Weezer and 311 both decided to have separate streams starting at the exact same time on this Friday evening. Having seen three out of the last four 311 streams I decided to go with Weezer and watch the 311 stream sometime in the 72 hour window given to re-watch.
Weezer’s newest offering OK Human is an ambitious album that combines the Weezer we all know and love with a 38-piece orchestra. If this album were a beer it would be called Weezer Lite and the stream felt like a cross between Metallica S&M and Unplugged. The performance was true to the album as the band rolled through the entire thing front to back in sequence with the LA Philharmonic Orchestra but then after “Hero” from the yet to be released next album Van Weezer the real fun began.
Rivers, looking like a sophisticated lady with a mustache, finally relieved himself of piano duties for a completely acoustic solo version of “Say It Ain’t So.” This was really special because it highlighted just how strong the song is to be able to stand on its own in such a stripped down format. “Island In the Sun” got everyone involved and this was followed by what I feel to be rare performance of any song from Pinkerton “Falling For You.” The faithful reproduction of vocal harmonies during “Africa” left me with a very satisfied feeling as did the orchestra taking over the guitar solo parts during “Buddy Holly” to close out the stream.
The cut to different exterior shots of the Walt Disney Concert Hall between each song clued me into the fact this was another pre-recorded stream. This stream was over after exactly one hour and I knew 311 would still be going so I switched to their stream. In hindsight this made me wish I had just watched the 311 stream live and watched the Weezer stream later but it turns out I did the right thing as the Weezer stream did not come with any re-watching capability like most all the other streams have given the ability to do.
SETLIST: All My Favorite Songs, Aloo Gobi, Grapes of Wrath, Numbers, Playing My Piano, Mirror Image, Screens, Bird With a Broken Wing, Dead Roses, Everything Happens for a Reason, Here Comes the Rain, La Brea Tar Pits, Hero, Say It Ain’t So, Island in the Sun, Falling For You, Africa, Buddy Holly
