Six months later than scheduled, Weezer finally arrive in the UK in a peculiar state. Never a band you could label 'stable', the men who put the E-M-O in, well, EMO are enduring yet more 'difficult' times. Considering their success and reverence in which they're held, their existence has never been simple.
Their latest dilemma following the loss of their bassist to insanity is an escalating conflict with their record company. A bitter 'quick-divorce' seems imminent but sadly, on tonight's airing of new material, the decision to fulfil their contractual obligation in double quick time could be at the expense of quality.
Unfortunately, this brooding cloud follows them onstage. They begrudgingly appear to be happy to be here and the crowd make them more than welcome. Hardly the most animated of bands at the best of times - frontman Rivers Cuomo has taken yet more precautions to shield his fragile soul from the outside world.
His latest solution is to grow a comedy Parisian-style Left Bank beard that looks slightly out of place with it's accompanying plastic nose. He also rations himself to just one anti-label jibe - "that's off our new album that's out……who cares?"
Musically no one can question Weezer's class. A people's band and band's band, it's easy to forget that Weezer only have three albums worth of material to go at. But what material. Sliced together in a seamless ninety minutes of continual excellence, each track is a dark horse with style, substance, subtle originality and a killer singalong chorus.
The Class of '94s 'Say It Ain't So', 'Undone - The Sweater Song', 'Surf Wax America' and encore 'Buddy Holly' alongside '96s 'Tired Of Sex' and 'Why Bother' remain imposing towers of strength any band would kill for. Add to the mix the more recent 2001 offerings of 'Hash Pipe', 'Island In The Sun' and 'Photograph' and you'll be hard pushed to argue for more.
It might be a case of reluctantly looking away while this infuriating feud blows over but it's impossible to deny Weezer's status as one of the best bands on the planet.
