on one with Lightning Bolt. According to Wayne Coyne's twitter, "Mixing the final master of Flaming Lips/Lightning Bolt tracks!!!!". Video below.

All tour dates, video, contest details, and full Weezer Cruise lineup below...

Continue reading "Weezer Cruise announced, more Flaming Lips dates & pics too +++ WIN TIX to Weezer/Flaming Lips (we're giving away 60!)"

Flaming Lips at Sasquatch 2011 (more by Josh Darr)

We previously mentioned that the Flaming Lips would play after Weezer at their co-headlining shows at Jones Beach and PNC Bank Arts Center "because the Flaming Lips make such a big mess that its sort of logistically unwise to take the stage after them." However, it's just been announced that:

With their respective gear set up side-by-side, Weezer and The Flaming Lips will literally share the stage together on Thursday, July 28th in New Jersey and Friday, July 29th in New York.

"Weezer and the Flaming Lips will trade off songs back and forth for the entire length of each concert, allowing them to take turns playing a few songs each in one big exciting set." Yeasayer open each show.

Flaming Lips mastermind Wayne Coyne remarked: "The Flaming Lips and Weezer are playing a show together...where they are actually playing together."

"I asked Wayne if he has an extra bubble I could ride in," quipped Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo.

We previously discussed Phily's Riot Fest East that will feature an appearance from the mighty Descendents and The Suicide Machines who they also play with in NYC. Riot Fest East, an offshoot of the Chicago festival, happens on September 24th.

The Chicago version of the festival, October 5-9, previously announced that Weezer, Social Distortion, Descendents, 7 Seconds, ALL (two different eras!), Helmet, and X (playing Los Angeles) were all on the lineup, but left one big announcement for today...

On Friday October 7, 2011 Danzig will headline Riot Fest and perform a career spanning show featuring sets of Danzig, Samhain and Misfits songs with none other than Doyle joining on guitar the Misfits set. We've waited years for this and we can't wait to see the inside of the Congress Theater turn into a churning sea of humanity.

Tickets are now also on sale for the Descendents show at Roseland Ballroom that Suicide Machines and H20 are opening.

X are performing Los Angeles at both Riot Fests AND on two nights at Irving Plaza in NYC. Tickets are on sale for those shows too.

Riot Fest show flyers and some videos is below.

Continue reading "Riot Fest Chicago completes lineup with "Danzig Legacy"! Descendents East Coast shows on sale too"

by BBG

The crash scene (via subewl)

WEST GOSHEN, Pa. - Fox 29 News has learned that Ryan Dunn of MTV's "Jackass" series died in an early morning crash Monday in Chester County, Pa.

Police in West Goshen confirmed a fatal accident occurred but were not immediately releasing any other details.

The crash occurred in West Goshen Township and kept Route 322 closed between New Street and Pottstown Pike for much of the morning. Motorists were advised to use Ashbridge Street to avoid the closure before the road reopened around 9:30 a.m.

Fox 29 News spoke to the mother of "Jackass" star Bam Margera, who said she has been told Dunn, 34, was killed in the wreck.

Margera's mother also said an unidentified second person died in the crash, which happened around 3 a.m. She said she did not know who was driving the car, and there may have been a third occupant.-[Fox 29 Philadelphia]

Ryan has a brand new show called G4's Proving Ground which just premiered on June 14th. To promote it he posted a "Celebrity Playlist" to YouTube. Watch the promo, posted 18 days ago, and other videos below...

Continue reading "Ryan Dunn of Jackass, RIP "

photos by Eric M. Townsend

B.O.M.B. Fest went down over Memorial Day Weekend at Comcast Theatre in Hartford, CT. You already saw the Dan Deacon pictures from the first day of the two day fest. Now here are the rest from that Saturday (May 28th) (we have no pics from Sunday). They continue below...

Continue reading "B.O.M.B. Fest 2011 - Day 1 in pics"

Flaming Lips in Poughkeepsie in 2010 (more by Ryan Muir)

More info on those Weezer, Flaming Lips, Yeasayer shows...

...Some major additions to the 2011 Weezer concert calendar today, folks! First of all we got a special pair of shows in the NY/NJ area, co-headlining with The Flaming Lips in the first ever Weezer/Flaming Lips team up! The shows are being opened by Yeasayer, and Weezer will play in the middle slot... because the Flaming Lips make such a big mess that its sort of logistically unwise to take the stage after them! But Weezer and the Flaming Lips will be playing identical set lengths.

***PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ - 7/28/11- Co-headline with the Flaming Lips. With Yeasayer***

Onsale to General Public Start: Sat, 05/07/11 10:00 AM EDT

Citi® Cardmember Presale
Start: Wed, 05/04/11 10:00 AM EDT
End: Fri, 05/06/11 10:00 PM EDT
UPDATE: PRESALE LINK: (no password needed)

Citi® Cardmember Preferred Tickets
Start: Sat, 05/07/11 10:00 AM EDT
End: Thu, 07/14/11 10:00 PM EDT

***Nikon @ Jones Beach info - Friday July 29th - Co-headline with the Flaming Lips. With Yeasayer***

UPDATE: PRESALE LINK: (no password needed)

Onsale to General Public
Start: Sat, 05/07/11 10:00 AM EDT

--

..The other big show announcement is for Seattle, at the WAMU Theater! This show will feature the Memories style setlist of the Blue Album and Pinkerton being performed in their entirety! While this isnt the only Memories style or Memories influenced setlist of the summer, it is definitely the only one in Seattle!

***WaMu Theater - Seattle, WA - August 19th***

Weezer @ Roseland Ballroom in 2010 (more by Chris La Putt)

Yeasayer head out on tour later this month with the Smith Westerns and Hush Hush. That tour concludes with a sold out show at Terminal 5 in NYC. Yeasayer appear at Camp Bisco less than a month later.

Weezer are playing a handful of dates later in May including radio station shows in Philly & DC, a gig in Atlantic City, and B.O.M.B. Fest in CT. They'll also be keeping busy for most of the summer.

The Flaming Lips also have shows scheduled in May in addition to various summer shows that have been popping up all over the place, Hopscotch in North Carolina, the Osheaga Festival in Montreal, and Atlantic City as part of the Dave Matthews Band Caravan included.

Weezer, The Flaming Lips and Yeasayer will share a bill at PNC Bank Arts Center in NJ on July 28th and at Nikon at Jones Beach Theater on July 29th. Tickets for both shows go on sale Saturday morning, 5/7, at 10am.

All tour dates for all three bands are below...

Continue reading "Weezer playing Jones Beach & PNC Bank Arts Center w/ Flaming Lips & Yeasayer (and other dates)"

photos by Chris La Putt, words by Andrew Sacher

Weezer's opening set on Saturday night, the second of two shows at Roseland Ballroom with Free Energy, was somewhat of a time machine. They played one song from each album (excluding Raditude) in descending order from Memories to Blue Album. It was performed as a typical post-Red Album Weezer set, with Patrick Wilson abandoning his drums for a guitar, bassist Scott Shriner singing lead vocals on "Dope Nose" and Rivers Cuomo frequently choosing to put down his guitar and only sing. There isn't much to say about post-Pinkerton Weezer songs that hasn't been said at this point (although the band was admittedly impressive during "Hash Pipe") but the latter half of Weezer's "time machine" set rewarded the nostalgic Weezer fan with some real gems. This half of the set consisted of Blue/Pinkerton era b-sides including my personal favorite non-album Weezer track, "You Gave Your Love to Me Softly," from the Angus Soundtrack. This was also the first time Weezer performed the beloved "Jamie" since 1996.

After a short intermission, Weezer returned to the stage with Patrick Wilson back on drums, and a timid looking Rivers without his recent trademark tie and glasses hunched over his guitar. Seeing Weezer perform Pinkerton in its entirety was undeniably an incredible experience, but as soon as the band launched into "Tired of Sex" Rivers gave off the vibe that he was actually "tired of Pinkerton." The crowd's participation in every song proved that Pinkerton is still a collection of awe-inspiring tracks with a devoted fanbase, but Weezer seemed to lack the energy they had while performing their more-recent hits. They might just not be that same band anymore. Pinkerton is the album that upon its release was considered career suicide on Weezer's road to rock-stardom, and Weezer are rock stars now. Maybe Pinkerton is just meant be a buried treasure of the past.

One night earlier they performed the "Blue Album." The setlist and pictures from that show are HERE. The setlist and pictures, and a video of the band playing "Jamie", continue below...

Continue reading "Weezer played 'Pinkerton' @ Roseland Ballroom w/ Free Energy (pics & setlist)"

photos by Chris La Putt

Weezer's State Farm-sponsored Memories Tour hit Roseland Ballroom in NYC on Friday and Saturday. Weezer played their classic albums Blue Album (on night 1) and Pinkerton (on night 2) in their entirety. Free Energy opened both shows.

This post has pictures and the setlist from the first night (second night is HERE), and it continues below...

Continue reading "Weezer played the 'Blue Album' @ Roseland Ballroom w/ Free Energy (pics & setlist) "

by Andrew Sacher

Weezer @ MSG in 2008 (more by Chris La Putt)

In October, Weezer revealed NYC dates and venues for the Blue Album/Pinkerton shows, as part of the Weezer Memories Tour Driven By State Farm. In case you weren't able to muster up the 74 dollars for tickets, or you didn't act quick enough (the shows are sold out), we're giving away four pairs of tickets to the Pinkerton show on 12/18, which include meet and greets and an autographed copy of their new album "Hurley". Details on how to enter are below, and if you don't win here, you can also try your luck at the State Farm Nation Facebook where you can enter the "Grantin' Wishes with Weezer contest" (you can also win the opportunity to sing on stage and other stuff).

The Memories Tour kicked off in California in late November with Best Coast opening two LA shows. In case you didn't hear, it was at those shows that Bethany of Best Coast performed Weezer's "Island In The Sun" with Rivers during the first part of the show (they played the albums last). Both LA setlists and video of the Rivers/Bethany duet are below.

Unfortunately, Bethany won't likely be at either of the two New York dates, which are both being opened, like the rest of the tour, by Free Energy (which is appropriate though, because Weezer is somewhat of an arena band and Free Energy are not afraid to wear their arena rock band influences on their sleeve).

After the Weezer tour, Free Energy embarks on their final headlining tour in support of their current album. No New York shows in that new set of dates, but in addition to the Weezer tour, Free Energy just played a bunch in town on their last tours. They're promising new songs this time around (from the new album they're recording), and those new dates (Philly included) are listed below..

Videos, pictures, tour dates, and Weezer contest details below...

Continue reading "win Weezer 'Memories' tix --- contest + Free Energy tour dates "

photos by Alysse Gafkjen

Weezer announced that Free Energy and Best Coast will handle opening duties on their upcoming "Memories Tour", though it's only one opener per show and NYC gets Free Energy. Weezer were another one of the bands that played Voodoo in New Orleans over the weekend. More pictures and some videos from their set there, and updated tour dates with openers listed, below...

Continue reading "Free Energy & Best Coast opening shows for Weezer who played Voodoo (pics & video) "

JEFF the Brotherhood @ Williamsburg Waterfront (more by Chris La Putt)

today in NYC
* Matuto @ Barbes
* Gato Loco @ Barbes
* Busy P @ Hiro Ballroom
* Styx @ Beacon Theatre
* The Misfits @ Irving Plaza
* Deadmau5 @ Roseland Ballroom
* Mudd Club reunion @ the Delancey
* Drop The Lime @ Public Assembly
* Lucy Wainwright Roche @ City Winery
* Petty Fest 2010 @ Bowery Ballroom
* The Zeroes, The Waldos @ Bowery Electric
* Titus Andronicus & the So So Glos @ Matchless
* The Strange Boys, Natural Child @ Knitting Factory
* Diehard, Gross Relations, MiniBoone @ Shea Stadium
* Josh Abrahms, C. Spencer Yeh @ Issue Project Room
* Michael Franti & Spearhead, Bobby Long @ Terminal 5
* Fabulous Diamonds, Pigeons, Electroputas @ Union Pool
* Atlantic/Pacific, Brian Bonz, Frontier(s) @ The Bell House
* K-OS, Shadrach Kabango, Astronautalis @ Highline Ballroom
* Oh No Oh My, Boats, Estranged Estates, Street Chant @ Pianos
* Bebe Fang, Eklin, Future Shuttle, Family Portrait @ Glasslands
* Stephin Merritt of the Magnetic Fields DJing @ Other Music
* Little Racer, Nite Flights, Fan-Tan, The Royal Chains @ Cameo Gallery
* Amon Tobin, Kid Koala, Poirier, Toddla T, Serocee @ Santos Party House
* Mother Hips, Sean Walsh & The National Reserve, High Irons @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Wild Nothing, Baths, Julianna Barwick @ Eisner & Lubin Auditorium (NYU Kimmel)
* JEFF The Brotherhood, Ninjasonik, Liquor Store, ELKS @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Shellshag, Hartwell Littlejohn & War Party, Dirty Excuse, Nuclear Santa Claus @ Bruar Falls

Petty Fest features The Cabin Down Below Band with Special Guests: Adam Green, Norah Jones, Will Forte & Jason Sudeikis of Saturday Night Live, Nicole Atkins, Nikolai Fraiture of the Strokes, Catherine Pierce, Jesse Malin, Tyson Ritter of the All American Rejects, Reeve & Zane Carney, Jody Porter of Fountains Of Wayne, Sammy James of the Mooney Suzuki, Steve Schiltz of Hurricane Bells & Longwave, Antony Ellis of Five O'Clock Heroes, Mikki James, Hymns and more at Bowery Ballroom.

TONIGHT @ OTHER MUSIC

ALL OUR FRIENDS ARE IN NEW YORK: EXHIBITION OF STEPHIN MERRITT/THE MAGNETIC FIELDS-RELATED HISTORY, IMAGES AND EPHEMERA
An exhibition in conjunction with the theatrical release of the documentary film Strange Powers: Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields, featuring photographs by Gail O'Hara, Emma Straub for M+E and TMF's guitarist-banjoist John Woo, among others. All Magnetic Fields-related items will be on sale.

OPENING RECEPTION: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 5-7PM
SPECIAL GUEST DJ: STEPHIN MERRITT
OTHER MUSIC: 15 East 4th Street NYC

Celebrate Ninja Tune tonight at Santos Party House.

The Zeroes play Bowery Electric tonight with the Waldos. They play Maxwell's tomorrow with JEFF the Brotherhood who headline Music Hall of Williamsburg tonight.

GWAR is on Jimmy Fallon tonight. Gary Wilson and School of Seven Bells were on last night.

The Strange Boys/Natural Child show at Knitting Factory tonight is one of the free Scion ones.

Did you see the double rainbow yesterday? Martin Bisi and others did. Videos below...

In case you missed it, Devo cancelled their whole tour.

So did Cornershop, and Dum Dum Girls and Crocodiles.

Bruce Springsteen talks about "The Promise" in a video below...

Weezer's new video for "Memories", below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Thursday?"

A young fan shows his allegiance (more by Kurt Christensen)

Weezer threatened, and now they will follow through on their earlier promise. Weezer will play NYC's Roseland Ballroom over two nights (December 17th & 18th), showcasing their first two (and most revered) LPs, Blue Album and Pinkerton respectively. Tickets will go on AMEX presale on Saturday 10/9 at 10AM. General sale begins one week later. The band will also offer "I Love all Access VIP packages" for AMEX cardholders with a special password, from 10/8 (Fri) at 1PM to 10/11 at 6PM.

All dates and some videos below...

Continue reading "Weezer reveal NYC dates & venue for Blue/Pinkerton shows "

Weezer @ Williamsburg Waterfront in July (more by Kurt Christensen)

"Weezer have announced the details of "The Memories Tour" Driven by State Farm®. Beginning on Friday, November 26th, the band will perform four very special residencies in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston and New York, during which they will play two classic albums in their entirety.

On the first night of each two-date residency, the band will perform their triple-platinum 1994 debut Weezer (aka "The Blue Album") from start to finish, followed by a set of greatest hits including songs from Hurley. On the second night, they'll perform 1996's follow-up and fan favorite Pinkerton, followed by a different set of greatest hits and songs from Hurley. The currently scheduled tour itinerary is included below, with further details to be announced in the coming days."

Continue reading "Weezer confirm 'Blue Album' & 'Pinkerton' shows"

by Andrew Sacher

DOWNLOAD: Weezer - Memories (MP3)

Weezer @ Williamsburg Waterfront in July (more by Kurt Christensen)

Weezer have recently gone indie again, in the literal sense at least, by signing to Epitaph Records for the release of their eighth full length album Hurley. "I've been a fan of Weezer from the beginning, and I've loved all their records, so it's amazing to find myself working with them on the new one!" says Brett Gurewitz, president and founder of Epitaph Records and also guitarist and songwriter in Bad Religion (who have upcoming tour dates!).

The album comes out September 14th (and features Jorge Garcia, the actor who played Hurley from 'Lost', on the cover) and is available for preorder now. An MP3 of the song "Memories" is available above, and a video of lead vocalist and guitarist Rivers Cuomo talking about the album is below.

In addition to going 'indie', Weezer has also increased their 'cred' by announcing ideas for a possible Blue Album/Pinkerton tour. "We have this really exciting idea to do a tour where we spend two nights in each city, and the first night, we play the entire Blue album, and the second night, we play the entirety of Pinkerton. We're just running it by promoters right now to see if there's sufficient interest in the markets to do something like that, and if they're on board, it's gonna happen," says Rivers Cuomo in an exclusive with MTV News. There are no official dates for the tour right now, which is still just an idea, but according to Cuomo, "the fan response has been incredible so far for the idea, and, if they want to, they can contact their local promoter and tell them to make it happen."

Weezer does also have a few current tour dates listed below and a fall tour is soon to be announced. Also, tonight (8/20), Park Slope's Bar 4 is hosting The LC Tribute to Weezer: The Blue Album Vs Pinkerton. The show will feature various solo acts covering The Blue Album and a full band covering Pinkerton in its entirety (though no specific lineup seems to be announced).

dates and videos below..

Continue reading "indie Weezer releasing new album, may do Blue Album/ Pinkerton tour, NYC bands pay tribute @ Bar 4 (tonight)"

words & photos by Kurt Christensen

With the last few albums possibly alienating longtime Weezer fans, Rivers Cuomo and company certainly set to make things right with their show at Williamsburg Waterfront Friday night. Rivers was firing on all cylinders as they powered through a set with a wide mix from their catalog, and leaned heavily on the Blue Album, which was welcomed by the packed crowd. However, the only song from Pinkerton was El Scorcho.

Openers AWOLnation started the show around 6:30, with much of the crowd not there yet. (There was some confusion to show start time, since the ticketmaster site said 5:30 doors, but the Weezer website said 7:00). They were followed by Rival Schools. Walter Schreifels, sporting aviator glasses, led the band through several new unreleased songs, and several songs from United By Fate. The newer material definitely had more of a power pop edge to it than the older material.

After Rival Schools, the crowd waited impatiently for Weezer, with the front throwing up W's to the photographers in the pit. After an introduction by Matt Pinfield, Weezer hit the stage playing a brief intro into Hash Pipe. Rivers was all over the place, running around in a Thierry Henry, New York Red Bulls Jersey. He climbed out on the speakers during troublemaker, jumping into the crowd and hugging fans while he sang. A little bit later in the set, Rivers ran to the other side of the stage, and into the beer garden. There he sang in the crowd, and returned to the stage with an emergency exit sign on a pole.

During the encore, they played a medley of Kids by MGMT, followed by Poker Face, during which Rivers donned a long blond wig. The show was closed with Buddy Holly.

The overall sound was good, but not nearly as impressive as the sound during Faith No More's shows two weeks earlier. FNM had a noticeably larger speaker array, and it made a huge difference in projecting sound over the large open space. Regardless, the sound was still very good, and the audience was really into it.

More pictures and the setlist below...

Continue reading "Weezer, Rival Schools & Awolnation played Williamsburg Waterfront (pics & setlist)"

Rival Schools @ Mercury Lounge in 2008 (more by Kurt Christensen)

IRR: You have stated that a new Rival Schools record will be released in the next few months. Is it the same lineup or are there some new members?
Walter Schreifels: They'll be a new Rival Schools record in October. I believe there will be a reissue of Slip (on vinyl) in the fall. Rival Schools is all the same members.

IRR: How does the record sound so far and how is it different from the last few Rival Schools records that were released?
WS: I'll just answer for Rival Schools when I say that it's a very comfortable progression. I think we managed to take chances moving forward and hold on to the integrity of our first release.

Rival Schools have one other show coming up, also with Weezer, and it happens to be tonight, 7/15, at Foxwoods Resort Casino in CT. All Weezer dates and the contest details below...

Continue reading "Rival Schools releasing a new record in October, opening for Weezer at Foxwoods & in Brooklyn (win tix) "

Memorial Day Weekend officially opened the summer, and for those in the Pacific Northwest it also brought Sasquatch Music Festival (pictures from all three days are coming soon). Now the lineup for its Labor Day cousin, Bumbershoot 2010, has been announced. That fest, happening at Seattle, WA's Seattle Center September 4th-6th, will include headliners Bob Dylan, Mary J. Blige, Weezer, Hole, Rise Against, Neko Case, The Decemberists, J. Cole and "one more very special guest to be announced soon."

Tickets (including non-Mainstage 'economy' passes) are on sale now. The rest of the lineup (by day) for the seven-stage festival is posted below...

Continue reading "Bumbershoot 2010 lineup (Bob Dylan... Hole... Mary J Blige)"

Tickets are on sale at 11am for the Weezer show at Williamsburg Waterfront.

Tickets are on sale at noon for the Keane show at Williamsburg Waterfront.

Other Williamsburg Waterfront shows on sale are Band of Horses/Grizzly Bear, Silversun Pickups, Faith No More, Modest Mouse, Primus/Gogol Bordello, and Nas/Damian Marley.

Free Waterfront shows have not been announced yet.

Corinne Bailey Rae is playing the Beach at Governors Island on August 6th. Tickets, currently on AmEx presale, go on general sale at noon.

Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros have added a 3rd NYC show. Their two at Webster Hall are both sold out (July 22-23), so they're also playing the Beach at Governors Island on July 21st. Tickets, currently on AmEx presale, go on general sale at noon.

Other Governors Island shows on sale include Michael Franti & Spearhead w/ Trombone Shorty, Passion Pit/Tokyo Police Club, MIA/Sleigh Bells/Die Antwoord and Local Natives.

Free Governors Island shows so far include Yesayer and Neon Indian.

After playing a pair of Jersey shows at the Atlantic City Borgata and the Bamboozle on May 1st and 2nd, Weezer has announced a show in Brooklyn at Williamsburg Waterfront set for Friday, July 16th. Tickets go on AmEx presale Saturday, May 8th at 10am. AEG presale starts Thursday, May 13th at 10am. General sale is Friday May 14th at 11am.

That show is one day before this year's Siren Festival, also in Brooklyn, which just announced its initial lineup that includes fellow Bamboozle players, Matt & Kim. Both Weezer and Siren are the same weekend that Pitchfork is holding its annual festival in Chicago.

Weezer currently has other shows scheduled around Canada and US throughout the summer. Some recent videos and tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Weezer playing Williamsburg Waterfront & other tour dates"

"Playing Fordham's Spring Weekend w/ @birbigs and so far what I've learned about the youths of today is they still love flip flops and cargs." - Max Silvestri

'Only mgmt singing my fav-song-of-the-moment, Congratulations. Nbd.' -mickiemyheart

MGMT went from Fordham on Saturday (5/1) (where Max Silvestri and Mike Birbiglia also performed), pictured above, to the Bamboozle in Jersey on Sunday...

[After Girl Talk was] MGMT, the glam-prog outfit whose new album Congratulations is being met with confusion from some corners. It's certainly not as immediate a listen as the group's keyboard-spangled Oracular Spectacular, but it is a somewhat bewitchingly strange pop album. At one point a man canvassed the crowd handing out 3-D glasses, which seemed appropriate both for the red-and-blue beams surrounding the band and for the pillowy, proggy songs they rocked from the new record. MGMT brought back the doubters by closing their set with the sugar-coated "Kids," and as fans' camera phones were held aloft, they lobbed a question at the next headliner: "Hey, Weezer, are you playing this song, too? It's our song."

As it turned out, the answer was "yes," although it wouldn't be answered until much later in Weezer's set...It was during the first encore (which was introduced by the band replicating the drum and guitar solos that open Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher") that "Kids" was brought out and interpolated with Lady Gaga's "Poker Face," not to mention a blonde wig on Cuomo's head. While the borrowed bits of other songs delighted the crowd, Weezer opted to end the night and the festival with "Buddy Holly," demonstrating they still have plenty of firepower from their own catalog." [Rolling Stone @ Bamboozle]

MGMT will be be on Letterman on May 11th. And they're playing Radio City Music Hall on Tuesday, August 17th. Tickets go on sale Friday at 9am. I wonder how many, if any, show they'll add. Can they beat Vampire Weekend's three? Peter Gabriel plays his second show at the venue tonight (5/3).

The MGMT show comes at the end of the band's summer-long tour of North America (the May/June secion of which will be opened by Tame Impala). They also have European dates from September to December mapped out. All tour dates and videos are below...

Continue reading "MGMT played Fordham & Bamboozle, playing Radio City "