Weezer – Xcel Energy Center – St. Paul – September 5th 2024

Weezer Xcel Energy Center St. Paul Minnesota September 5th 2024

Presented by Live Nation

Dinosaur Jr.’s set had a bit of a mixed vibe for you. Their sound is definitely one that can resonate better in a more intimate setting. The setlist, including classics like “Freak Scene” and “Feel the Pain,” shows they were sticking to their strong suits, but it’s understandable that their music might not fully translate in a large arena. Covering songs like “Just Like Heaven” from The Cure and “Chunks” from Last Rites is interesting—it shows they’re willing to experiment, but it can also be hit or miss depending on the audience’s expectations. Hopefully, you’ll get another chance to see them in a venue that matches their style better!

The Flaming Lips concert! They’re known for their unique, immersive live shows, and it sounds like they really delivered with a mix of their classic hits and some interesting surprises.

Starting with “The Sparks That Bled” and “Suddenly Everything Has Changed” must have set an emotional tone, especially with the dedication to the fan who passed away. Their performance of “Pompeii Am Gotterdammerung” with the swinging light and the giant blow-ups during “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt 1 and 2” probably added a lot of visual flair to the show.

It’s interesting that they covered Madonna’s “Borderline”—their take on it must have been a unique twist on the original. Closing with “Do You Realize??” and a giant rainbow on stage seems like a powerful and uplifting ending, which fits their style of creating memorable and visually captivating experiences. The rainbow could symbolize hope and positivity, a nice touch to wrap up their show.

Weezer was next. Now with Weezer I am a casual fan and I liked what I saw. The first was Anonymous which is cool they have only played this twice. Then came Return to Ithaka and Dope Nose. Both of which Im not to familiar with. As I look on setlist I fins Dope Nose is a popular one. Then came Hash Pipe, which is one of my favs. The stage was really cool and had them come out of the head of a space ship. They had space suits on, pretty cool.

We then had to go back to the gear and head back to show. As I waited they played Beverly Hills, Burndt Jam and Island In The Sun. I also checked the setlist and thought man they have a ton of songs. So into our seats we went.

The stage was really interesting. During the show the space ship was going around picking up space items, like for a video game. Next up we got Any Friend of Diane’s, Perfect Situation, and Run Raven Run. Which were really cool to close out the set.

So now we are ready for the Pinkerton set. This set included the tunes Getcho, Why Bother?, Pink Triangle, You Gave Your Love To Me Softly, and Across the Sea. They didn’t do much production wise for this one. The edge of the stage had the Pinkerton stage on it.

Now it was time for the Blue Album. The band came out from the back with a surprise, a hand made W to put into the dying planet. Well then as the band played the songs from the Blue Album the planet came beck to life,

The Blue Album – My Name is Jonas – No One Else – The World Has Turned and Left Me Here – Buddy Holly – Undone The Sweater Song – Surf Wax America – Say It Ain’t So – In the Garage – Holiday – Only In My Dreams

Overall it was an amazing show.