Concert

Iain W. Reeve, A&E Editor

Commodore Ballroom, April 6

hat can one say at the end of a

concert by The Dears?

\nyone who is a fan of their

music is usually too spent by the end to
really form any of it into words. This
band manages to blend so many
gorgeous layers of noise into one

ia aYtaeLae-t  plecey eno Mena mvaercipntrerea
From the lengthy noise laden
entrance song ‘Postcard to
Purgatory,” to the many catchy
indie-rock songs such as “Lost in the
Plot,’ The Dears’ set is unstoppable.
Every member a master of their
instrument (or in the case of most
band members, multiple instru-
ments), they seem to effortlessly
lay out complex multi-layered
songs that would make most
songwriters drool. All this

with the delightful crooning

of vocalist, writer, and all-

around good guy Murray

Lightburn. Do yourself

\ a favour and be there

4 when The Dears roll
through on a headlin-
ing tour. You won't

regret te

12 | www.theotherpress.ca

 

 

    
   
 
 
 
   
    
   
 
  
 
   
  
    
   
    
  

Weezer

{with guests, Ringside}
Commodore Ballroom, April 26

Oh Weezer, how you have been disrespected over the
last few years. With the poppy and redundant Green
Album prompting many of your long-time fans to cast
off their sweater vests and black-rimmed specs in dis-
gust, and the 40-minute glam-rock tribute that was
Maladroit, whatever can you do to bring back the flock?

Well, a good start with fans in Vancouver would be
to kick off your tour here after a two-year absence.
Check.

Another good next step would be to eliminate most
of the music people don’t like from your setlist and
stick to old favourites and new material from your
record Make Believe. Check.

And hey, as an added touch, why not make
the new music a little more introspective and a
little less poppy than the records that offended
so many. Check.

Wow...good job, Weezer!

While the new tracks Weezer previewed to a
sold-out Commodore Ballroom were
anything but anti-pop, they were a
far cry from anything the band
has done before. “Such a Pity,”
the first new track featured,
had a damned near 80s new-
wave feeling, with guitarist
Brian Bell rocking the
synth rather than the axe.
Another favourite, “We
Are All On Drugs,”
was a hilarious head
bobber warning about a
drug-laden lifestyle. Mix
this with many of the big
singles and sweet surpris-
es (“In The Garage,”
“Tired of Sex,” and “My
Name is Jonas’) and
you've got one very
entertaining show.

As a long-time fan of
Weezer who never really lost
faith, understanding as I do that
bands need to do different things to not
go insane, I can say that this seems like a
nice new path for a band that has always
walked an interesting line between top-
40 hit machines and indie-rock gods.
And if nothing else, they’re still using
the big light-up “W” in their stage
show. And that has to count for
something.

May 11/2005