.Weezer

Is Weezer really playing this giant hockey arena?

Lights darken. Weird psychedelic-Disney song plays. Turns out to be “When You Wish Upon a Star.”

Lots of cheers and some flashlights moving on stage and there is a surge in the floor crowd.

Lights come on.

“My name is Jonas and I’m carrying the wheel.”

So they are playing this giant hockey arena.

Bliss.

“Dope Nose,” “Buddy Holly,” “Say it Ain’t So,” “Why Bother,” “El Scorcho,” “Island in the Sun,” “Don’t Let Go,” “Beverly Hills,” et cetera.

I hope you wore your wristbands.

Because when pumped through a sound system as big as a dinosaur, these songs sound almost sexually stimulating. Nonetheless, they sound very good. Rivers seems excited. I have never seen the band before, but he is definitely well-rested.

Weird – who is this guy in a hockey jersey with streaked curly blonde hair playing guitar? What? They are covering “Big Me” by the Foo Fighters? Awesome – the drummer is playing guitar and singing now.

For real? They’re covering Blur’s “Song 2” now? No way. Rivers is playing “Island in the Sun” on a small stage in the back of the arena? Um, no – they did not just pick some random kid from the audience to play guitar during the encore. Now they’re giving him the guitar? Wow.

Happiness. Result: Vindication.

Encore: “Undone – the Sweater Song” with a random kid who sucks at the guitar but is cool with being on stage in front of tens of thousands of people so it works out; “Hash Pipe.”

Foo Fighters

So the Foo Fighters are on some big 1980s heavy metal kick. It showed tonight. Dave Grohl? More like Dave 1980s Heavy Metal. Not only was he drunk enough to do the whole Metallica “I’m going to drink this beer on stage and make a toast to the audience” thing, he was drunk enough to play a better show than Weezer.

But he kept doing this annoying screaming thing where he would be like, “There goes my hero. FUCK YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

Bleeding eardrums for everyone and another Coors Light for Dave, please.

He was obviously genuine.

He was freaking out, running everywhere and shaking his head. Then he would scream.

I didn’t recognize all the songs and the ones I didn’t recognize sucked. But “My Hero” was great, as were “Times like These,” “In Your Honor” and “Learn to Fly.”

I’m sure the Foos gave a great encore that had all the jocks and nerds and goths and pervs down in the mosh pit going crazy. Maybe they played “Everlong.” But I didn’t stick around. I had seen enough.

I figure, when everyone in a room the size of the Xcel can be stupid enough to connect with that, on any kind of level, no matter who they are, it’s worth a ticket just to witness.