HelloAngel
ONE love, blood, life
[SIMG]http://bonovox.interference.com/fyc/weezer-thmb.jpg[/SIMG]
By Devlin Smith
As fans, we?re full of suggestions for what U2 should do next?producers to work with, singles to release, venues that must be played at. This is your chance to present those opinions. Who knows who might be out there reading it?
There will never be an opening act for U2 who will satisfy everyone. These poor groups pretty much have an uphill battle, trying hard to entertain a bunch of people who really only care about one thing?having U2 get on that stage as soon as possible.
The best option for most fans is to have no opening act at all, just two-plus hours of U2 and only U2. This is a possibility. Madonna did not have an opening act on her Drowned World Tour in 2001 and doesn?t look to be having one this year either. But U2 has never not had an opening act, so the possibility of that happening seems slim.
So while there does not exist that one perfect opening act, the one whose music perfectly synchs with U2?s and will entertain and enliven fans without overshadowing the headliner, there are quite a few bands who would fit the bill rather nicely. Weezer tops that list for me.
(Photo credit: Amazon.com)
Though not immediately connected to U2 as bands like Coldplay and Rage Against the Machine have been, Weezer does share enough commonality with U2, in musical sound and feeling, to make them a great opening choice.
With up-beat, poppy punk tunes, Weezer is a proud descendent of The Ramones. Most songs on the band?s two eponymous releases (better known as the ?blue? and ?green? albums) fall well below three minutes and are full of this amazing, cataclysmic energy that gets fists pumping and pits circling. There?s also enough of a bounce to get the less volatile into a happy pogo. Songs like ?Hash Pipe? and ?Buddy Holly? just need to be moved to.
Balancing out the racing music are sincere lyrics dealing with tough personal issues like heartbreak and alienation. A swaying sing-along like ?In the Garage? is really about being a teenage outcast. The musically darker ?Say It Ain?t So? deals with ruptured families and alcoholism.
U2 came out of punk, worshipping bands like The Ramones and The Clash while creating music with a punk soul and rock sensibility. Throughout their career, the members of U2 have openly dealt with tough emotional, spiritual and political issues in songs that were both moving and radio-friendly.
Weezer is also a band that experiments. After the runaway success of its debut album, produced by former Cars lead singer Ric Ocasek, the band changed directions for follow-up ?Pinkerton,? self-producing the darker, more personal album that didn?t sell as well as its precursor. After a hiatus in which break-up rumors were a constant, Weezer was back with Ocasek recording its second self-titled album.
The success of the back-to-basics ?green? album pushed the band back into the studio for the self-produced ?Maladroit.? This fourth release seemed to bridge a gap between the poppiness of the two ?Weezer? albums and the fringe elements of ?Pinkerton.?
U2 is a band that has happily, but not always successfully. ?Zooropa,? made in the wake of ?Achtung Baby? euphoria, introduced more electronic elements to the band?s rock sound and won a Grammy. ?Pop? took the band to the dance floor and has become a sparring point for fans and critics. Surrounding those projects, the band also reacquainted themselves with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois who, like Ocasek with Weezer, have helped U2 create their most successful albums.
Musically and creatively, U2 and Weezer do have plenty in common, enough to make these two bands a solid touring match-up. Add in that Weezer is also currently working on an album with a projected year-end release and a part of the Universal Music Group family, and it seems like this is a pairing that could actually happen.
To visit Weezer?s official website, go to: http://www.weezer.com/
By Devlin Smith
As fans, we?re full of suggestions for what U2 should do next?producers to work with, singles to release, venues that must be played at. This is your chance to present those opinions. Who knows who might be out there reading it?
There will never be an opening act for U2 who will satisfy everyone. These poor groups pretty much have an uphill battle, trying hard to entertain a bunch of people who really only care about one thing?having U2 get on that stage as soon as possible.
The best option for most fans is to have no opening act at all, just two-plus hours of U2 and only U2. This is a possibility. Madonna did not have an opening act on her Drowned World Tour in 2001 and doesn?t look to be having one this year either. But U2 has never not had an opening act, so the possibility of that happening seems slim.
So while there does not exist that one perfect opening act, the one whose music perfectly synchs with U2?s and will entertain and enliven fans without overshadowing the headliner, there are quite a few bands who would fit the bill rather nicely. Weezer tops that list for me.
(Photo credit: Amazon.com)
Though not immediately connected to U2 as bands like Coldplay and Rage Against the Machine have been, Weezer does share enough commonality with U2, in musical sound and feeling, to make them a great opening choice.
With up-beat, poppy punk tunes, Weezer is a proud descendent of The Ramones. Most songs on the band?s two eponymous releases (better known as the ?blue? and ?green? albums) fall well below three minutes and are full of this amazing, cataclysmic energy that gets fists pumping and pits circling. There?s also enough of a bounce to get the less volatile into a happy pogo. Songs like ?Hash Pipe? and ?Buddy Holly? just need to be moved to.
Balancing out the racing music are sincere lyrics dealing with tough personal issues like heartbreak and alienation. A swaying sing-along like ?In the Garage? is really about being a teenage outcast. The musically darker ?Say It Ain?t So? deals with ruptured families and alcoholism.
U2 came out of punk, worshipping bands like The Ramones and The Clash while creating music with a punk soul and rock sensibility. Throughout their career, the members of U2 have openly dealt with tough emotional, spiritual and political issues in songs that were both moving and radio-friendly.
Weezer is also a band that experiments. After the runaway success of its debut album, produced by former Cars lead singer Ric Ocasek, the band changed directions for follow-up ?Pinkerton,? self-producing the darker, more personal album that didn?t sell as well as its precursor. After a hiatus in which break-up rumors were a constant, Weezer was back with Ocasek recording its second self-titled album.
The success of the back-to-basics ?green? album pushed the band back into the studio for the self-produced ?Maladroit.? This fourth release seemed to bridge a gap between the poppiness of the two ?Weezer? albums and the fringe elements of ?Pinkerton.?
U2 is a band that has happily, but not always successfully. ?Zooropa,? made in the wake of ?Achtung Baby? euphoria, introduced more electronic elements to the band?s rock sound and won a Grammy. ?Pop? took the band to the dance floor and has become a sparring point for fans and critics. Surrounding those projects, the band also reacquainted themselves with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois who, like Ocasek with Weezer, have helped U2 create their most successful albums.
Musically and creatively, U2 and Weezer do have plenty in common, enough to make these two bands a solid touring match-up. Add in that Weezer is also currently working on an album with a projected year-end release and a part of the Universal Music Group family, and it seems like this is a pairing that could actually happen.
To visit Weezer?s official website, go to: http://www.weezer.com/
) They're definitely one of my favorite bands. Their albums have been consistently solid, and they put on a great live show.
if this were to happen. 
