UCR On Tour • Weezer • Voyage to the Blue Planet Tour • The Flaming Lips • Dinasaur Jr. • October 1, 2024 • Blue Arena • Loveland, Colorado
Reviewed and Photographed by Alisha Gregson
I have been a Weezer fan for as long as I can remember. When it comes to ranking my favorite bands, they come second only to The Beatles. It was actually at a Weezer concert a few years ago that I first felt the desire to become a concert photographer. Just a few months later, I covered my first show. I had no idea just how much one Weezer concert would change my life.
Voyage to the Blue Planet
Earlier this year, Weezer announced they would be doing a tour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their self-titled debut album, better known as “The Blue Album”. The Blue Album was released in 1994 and remains their most popular album to this day. As a huge fan, I was beyond excited by this announcement. As I eagerly scanned the list of stops on their Voyage to the Blue Planet tour, I was surprised when I didn’t see Salt Lake City on the list. Doesn’t Weezer know how much Utah loves them? Did they already forget about the Billboard? Utah Concert Review wasn’t going to let this keep us from the Blue Planet. If Weezer wasn’t going to come to us, we decided we would just have to go to them.
UCR on Tour
On Tuesday, October 1st, Weezer brought their tour to Loveland, Colorado. The venue, The Blue Arena, felt very fitting for this particular tour. In 2019, I lived just a few minutes away from the Blue Arena for about a year, and although I was familiar with the venue, I never had the chance to attend a concert there. I was excited about the opportunity to travel to Colorado to cover the show. I grabbed some of my favorite people, including my kids, and we set off on a Weezer road trip.
Ironically, the last Weezer concert I attended was part of their 2023 Indie Rock Road Trip tour, and I drove less than an hour to get there. This concert would end up taking seven and a half hours each way (plus an extra hour spent at the slowest Wendy’s in Wyoming), but Weezer put on a show so good that it was worth every minute of the drive.
Dinosaur Jr.
Alt-rock band Dinosaur Jr. started the night off with a short but energetic performance. Their 30-minute set was packed with electric solos and heavy riffs. They entertained the crowd with their original hits like “Freak Scene” and “Feel the Pain” and included a cover of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven.” Over the years Weezer and Dinosaur Jr. have been on the same bill. Especially in the earlier days. It was great to see them together again on the same lineup.
The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips were up next. I was looking forward to seeing what they had in store for us. I had only seen them once before, but it was hard to imagine them as an opening band. They are known for their very theatrical, over-the-top performances, and I was hoping we would get to see some of their signature flair. I am happy to say that they did not disappoint.
While their performance was slightly scaled back from the shows they headline, they still gave their fans an authentic Flaming Lips experience. Lead Singer Wayne Coyne never sang while confined in his iconic bubble, but the band’s blow-up robots made an appearance. And although they didn’t cover the crowd in excessive amounts of confetti, they carried on their tradition with their custom balloons that read “F*** yeah Blue Arena.”
The Flaming Lips played an awesome set of 10 songs that got the crowd excited. Fans sang along with their fun songs like “She Don’t Use Jelly” and “Love Yer Brain,” and everyone in the arena started dancing along with their surprising cover of Madonna’s “Borderline.” They sounded amazing as they finished off their set with their hit song, “Do You Realize??”
Weezer
The lights dimmed, and heavy fog filled the stage as a pre-recorded video began to play on circle screens on each side of the stage. The short clip set the plot for the night and featured Weezer in full astronaut attire appearing on the news announcing their upcoming voyage through space to reach the blue planet. The rest of the concert would follow this storyline, and it made the show fun and unique. The stage setup was impressive, and the digital backdrop displayed a large rocket that was ready for takeoff.
After a 5-minute countdown, Weezer stepped out onto the stage in front of an energetic crowd. On other stops along their tour, Weezer would be hidden inside a spaceship and then appear in front of the crowd as it is lifted. I am guessing that the stage at the Blue Arena wasn’t large enough to accommodate all the theatrics Weezer had planned. Even without a few of the extra touches, the setup was still incredible.
Dressed in Blue space jumpsuits, Weezer gathered in the middle of the stage before taking their places. Lead singer River Cuomo stood front and center while guitarist Brian Bell, Bass Guitarist Scott Shriner, and drummer Patrick Wilson spread out across the stage. The concert was made up of three parts: the Blue Voyage Takeoff, the Pinkerton Asteroid Belt, and the Blue Planet. Blue Voyage Takeoff featured many of the band’s hits. Their high-energy songs like “Hash Pipe,” “Beverly Hills,” and “Dope Nose” really got the crowd excited. I have always loved “Pork and Beans,” and it’s amazing hearing it performed live. “Perfect Situation” was a song I had overlooked in the past, but over the last couple of years, it has become one of my favorites. I couldn’t believe how much energy was in that arena, and we hadn’t even arrived at the Blue Planet yet.
After being attacked, the Weezer spaceship crash-landed in the Pinkerton Asteroid Belt. They then performed a set of 5 songs from their cult classic Pinkerton album, beginning with “Getchoo” and “Why Bother?” Next, they played “Pink Triangle” and then finished out their mini Pinkerton set with “You Gave Your Love to Me Softly” and “Across the Sea.” I was surprised that they didn’t include “El Scorcho” or “The Good Life,” but it won’t be long before Weezer does a Pinkerton tour, and they won’t have to leave anything out.
The Blue Album
The band disappeared from the stage for a brief moment while their intergalactic travels continued to unfold on the screens. The crowd could hardly contain their excitement as Weezer finally landed on the blue planet. The band reemerged on the stage, Rivers now wearing a black and yellow Star Trek-inspired outfit, only to find the blue planet wasn’t blue at all; it was gray, and it was dying. While holding a blue flag with the Weezer logo, Rivers exclaimed, “We need to play the blue album to bring it back to life!” Then, after planting the flag on the blue planet, Rivers said, “That’s one small step for Weezer, one giant leap for Weezerkind.”
The energy in the arena was insane as they kicked off the Blue Album Set with “My Name is Jonas.” Hearing the entire crowd sing along with every word was incredible. A friend recently described the Blue Album as one of the best albums ever, without a single skippable song, and it’s true: every song is a hit. Cannons of blue streamer confetti shot off, covering the fans on the floor. Weezer kept the crowd on their feet for the rest of the night as they played through the remaining songs in the same order they were on the album.
Fans went wild when they played “Buddy Holly,” and I believe this was the first Weezer concert I have been to where they didn’t save that one for the very end. During the intro of “Undone – The Sweater Song,” fans enjoyed hearing Brian Bell ad-lib the intro and make Colorado-specific references. I have seen them perform this song several times now, but this was the first time I witnessed them include the intro dialogue. I always look forward to hearing my all-time favorite Weezer song, “Say It Ain’t So,” and I just love the way Rivers performs it live. By the time we were all singing along to “In the Garage,” I knew we were nearing the end, and I found myself wishing the concert could continue throughout the night.
Weezer covered the crowd once again in blue confetti and then finished off their set with “Only in Dreams.”. Having played the Blue Album in its entirety, there was no need for an encore. After putting on one of the most amazing concerts I have ever seen, they gathered once again in the middle of the stage to say goodbye to their fans.
For many reasons, this was a night I will never forget. I am not sure how anything will ever top the way I felt, watching my kids sing every word to every song on my favorite album or hearing them talk about how incredible the concert was. The kids especially loved how this concert had a story. My friend’s 4-year-old son felt amazing after Brian Bell connected with him and smiled right at him multiple times throughout the night. My 8-year-old daughter told me later that she cried during the concert because she couldn’t believe she got to see Rivers singing in person. Weezer has been my 13-year-old daughter’s favorite band for years now, and it was so sweet to see her in her own Buddy Holly-style glasses, dancing and singing.
A framed set list that a crew member gave my 11-year-old son now sits on a shelf in his room. If you have ever wondered if you should take your kids to one of their favorite bands, I highly recommend it, especially if that band is Weezer. While I had fully intended to watch the stage all night, I sometimes found it hard to keep my eyes off the kids. Seeing the way they enjoyed the concert made the experience even better. But because Weezer does deserve my full, undivided attention, I thought it was necessary to see them again (kid-free this time) at their LA show just before the tour ended.
Everything about the Voyage to the Blue Planet tour was so impressive. I loved every second of it, and it exceeded all my expectations. Weezer set the bar high, and with the anniversary of the Pinkerton album coming up, I can’t even imagine what they have in store for us next.
