Weezer @ Leeds Festival 2002
By Dan PullingerA real buzz of anticipation flutters through the crowd ahead of Weezer's entrance, and from opening number "Undone - the Sweater Song" through to closing number "Buddy Holly", the excitement is tangible. Powering through a set filled with crowd-pleasing favourites, Weezer display an eagerness to please, tempered only by the occasional caustic remark from bespectacled lead singer Rivers Cuomo. "You've got some great chicks in the UK. Lovely birds!" he tells the crowd before they burst into a rousing version of "My Name is Jonas". "Surf Wax America" and "Say It Ain't So" provoke a singalong response from the moshing crowd, but the highlights of the set come with recent hit single "Hashpipe" and the melancholy escapism of "Island in the Sun". They might look like they were bullied at school, but Weezer certainly know how to rock with the big boys.
