The world's greatest indie band meets Australia's favourite alt-rock icons when Weezer perform with Regurgitator this October.
It's Weezer's first Australian shows in six years and the culmination of their extensive 'Indie Rock Road Trip' tour run that has taken them across North America and Asia in recent months."Not to be overly sunshiny, but I feel like we've never gotten along better. Touring has never been so much fun; we wish it was continuing," lead guitarist Brian Bell says.
"We're super happy we get to come to Australia. We didn't need to in a way – we toured so much this year – and when I say, 'didn't need to', it's like we covered a lot of ground already."
In addition to their two arena headline shows with Regurgitator in Melbourne and Brisbane, Weezer will also open for rock gods KISS in Sydney in what Brian calls a "dream come true" for frontman Rivers Cuomo.
"We're thrilled to get the offer from KISS, it was one of Rivers' childhood idols," he says. However, Brian confesses that he's not as big a KISS fan as he led Rivers to believe when he auditioned for Weezer all those years ago.
"I um, I told Rivers I was [a KISS fan] when I was interviewing for the band because I knew he was nuts about them, so I said I was too. I lied a lot in that interview – I also said I'd been singing for years. . . I believed in my ability but none of those things were true.
"I have a respect for KISS for sure, but it's definitely Rivers' thing. At this point, it might be endearing to him that I wanted to be in the band so badly that I lied about a few things," Bell laughs.
Weezer will be performing a varied set list that spans fan favourites and classics like 'Island In The Sun', 'Hash Pipe' and 'Buddy Holly' as well as some deep cuts from their catalogue.
Brian says Australian audiences will get to see Weezer playing at their peak as they focus on invigorating the spectacle of their performance by bringing more elements into the live show than ever before.
"Usually, the music should speak for itself but there's only so much time I can sit there and look at a band standing by their microphones singing their songs, and that's about 20 minutes. That's my attention span for that," he says.
"I think there's a lot of things happening, interchangeable parts, that are going to pull people's interest and that's what the show feels like. I love playing the show and I feel like I go on a journey when I play it too.
"And we're playing with the ultimate spectacle band, so I hope to learn," Brian adds. "I don't know if I'll be breathing fire and flying on cables, but it'll be fun. We won't be duds opening for KISS, we'll bring our own sense of showmanship."
Though Weezer could easily ride out their remaining years as a nostalgia act rehashing old glories, Brian is determined to resist the label of 'legacy band', a term he considers derogatory.
"We've done a corporate show here and there and that feels like phoning it in a little bit, feels a little bit like spinning your wheels," he says.
"If this is what being in a 'legacy band' is all about, I'm not interested. I want to be a viable band and play to youth and that's what we're doing now. I can see it in the faces of people and in turn it energises me, makes me feel that our music still has impact."
Weezer 2023 Tour Dates
Fri 6 Oct - John Cain Arena (Melbourne)Sun 8 Oct - Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Sat 7 Oct - Weezer support KISS at Accor Stadium (Sydney)
