This tour could have been dubbed “The Millennial Showcase: 2026.” Weezer, Silversun Pickups, and The Shins were staples of the early aughts, soundtracking everything from movies and TV to commercials to road trips to parties to you name it.
And while Weezer dropped their first major release in 1994 during the tail end of the Gen-X-defining grunge scene (and parallel to the mainstream emergence of pop-punk with Green Day, Blink-182, and The Offspring), their rise to superstardom and meme-ability was undoubtedly the work of us millennials who grew up bopping to “Buddy Holly,” “Say It Ain’t So,” “Undone - The Sweater Song,” and, later, “Island in the Sun.” But, as I learned last night, their reach extends far beyond our generation. The kids fucking love Weezer too. So, whether you’re “Team Blue Album,” “Team Pinkerton,” “Team ‘Africa’ by Toto,” or anywhere in between, the longevity and prolific output of the band is unquestionable, their rollercoaster of inconsistent critical reception over the last couple of decades aside.
The fact that both Silversun Pickups and The Shins are still going strong also serves as a nice little bright spot amongst a generation of music that’s struggling to stay alive. Not every artist, or their legacy, remains intact in 2026 (looking at you, Arcade Fire), but those that made it remain pretty consistent, emboldened by the quality of their output and now decades-fine-tuned performance abilities and support from fans whose lives were fundamentally altered by their music, myself included.
I have such a fond association with each of these acts that triggers so many memories. The Shins remind me of hanging out at Temple and Drexel, Silversun Pickups run the gamut from high school to adventures in Muir Woods outside San Francisco, and Weezer is simply a staple in my alt-rock upbringing, having played a part since I was 5 years old, listening to the radio (RIP Y-100).
Anyway, this tour is exactly what you’d expect from its lineup: a celebration of great music's longevity and a personal reminder that not everything in life is so goddamn serious.
SILVERSUN PICKUPS
I do have to start by reporting a crime: As the openers of a three-act, massive arena tour, Silversun Pickups drew the short straw and only played for roughly 30 minutes, covering 5 complete songs, which should be illegal. While there were some reverb-drenched, jammy freakouts padding the length of a couple of them, I have to express–in all honesty–that it hurt my poor little heart to see my favorite band of the night perform with such brevity.
That said, they killed it as usual. And I suppose it’s better to leave the people wanting more rather than the inverse…
Silversun Pickups’ second album, Swoon, remains among my favorite albums of all time. And debut LP Carnavas, their third album Neck of the Woods, and the standalone single “Cannibal” all remain atop my hierarchy of ultimate alternative replays from the last 20 years. The ensuing output is still solid for me, but that initial run is a foundational staple of musical identity for this guy right here.
Since their debut, the band immediately came into the limelight as the unequivocal spiritual successors to the glory of 90s-era Smashing Pumpkins, amplified with the success of “Lazy Eye.” From the band’s configuration to their initials, the outward associations were pretty obvious. But what solidified the proverbial “passing of the SP torch” wasn’t anything that could be chalked up to mere coincidence; it was instead their ability to create dynamic, fuzzy riffage interplaying with musical-odyssey-shoegaze songwriting that created an atmosphere of dense, sonic exploration into realms beyond, fronted by a unique, one-of-a-kind lead vocalist in Brian Aubert.
Photos by Conor Clancy.
And while their early career was rife with comparisons, the band showcased their ability to carve out their own distinct identity. While the riffage that carried their early material has since softened in favor of more soundscape-oriented efforts, they still know how to kick ass.
They proved their worth in a tight 30 minutes, blasting through four bonafide alternative classics and one new track, “The Wreckage,” from latest release Tenterhooks.
I wish I had more to say beyond the fact that the band came on stage and melted faces in the particular way only they can, but the set's brevity made it an exceptionally straightforward affair. From the chugging, deep bass riffage of Nikki Monninger to drummer Chris Guanlao’s pummeling energy to the atmospheric soundscapes of keyboardist Joe Lester, the band was tight as hell and made their humble, no-frills, front-of-the-stage setup as big as they possibly could.
And a shoutout to their not-so-secret weapon in Monninger for her multiple declarations of “Go Birds,” giving the people of Philly exactly what they want, all while serving as the melodic anchor to Aubert’s guitar freakouts and an exceptional backing vocalist.
Photos by Conor Clancy.
As stated, the set was over all-too-quickly, though it served its function of being an immense spark to start the fire of the evening (something that would become literal later). The band came, shredded, then disappeared behind the curtain (though not entirely - also more on that later).
Paraphrasing Aubert’s parting comments, “Be kind to each other tonight. Be kind to each other forever. Kindness is punk as fuck.”
Headlining tour when?
SETLIST
Well Thought Out Twinkles
The Wreckage
Dots and Dashes (Enough Already)
Panic Switch
Lazy Eye
THE SHINS
“Phantom Limb” was one of my late-high-school anthems. Probably not a surprise, since it remains one of their most recognized songs to this day. Their third album, Wincing the Night Away, was my first real introduction to the band and my immediate love for it carried through anything James Mercer-related for the next several years, including an unreasonable level of hype for Danger Mouse's collaboration Broken Bells.
While the band went through a major shakeup in 2012, with Mercer releasing Port of Morrow under The Shins moniker as the sole original member, it was also essential for him, as the driving creative force behind the band, to reinvent what it even was after their skyrocketing success. And ever since that reinvention, like contemporaries Spoon seemed to do, the output has remained consistent, strong, and inspired.
The band took the stage with palpable, playful energy. Mercer and co seemed as mesmerized by being on stage in an arena as the crowd was to witness the night’s trio of spectacle.
Photos by Conor Clancy.
And damn, did they sound incredible. I didn’t know The Shins could be this loud, and I say that as both a compliment and a testament to their performance capabilities. Rounded out with Mark Watrouson guitar, Yuuki Matthews on bass, Patti King on keyboard, and Jon Sortland on drums, the five-piece brought a huge injection of energy into a band I mostly listen to when I’m chillin’ out… covering a range of tracks across their discography, each song felt somehow bigger than the last, finally building to a crescendo of “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)” by R.E.M. that proved the perfect segue into what would come next with Weezer.
In simplest terms, it was a great performance that elevated the evening’s energy even further. They played tight, they played their hearts out, and they injected moments of brevity with their wit, including King thanking the crowd for choosing Weezer since AC/DC was playing next door at The Linc–it was pure fun.
And I guess that’s the theme here. Fun. Simple, concise, uncomplicated good times for the sake of good times. It’s a theme that would, thankfully, be carried all the way from start to finish, gleefully passed along via Mercer and co.
SETLIST
Simple Song
Australia
Gone for Good
So Now What
Saint Simon
Heartworms
Kissing the Lipless
Caring Is Creepy
Phantom Limb
New Slang
Sleeping Lesson/It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine) [R.E.M. cover]
WEEZER
Way back in either 2006 or 2007, we won the battle of the bands. Included in our pretty amped-up setlist was a teenage-hype-fueled cover of Weezer's “Hash Pipe.” And while my live musical performance career seemed to start, peak, and (mostly) end in high school, I will always cherish that show as a core memory. Having our lead singer (shoutout to Brett) scream “I got my eyes wide” at a group of excited teens and confused parents mishearing the lyric as “I got my ass wiped” in that West Chester East gymnasium was priceless.
And that’s the kind of energy I hoped to experience with actual Weezer after taking all 36 years of my life lived (so far) to finally check them off my concert bucket-list.
Fortunately for me, whatever hope or expectation I had was shattered pretty much instantaneously. What I didn’t seem to realize is that Weezer is, these days, near (or maybe beyond in some respects?) Metallica’s levels of showmanship, pageantry, and dedicated legions of fandom. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a rock show set up so intricately and grandly, and that includes Metallica’s last arena tour at football stadiums. This was some Beyoncé-style shit right here... but with guitars.
The show began with a pre-recorded video that established an overarching narrative arc about a small boy summoning the band to perform at his house (hence “The Gathering”) to show off against his bullies. The video ended with the band in the kid’s backyard, then emerging on stage via the set’s recreation, dressed identically to the video, which added oomph to that level of theatrical immersion. Various shenanigans played out throughout the night via skits that were both earnest and goofy, but also brief enough so as not to slow the momentum of the band’s 26-song setlist.
The stage setup contained an entire house, yard, turf, sidewalk, curb, picket fence, power lines with dangling sneakers, and a massive screen backdropping all of it. They also used a lot of creative pyrotechnics, including a full-on backyard fire pit and, eventually, a bunch of inflatable beach stuff thrown around during the show-closer, “Island in the Sun.” I probably missed about half the noteworthy details here because it honestly felt like watching them play inside a future-museum diorama about early 21st-century living. It was pretty spellbinding just to look at it all night. Uncanny and trippy, but in a fun way rather than an existential-dread kind of way.
And then they went and rocked out on top of it. Over three decades in, this band has still got it and then some. I genuinely believe that Weezer’s debut is not only one of the greatest alternative rock albums ever to exist, but that it qualifies as *important.* And as much as my keeping up with the band mostly fell off after Make Believe, I have never stopped listening to Weezer. So seeing a crowd full of faces a decade or more younger than me mixed in with the millennials and Gen Xers was honestly wild on so many fronts. It gave me so much joy and hope to just see the widest swath of crowd diversity I’ve maybe ever seen come together to celebrate music in such a grand, unique way. It also just proves that Weezer themselves are important. Because I think they can officially be designated as a unifying musical force of the people. Sorry, haters.
Rivers Cuomo has rarely, if ever, taken the hard-minded approach to anything. Even his songs about heartbreak and longing are often undercut with sardonic wit, self-deprecation, and nerdy references. I’m not entirely sure why, when Weezer released an album with actor Jorge Garcia as his LOST character Hurley (also simply titled Hurley) on the cover, or their releasing an ode to 80s metal with Van Weezer, or naming an album Raditude, or covering “Africa” by Toto, anyone was really surprised. Which is not to say they are immune to criticism. I don’t listen to these albums or songs. But I can’t say I’d judge anyone who does. Weezer does what they want, when they want, and through sheer force of goodwill and earnestness, they’ve more than earned that right.
But the band also seems to have a deep understanding of what resonates most within their fandom and what catapulted them to such high levels of global, mainstream success. The lengthy setlist was heavy on their debut and the now-30-year-old Pinkerton. It was exactly what I wanted from a Weezer setlist, and I can honestly say I wasn’t expecting it, especially given their vast output over such a long career.
And through it all, the band has managed relative stability, which is itself a miracle in the world of 90s-originated alternative rock. Bassist Scott Shriner is the “newest” member, having joined in 2001, with drummer Patrick Wilson and guitarist Brian Bell having been there since the outset. Each of them showcased their talents across multiple instruments, including some unexpected guitar shredding from Wilson.
As the band mixed things up throughout the night’s overarching narrative arc, we were eventually treated to the reemergence of Silversun Pickups' Nikki Monninger, fully decked out in a black-and-gold robe with a wand, declaring her purpose: injecting some feminine energy into the set. She shared three songs with the band before disappearing into the house from which she emerged, with one final “Go Birds” that drew thunderous approval.
Then the climax came, and the band raced through five of their mega-hits to end the night. It’s really difficult to recap this show in its entirety because 1.) there were 26 goddamn songs and 2.) a lot was happening every moment throughout the night. It was definitely a “you had to be there” type of show, and it’s not the kind of concert I typically find myself at. But I can definitely say I am supremely grateful I went.
Photos by Conor Clancy.
Ultimately, what this whole evening was was a night of fun. I saw three bands having the time of their lives on stage and a crowd of thousands matching their golden glow.
Sometimes, I’ll see a show that is exactly what I didn’t know I needed. And I can confidently say this was easily one of them. Once in a while, the pomp and circumstance are warranted. And I’m not sure there’s another band more equipped or qualified to transform a stage into a full-on cul-de-sac storytime rock opera and proceed to melt your face off more than Weezer.
SETLIST
Shine Again
Surf Wax America
Keep Fishin'
Hash Pipe
The Good Life
No Other One
Lonely Girl
Slob
C.E.O.
Say Yes
Beverly Hills
Across the Sea
Longtime Sunshine (Rivers Cuomo song) (Acoustic)
In the Garage (Acoustic)
Pork and Beans
My Name Is Jonas
Aloo Gobi
Pink Triangle
We Might as Well Be Strangers (w/ Nikki Monninger)
Go Away (w/ Nikki Monninger)
I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams (w/ Nikki Monninger)
Undone - The Sweater Song
El Scorcho
Say It Ain't So
Buddy Holly
Island in the Sun
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