Weezer stays iconic through the years, both in music and on the internet. Here's the story
Weezer is coming to Columbus? Say it ain't so!
This weekend, the alternative-rock group is making a stop at Nationwide Arena, 200 W. Nationwide Blvd., on Saturday for their tour, "Voyage to the Blue Planet," a 30-year anniversary celebration of their self-titled debut album, also known as "the Blue Album."
The band will be joined by The Flaming Lips and Dinosaur Jr. and the setlist includes the full album, featuring iconic hits like "Say It Ain't So," "Undone — The Sweater Song" and "Buddy Holly."
Few tickets remain as the band's arrival approaches, but if you're planning to attend the show and participate in the Weezer festivities Sept. 7, here's all you need to know about the band and their musical journey, from their iconic debut album to their online memeification and a... Weezer-themed cruise? Read on to learn more.
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'The Blue Album' — where it all started
Though the story of Weezer officially began in '92, the true origins started when a young metalhead sporting a long, luscious (and very metal) hairdo named Rivers Cuomo moved to LA to make it big with his high school metal band. But fate had different plans for the aspiring rock star.
When the group disbanded, he met Patrick Wilson, current Weezer drummer, and they were introduced to the alternative-rock genre, absorbing the style of bands like the Pixies, Nirvana and Sonic Youth.
Together, Wilson and Cuomo ideated several new bands, but when none worked out, Cuomo took a different approach of creating a body of work before diving into a new group, which included future classics like “The World Has Turned and Left Me Here” and “Undone — The Sweater Song."
When Matt Sharp, the band's first bassist and eventual de facto manager, heard the cuts, he was hooked. He joined the band, and with these hints of future greatness, Weezer — a namesake of Cuomo's childhood nickname — was born.
Soon, they would share the stage with Keanu Reeves' Dogstar for their debut in 1992, but by the time they took to the stage, the crowd had cleared out. Discouraged, Cuomo was at a crossroads: He gave Sharp nine months to secure a record deal. Otherwise, he was off to college.
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Sharp eventually succeeded, securing a deal with Geffen Records’ alt-rock label, DGC Records, in 1993. Soon, they recorded their debut album, during which they replaced their guitarist Jason Cropper with Brian Bell, snapped the iconic cover photo of the four band members posing awkwardly in front of a blue background and filmed their first music video for "Undone" that perfectly captured and solidified their nerdy-grunge niche.
The memeification of Weezer
Since then, Weezer has released 15 studio albums and have dabbled in a variety of genres throughout their discography. Most recently, Weezer completed their "SZNZ" project, a collection of four concept EPs, each featuring sounds and a production style inspired by each season. Today's members consist of Cuomo, Bell, Wilson and bassist Scott Shriner.
Beyond catchy tunes, Weezer has garnered a reputation for their online presence, where they've become the subject of memes like the "Get Weezered" trend, a Rickroll-like "gotcha" meme where users would record anything remotely resembling "the Blue Album" cover — a blue cookie or public ad — with the iconic guitar riff from "Buddy Holly" playing in the background.
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But the band has long embraced online culture and their often humorous place in pop culture. The fun, light-hearted 2010 music video for "Pork and Beans" brought together popular content creators and memes of the time, and the band has never been known to take themselves too seriously, with marketing efforts like the limited-edition Weezer Snuggie (aka the "Wuggie"), or the Weezer cruise in 2012, where fans from all over the world gathered to embark on the Weezer-hosted getaway featuring musical performances from the band and others like Sebadoh and Dinosaur Jr.
Because of this, the the band does sometimes become the punchline of the joke as a "meme band," but Weezer's robust musical journey is undeniable, drawing in an international following with a multiplatinum designation: The catchy melodies have endured the test of time.
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To Weezer's credit, all their quirkiness and goof seems to resonate with — and even is matched by — fans. In 2022, a gigantic white billboard with "WEEZER" written across it appeared in Utah, created by Cory Hunter Winn, a fan and owner of Lucca International, a clothing company.
Soon enough, residents saw another gigantic Weezer-related billboard in town: "Thanks to whoever bought the billboard down the road. — Weezer.”
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Weezer to perform debut album in Columbus for 30th anniversary
