 'Foozer' gig energizes rock scene
Modern-rock favorites Weezer and Foo Fighters prove rock is far from dead in South Florida.
It appears South Florida's reputation as a wasteland for live modern rock is inaccurate.
Case in point: Saturday night's double-bill at the BankAtlantic Center (formerly the Office Depot Center) in Sunrise featuring geek-rock darlings Weezer and guitar-saturated Foo Fighters, at which a near-capacity crowd sustained a frenetic energy level the entire show.
Weezer is ironic power-punk pop at its best, and it lived up to its image by blasting the Disney staple When You Wish Upon A Star as they appeared onstage, which was quickly obliterated by drummer Pat Wilson's forceful beat to kick off Don't Let Go. Was it an anti-commercial statement by the band formed in Tinseltown?
Later, in an apparent dig at their own fame during Buddy Holly (the Spike Jonze-directed video of which rocketed the group to stardom in 1994 and slightly pigeonholed it as a ''novelty video'' act), an enormous, gaudy, flashing ''W'' obviously fashioned after Van Halen's logo descended from the ceiling.
In between, Weezer -- anchored by frontman and songwriter Rivers Cuomo -- delivered hit after hit (18 in all; this was no mere opening act), drawing from all five of the group's albums, most heavily from its self-titled debut (the ''Blue Album'') and its May release Make Believe. Highlights included the radio-friendly, dinosaur-rock epics Beverly Hills and Say It Ain't So, plus the crowd-favorite Hash Pipe during the encore.
SHY NO MORE
Cuomo, who became a recluse for a couple years after particularly stinging criticism of Weezer's third album (the ''Green Album''), was far from shy Saturday night, bounding around the stage, striking rock-god guitar poses, whooping ``Hello, Sunrise!'' and, in the middle of the set, quipping, 'Welcome to the `Foozer' show -- we are the Weezer portion of the show.''
During El Scorcho , a singalong yet angst-filled anthem about being invisible to girls (there are no women in Weezer's adolescent world), Cuomo even ventured into the audience, crooning to the first few rows.
But the biggest crowd-pleaser was when the band picked out an audience member (''Perhaps from your hometown, the amazing Mike Martinez!'' Cuomo shouted) to play acoustic guitar on Weezer's first big hit Undone/The Sweater Song. And it went off surprisingly well.
FIGHTERS' TIME
Foo Fighters, in front of a wall of amplifiers stacked haphazardly-on-purpose that seemed like it could come crashing down at any second, opened appropriately enough with the first and title track off their new double-CD In Your Honor, a blitzkrieg of chain-saw guitars and screaming-banshee vocals from frontman and ex-Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl.
The song, with the screeching lyric ''I would die for you tonight'' almost sounds like a tribute to Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain, who killed himself in April 1994.
Grohl, who seems to have inherited Cobain's acid-throated vocal cords in his transition from drummer to lead singer, has proven to be an excellent ax-man as well, leading a constant barrage of noise; at one point he teamed with fellow guitarist Chris Shiflett on a lightning-speed, Lynyrd Skynyrd-style double-harmonic riff that drew loud cheers.
If Cobain grew weary of the spotlight, Grohl feeds off it. The man is simply a maelstrom of energy -- a primal, unrelenting force made all the more amazing by his age of 36, a time when most begin to mellow.
Though most of the night Grohl was hell-bent on punishing the gleeful audience (which screamed, crowd-surfed and even moshed all night), he often showed his sensitive side, at one point giving a loving shout-out to members of his family, who were stationed behind the soundboard on the floor.
And during the new song DOA, red crosses were splashed across the video screens, raising the specter of Hurricane Katrina and its victims, a choice made all the more thought-provoking because of the line, ``No one's getting out of here alive.''
Foo Fighters, which performed Friday night on the hurricane benefit special Shelter From the Storm, continued that theme with a version of Creedence Clearwater Revival's Born on the Bayou that would make John Fogerty proud.
Before introducing the song and urging the crowd to do something for the relief effort, Grohl leavened the solemn moment with humor: ``I hope you guys are helping out. I mean, I'm not Bono -- I'm about a foot taller and a lot better looking!'' |
