Hide Article Text (OCR)
REVIEW: Power pop lives on at Universal show, thanks to spirit ed sets from Weezer and Teenage Fanclub. By BEN WENER The Orange County Register _et the destination dials on the Wayback Ma chine, Sherman. We're headed to the ’70s. Just like “The Brady Bunch Movie” — in which the cheerful clan experiences to day’s somber realities only when not in their house — there was no telling the crowd inside the Uni versal Ampitheatre on Friday night that it was 1995 outside. Au dience members were decked in bell-bottoms, racing T-shirts and baby berets to enjoy a triple-bill of Weezer, Teenage Fanclub and that dog, and it was obvious that their clocks stopped turning somewhere around 1975, . That?s’ an odd’ thought, given that much of the crowd’ hadn’t been born by that time. But Weezer, Teenage Fanclub, that dog. Where: Universal Ampitheatre When: Friday night though the audience didn’t fill even half the hall, this group of mostly junior high and high school ‘teen-agers was living proof of a new wave of kids who don’t necessarily care for the moody noodlings of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. What they came for was glee fully giddy power pop from some of the biggest goofballs around and they got plenty of it. If Green Day’s members are the Three Stooges of rock, then Weezer’s are its Bowery Boys not quite as famous (or as good), but every bit as inspired in their efforts. Led by the Huntz Hall antics of bassist Matt Sharp and the slightly punky vocals of gui tarist Rivers Cuomo, Weezer plowed through every song on its debut disc, plus, two new ones, in 4 surprisingly ‘spirited sets that completely matched its style’ short, sweet and full of hooks. Performing on a stage bor rowed from arena rock’s glory days (with a huge, lighted V sto len directly from Wings as a backdrop), the group ran through hits such as ‘‘Buddy Hol ly” and “Say It Ain’t So” almost exactly as recorded, leaving the joy in the innocence of their lyr ics. No matter how amateurish, there’s something about lines such as “I’m so glad you’re mine/ We’ll be together for a long time,” sung with absolute seriousness, that still brings a smile to the face. “Good evening, my name is Trent Reznor, and we're called Nine Inch Nails,’’ guitarist Nor man Blake jokingly announced after Teenage Fanclub’s first song, underscoring the differ ence between their fans and the average KROQ listener. But aside from Blake’s between-song cabaret-style banter, the Scot tish quartet’s pop perfectionism was in sharp contrast to Weezer's silliness. Concentrating ‘on’ ’ material ‘from’ its latest album,’ “Grand Prix,” the group returned to a basic Big Star formula, trading the dirgelike moments of some of its previous work for more straightforward cuts such as “Don’t Look Back.’’ Older songs, such as the delightful ‘‘What You Do to Me,” were strengthened further by the group's precise three-part harmonies. Alternative’s answer to the Voice of the Beehive, newcomers that dag, also fared well, with vocalists Anna Waronker and Petra Haden shining on cuts such as “Mr. Right’ and ‘Kissing Christian.” Haden’s violin work was an interesting touch, but more melody and less torment (found in a muddled ‘Michael Jordan’) might help the band break out. What the evening boiled down to, however, was a feeling of playfulness with security, or, to paraphrase a Weezer lyric, a way to ignore how the world turns and simply leaves us cold and alone. It could be seen on the teen ager’s faces as they exited to the strains of the “Little House on‘ the Prairie” ‘theme: 'Every thing’s gonna be OK.
Newspaper Details
Santa Ana Orange County Register
Santa Ana, California, US
Mon, Aug 21, 1995
Page 97
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
CA 08 Sep 2025
Other Publications Near Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana Pacific Weekly Blade
Santa Ana Excelsior
Santa Ana News
Santa Ana Evening Blade
Santa Ana Orange County Register Evening
