Weezerpalooza or Geezerpalooza?
Weezer headlines a Gen X delight at TD Garden on Tuesday. Weezer, Flaming Lips and Dinosaur Jr. A triple bill of alt-rock legends, which will hardly register with anyone below the age of 30. But as a cusping Gen Xer/millennial, my jaw hit the floor.
These are three acts that could’ve and would’ve headlined major touring festivals back in the day. And here they are, politely intoning “après vous” to each other on a Tuesday night, albeit at the biggest arena in the area.
What grants Weezer the honor of headlining among equals? The band is celebrating the 30th anniversary of their debut album, the Blue Album, by performing the whole record start to finish.
At least three industry trends at work here. Let’s explore.
First, the “celebrate the anniversary of an album” trend. Can we stop with this? If the music is great, it makes no difference whether it’s the 29th or 31st anniversary to the fan. Promoters always want to give you one extra reason to click the “purchase” button. But this tactic feels particularly shallow.
Second, the “play the whole album” schtick. I’ll call it a gimmick because it is a gimmick. Who cares, I love it. While even great albums have forgettable songs, which the musicians force themselves to relearn, it’s a special aesthetic experience to hear a whole album performed live. So shouts the promoter through a bullhorn from the top of a lifeguard chair: “As it was meant to be heard!”
Third, the “bundle together older bands with less draw” bills. Not drawing as many heads through the door as you did in your heyday? Instead of sizing down the venues, size up the star power of the bill. Weezer + Flaming Lips + Dinosaur Jr. = TD Garden. The artists need to check their egos on these Valpak bills. But Gen X musicians are the kings of self deprecation. And for fans, it’s great. If you’ve never seen these bands live, you can check them all off your list in a single night.
Final note: The best Weezer album? I’ll take the slack-inflected power pop of the Blue Album over the introspective swamp of “Pinkerton” any day. Don’t even talk to me about Green, Red, White, Black or, god forbid, Teal.
Hit this
Friday: Lady Lamb, Hannah Mohan, Naomi Westwater (Arts at the Armory, Somerville)
Lady Lamb, AKA Aly Spaltro, released a massive 5xLP vinyl box set last year titled “In the Mammoth Nothing of the Night.” “Mammoth” by any standard, but positively outsized relative to the intimate cafe-style ambiance of her indie folk stylings. The postage cost is so expensive that her record label won’t honor their “free shipping over $70” policy for the $115 purchase. Tough luck! The recorded material includes a remastered version of her label debut “Ripley Pine” plus extras galore. If you can’t afford the down payment on the box set, catch her live at Somerville’s favorite decommissioned military post. Local pop and folk luminaries Hannah Mohan and Naomi Westwater open.
Wednesday: Laney Jones & The Spirits, Canyon Lights (Lizard Lounge, Cambridge)
Lucinda Williams said Laney Jones & The Spirits, indie rockers out of Nashville, are “everything that’s good about rock ’n’ roll.” Hey, it’s legend Lucinda Williams. If she said your band was “everything that’s good about omelets,” you’d probably put that in your bio too. Laney Jones earns the praise with a mashup of rebel stoner rock with a little twang. Shades of Adrianne Lenker on vocals and a countrified Wednesday. Throwback psych blues poppers Canyon Lights open.
Sept. 12: Belzebong, Domkraft, Leather Lung, Lungbuster (Sonia, Cambridge)
Poland’s doom metal Belzebong is on their international 2024 Plantasm Tour, and Sweden’s Domkraft is coming along for the ride. The Tall Man from the cult fantasy-horror classic series Phantasm is brandishing a bong on the tour poster. Get on their level. Local stoner rock act Leather Lung and Lungbuster, who just released an EP called “Mike Tyson Ego Death,” open in support. Just a reminder, no smoking or vaping allowed at the Central Square spot. Join the sidewalk scene in between sets to light up.
Live: The Rip It Ups! at The Pearl in Wellfleet
If you’re blessed enough to have avoided the Grand Reshuffle on the first of September (so many U-Hauls!), it might have been by opting out of the city entirely to escape the chaos.
Not an insignificant number of Cantabrigians will make their escape to Cape Cod this month. Whether you’re enjoying your own vacation home, staying at a friend’s place or crashing on the couch of a 10-way split Airbnb, it’s a chance to enjoy the waning days of summer in (something approximating) style.
If you make it as far as Wellfleet and are looking for snacks, sips and a bit of music, check out The Pearl by the town pier. The elevated oyster shack on the harbor, built out of the repurposed A-frame of the old Spit & Chatter Club, offers shellfish specials and live music during a happy hour (3 to 5 p.m.) that’s a staple for locals and tourists alike.
Sure, it’s an absolute zoo, but it’s a happy and good-natured zoo. Arrive early or expect a wait.
This past Friday local favorites The Rip It Ups! took the stage. The bluesy, funky troupe, fronted by a special ed teacher with a glistening trombone, has a Mardi Gras flavor. It’s always a party. There’s room for dancing up front, where carousers young and old (okay, mostly old) shake their moneymakers to the classics. Even the house shell shucker was getting down.
Make sure you’re carrying some cash in this cash-free world. When the trombone player comes around the room with a tip jar down her blouse, you don’t want to be dipping your Apple Pay in there.
It’s a crowded music calendar during the high season at The Pearl. Along with the Rip It Ups!, you can catch Cheap Voova, Mr. Gotcha, The Boston Naturals, Riptide, Sensible Shoes, the Grab Brothers Duo, Souljah, Half A Mind and more in the month of September. And the party keeps rocking through Oyster Fest in late October. At some point thereafter the restaurant packs it up until it’s time to make memories next summer.
While the Cape offers bigger venues with bigger bookings (Melody Tent and the Payomet come to mind), it’s the incidental music encounters that add the chef’s kiss to weekend excursions away from the workaday world. Grab a drink, a dozen Wellfleet oysters and rip it up.
Michael Gutierrez is an author, educator, activist and editor-in-chief at Hump Day News.
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