On Saturday I attended “Halloweezer,” which was a fitting moniker for a show as awesome as the name it produced. The masquerade was equal parts music, revelry, costumes and intrigue. PT Walkley kicked off the festivities around 8PM, coming to the stage in a hipster friendly v-neck and blazer, accompanied by his guitar and three piece band. For those not familiar with Walkley, he has a soulful and powerful voice that cleverly contrasts the quiet and reserved manner of his delivery. As the growing crowd of costumed characters continued to arrive Saturday night, Walkley played a tight 35-minute set of his relatable alternative rock. The blazer wearing wonder tore through four rocking songs before playing fan favorite, “Somebody,” at which point, the audience began to approach the stage, crowd together and pump their fists in unison throughout the refrain. In total, the fans got a good sampling of Walkley after his set of around eight songs.
Opening for Weezer and Matt & Kim was the perfect setting to showcase Walkley’s immense talent to a compatible audience.
The singer has quite an interesting past in the music industry, and certainly has just as promising a future.
Fans of indie rock will rejoice at Walkley’s 2009 album,
Mr. Macy Wakes Alone – a skillfully crafted concept album, which tells the story of a privileged socialite, her greed, feelings of entitlement, and the flawed relationships she has with those around her. Walkley has yet to attain the everyday name he deserves, but as an adept singer and musician who truly understands every aspect of the industry, do not be surprised if you hear a lot more from him in the future.
Next on the bill were Brooklyn’s own Matt & Kim, who upped the ante with their infectious energy. Adorably dressed as Andy Warhol and Edie Sedgewick, the duo came onstage throwing candy and streamers. The pair frenetically ambled through all of their upbeat hits which created an air of uproar throughout the crowd. Popular singles Daylight and Lesson Learned were highlights of the set, as was the giant t-shirt gun the quirky twosome used to launch swag into the crowd. Not to be left out, Matt & Kim did a cover of Europe’s The Final Countdown, which brought a smile to my face, as it indelibly reminds me of Gob Bluth’s magic show from Arrested Development.
Finally, around 10PM, main act Weezer hit the stage playing
Seven Nation Army in zany bug costumes, apparently lifted from their recent taping of “Yo Gabba Gabba!”
I would expect nothing less of the band, who seem to revert more into childhood with each album.
Weezer played a nice mix of both old and new songs and even threw in a handful of covers, which satisfied the longtime fan in me.
It was nice to see frontman
Rivers Cuomo in good spirits.
He was upbeat, ironic and happy-go-lucky, jumping on a trampoline, running around guitarless, inviting fans on stage and welcoming his celebrity friends, such as
Leighton Meester, who sang along with him on
Raditude’s lead single, (
If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To.
This was in stark contrast to the brooding, emo and aloof Rivers that sometimes appears in concerts and interviews.
Overall, the band played for nearly an hour and a half, powering through about 18 songs.
The audience even got to preview a few new songs such as
Can’t Stop Partying and
I’m Your Daddy off of
Raditude, which was set to debut three days later.
Overall I can’t imagine a better setting or setlist on this crazy Halloween night.
Alison, this is a great review of the show. It really was a good combination of performers. I agree about PT Walkley, we are definitely going to be seeing a lot more of him.
Frank Grimaldi
concert-log.blogspot.com
Posted by: Frank Grimaldi | November 16, 2009 at 09:20 PM