Weezer
with Dynamite Hack
Friday Sept. 1st 2000 @ Runwayz, Buffalo

For a while there, it seemed like Weezer had disappeared off the face of the planet. They released two albums, wrote a few songs for some movie soundtracks, and then vanished. The rumour was that they hadn’t broken up, but they weren’t going to tour again until Rivers got his braces off.

Strangely enough, during this period of inactivity, the band’s popularity seemed to be somehow growing. Sure, the mainstream crowd had pretty much forgotten about them, but the underground fans seemed to be multiplying like crazy. Perhaps it has something to do with the emo/nerd rock scene that is all the rage right now, and the fact that many of these bands are heavily influenced by Weezer.

It’s not really a surprise then, that when Weezer suddenly came out of their hibernation this summer and did some dates on the Warped Tour in California, it sparked a lot of hype and excitement. Unfortunately California is very far away from here, and the best we could do was wait and hope for a show somewhere closer to home.

Shortly thereafter, it was announced that they were going to be touring, and that they would be coming to Buffalo AND Toronto. The rock gods were smiling on us! We hoped to be able to go to both shows, but the Toronto show sold out in an astounding 5 minutes. Thankfully, it proved to be somewhat easier getting tickets for the Buffalo show.

Once I was assured that we had tickets, naturally I was really looking forward to the show. When the day of the show finally came around, I began to get worried. Our transportation arrangements had run into some complications, mainly because our friends Stu and Doug were in the midst of moving to Toronto that very day. To make matters worse, it was the start of the Labour Day weekend, which meant that traffic was a problem.

They finally picked us up, already way behind schedule, but we were all reassured by the fact that there were supposed to be three opening bands at the show. Weezer wouldn’t go on until at least 11:00, right? Still, from past experience, we knew that Buffalo shows were unpredictable, and often started really early. When we arrived at the U.S. border, the line-ups were long and intimidating. After a few minutes, we realized that they were moving fairly quickly, and we were thankful for that.

Then it happened. Stu’s car phone rang. It was his friend Bakes, who was already at the show, calling from his cell phone to tell us that Weezer just went on stage. He offered to hold up his phone during the show so we could listen in. We declined his kind offer, and instead began to get really really anxious.

We were still in line at the border. Once we got across, we were still probably at least 15 minutes away from the venue. Neither of us had ever been there, and we were relying on some directions that I obtained from the internet to get us there. They seemed like they would be sufficient, but if we were to get lost at this point we would definitely miss the show. Plus we still could get pulled over at the border, and if that happened we would be screwed too.

But again, the rock gods were smiling on us. Actually, come to think of it, it was more like they were toying with us. We passed across the border without incident, and managed to reach Runwayz about as quickly as we could have hoped to.

So we jumped out of Stu’s van with great anticipation and ran through the building to the back of the venue where the rock was taking place. And… we managed to catch all of 5 songs. The last 2 songs of their set, and then a 3 song encore. They played The Sweater Song, You Gave Your Love To Me Softly (from the Angus soundtrack), Only In Dreams, Buddy Holly, and finished with Surf Wax America. I suppose that’s one of the few advantages to seeing only five songs: I can remember each of them, and what order they came in.

Anyways, I gotta say, seeing just those 5 songs alone I almost felt like I got my money’s worth right there. I suppose that is a good thing, but then again, if I had seen the entire show… well, forget it, I’m not going to go there, I’m depressed enough as it is.

Runwayz, as the name implies, is located right beside the Buffalo airport. There is a big stage outdoors, and a smaller one inside. Obviously Weezer were playing outdoors, and perhaps this is why the show had to start so early. Then again, who would be disturbed by the noise when we’re out in the middle of nowhere?

For an outdoor venue, the sound was amazing. The vocals were clear and discernable above the full out rock sound of the guitars.The coolest moment of the night definitely came when Weezer were playing the build up in the middle of Only In Dreams, and just as all the instruments came crashing in at full force, and Weezer’s “W” symbol on stage began to flash erratically, an airplane soared by overhead. It was perfect timing, and it went so well with the music, that it brought goosebumps to my arms.

Although I didn’t get to see any of the new material performed live, I have heard from some reliable sources that it does not sound like the typical Weezer catchy poppy rock music. It seems like something is missing. Perhaps that something is Matt Sharp, who is no longer in the band as he is now working with his other band, The Rentals, full time.

So what happened to all those opening bands? Well I know that Dynamite Hack did go on first, pretty much as soon as the doors opened. Then Weezer played, and as soon as they were finished, another band started their set on the indoor stage. Too bad everyone was leaving at that point. The other bands probably ended up playing to all of five people.

Note To Self: In the future, avoid Buffalo shows at all costs.

Right after this mini-tour, Weezer are heading into the studio to record the new album. They plan to have it out early next year, so hopefully it won’t be too long before they are on tour again. I’m crossing my fingers, because next time I plan on seeing more than five measly songs. — Sean

Motley Crue - New Tattoo
(EMI/Beyond Music)

Metal may be making a so-called “comeback”, but there really was no need for this album. There is a time and a place for everything, and the time and place for The Crue was back in the eighties. They should be remembered for their classic material rather than this mediocre mess. Still, the album does have its amusing points.

New Tattoo is almost worth picking up just to laugh at the lyrics. They are crass, stupid and just plain bad. (”Jailbait playmate / Freak show masturbate / Fuel inject carburete / Underage penetrate”) They tend to stick to the lyrical topics they know best: sex, drugs and rock and roll. The album also features some laughable attempts to sound modern and hip with the songs “First Band On The Moon”, and “Porno Star”, the latter of which uses clichéd computer terminology to sing about cybersex and internet pornography.

Certainly, the bad ass attitude is firmly in place, and this may be enough to win back some of their old fans. Unfortunately, the music fails to back up the attitude. There aren’t many bad ass guitar riffs or anthemic choruses here, just a lot of forgettable power chords, and awkward sounding transitions. Without Tommy Lee on the skins, they seem to have lost a lot of their oomph.

Some songs try to stick at least somewhat close to the Crue’s old school sound, including the first single, “Hell On High Heels”, which is perhaps the most tolerable song on the album. Others sound like an attempt to achieve that heavier sound that is all the rage with the kiddies nowadays. As for Vince Neil’s vocals, well, a lot of the time, he comes off sounding like Layne Stanley.

The record is ended off with a strange cover of The Tubes’ “White Punks On Dope”, which could only have been chosen because of the title. It’s not that the song doesn’t fit in, but it certainly seems like an odd way to end the album.

Overall, New Tattoo is not as bad as it could have been. Hardcore Crue fans may still find some redeeming value in it, but it certainly won’t appeal much to the masses. It is actually somewhat ironic that they decided to call this album New Tattoo, because just like a bad tattoo, it’s something that they’re going to regret later. Unfortunately for them, there’s currently no laser surgery that can erase a sub-par album from your career. — Sean