Weezer is back, and they’re taking fans on a nostalgic journey. Recently, the band played a packed show at Madison Square Garden, performing every song from their debut album in order as part of their “Voyage to the Blue Planet” tour.
“It feels pretty incredible,” said drummer Patrick Wilson, who is sharing the stage with lead singer Rivers Cuomo. They are the two remaining original members of the band.
Earlier this year, Cuomo and Wilson revisited Electric Lady Studios in New York, where they recorded “The Blue Album” 30 years ago. Electric Lady Studios has seen its share of legendary artists, from Stevie Wonder to The Rolling Stones to Led Zeppelin.
In the early 1990s, Weezer didn’t fit the mold of the popular rock bands of the time.
“Rock bands were getting more and more outrageous with tattoos and piercings,” Cuomo said. “We came out completely clean-cut, four guys standing in a line, singing songs in major keys, about girls or whatever. It didn’t quite make sense how that was the next step for rock and roll.”
The band’s name itself, “Weezer,” was a pop culture callback to Cuomo’s childhood nickname, given to him by his dad.
“I think he liked that show, “Little Rascals,” and there was a character, Weezer, on there,” Cuomo explained. “Recently, I asked him, why did you name me after him? And he said, ‘Because he was the cool one.'”
But Weezer’s rise to fame wasn’t immediate. The band was playing small clubs in Los Angeles, learning to read the room and adjust their set based on audience reactions.
“Every week, we had a show in the clubs in L.A.,” Cuomo said. “We’re not in a vacuum up there. We’re noticing, oh, that got a reaction or that totally didn’t. You can’t help but gravitate toward what the room is reacting to.”
Weezer’s breakout came with the release of the music video for “Buddy Holly,” directed by Spike Jonze and set in the world of the TV show “Happy Days.” The video, along with others from the debut album, helped catapult the band into the mainstream.
“Coming out of grunge, which was pretty heavy and a little dark, it maybe was kind of refreshing for people at the time,” Wilson said.
Their debut album, released in May 1994, became an alt-rock classic. At the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards, Weezer won four moonmen for the “Buddy Holly” video. Rolling Stone later ranked “The Blue Album” among the 500 greatest albums of all time, calling it “one of the most enduring artifacts of the alt-rock age.”
Reflecting on those early days, Cuomo remembered the uncertainty he felt after finishing the album.
“I think I had two stories in my head,” said Cuomo. “One was we’re gonna sell a hundred copies and that’s it. I’m gonna have to go back and work at Domino’s or whatever. But the other one was like, ‘Man, this album feels so powerful, so moving and special to me. I think we’re gonna find a big audience, and this is gonna be an important record.'”
Thirty years later, “The Blue Album” still resonates with fans, as evident from the packed crowds at Weezer’s tour stops.
“If it’s feeling vital and important to the world now, like, we’re happy to come along,” said Cuomo.
