Weezer
Trinity College Dublin
★★★★☆
They have made albums known as Blue, Green, Red, White, Teal and Black, but grey is the dominant colour tonight. Thankfully, the cloud that hangs over Trinity College Dublin is a physical rather than a metaphorical one, and it eventually gives way to a smattering of rain as Weezer play their songs Island in the Sun and Holiday. The irony of the so-called Irish summer is not lost on the southern Californian band and their fans.
Rivers Cuomo and his bandmates may not have brought the weather with them from California, but they have brought a set list that’s undeniably all killer, no filler. Now celebrating their 33rd year of existence, the four-piece last played Ireland on a double bill with the Smashing Pumpkins in 2024, and with Green Day and Fall Out Boy in 2022, but “it’s always better with just Weezer fans”, as a grinning Cuomo tells the sold-out audience.
Now in his mid-fifties, Cuomo remains the archetypal geeky indie frontman, hair now greying but nonetheless resplendent in an argyle vest and sensible cardigan. His between-song chat may be limited, but he has certainly lost none of his enthusiasm for the songs. He gleefully tackles their 22-song set list with a spirited sense of earnestness, from the bolshie crowd-pleaser Hash Pipe to the grimy thud of In the Garage, one of many tracks drawn from their debut (and arguably best) album.
[ Trinity Summer Series 2025: Weezer, Rag’n’Bone Man, Amble and Marti PellowOpens in new window ]
As progenitors of power pop with a grungy alt-rock kick, Weezer have released 14 albums since that era-defining Blue album in 1994. It is somewhat telling, however, that tonight’s set list features nothing from the last 15 years; with arguably diminishing returns on their more recent fare, their set list is heavy on early material. Not that the crowd is complaining: My Name is Jonas, Surf Wax America and the thunderous chorus of Undone (The Sweater Song) spark joyful singalongs, plastic pint glasses flung skywards in delight. Cuomo playfully changes the lyrics of several tracks to suit the location: the soaring, anthemic refrain of Beverly Hills becomes “living in Dublin, Ireland”, while Pork and Beans drops in a reference to U2 that seems to go over most people’s heads.
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Tracks from their second album Pinkerton are equally ecstatically received, including ferocious standout Pink Triangle and a brilliant El Scorcho. They depart the stage while it’s still bright – this great gig would have been marvellous in a dark venue with an effective light show – returning only for a brief encore with the night’s two best songs: a glorious telling of Say it Ain’t So, and a brilliant, breezy Buddy Holly, a track laden with melody and spiky agitation that sums up the best of Cuomo’s songwriting. To his credit, he sings the latter with the gusto of a man who has just penned it rather than one who has spent the last three decades being defined by it: it’s a thrilling end to a thoroughly satisfying gig.
Their recent recorded output may leave a lot to be desired, but tonight at least, Weezer are a band that fully understood the assignment: shut up and play the hits.
