Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo joined the Klein.Ally.Show at KROQ in Los Angeles this morning to drop details about the band’s upcoming 30th anniversary celebration of their iconic ‘Blue Album,' as well as an exclusive kickoff concert in Los Angeles with a very special guest.

Getting right into the big Weezer news, “We're gonna do a big tour of the United States in the fall called ‘Voyage to the Blue Planet’ and we're gonna play the ‘Blue Album’ from front to back as well as some other cool songs from the ‘90s, and some hits,” says Cuomo.

In addition to that incredible announcement, he revealed that the band will also be bringing The Flaming Lips and Dinosaur Jr. along for the throwback trip. To get the festivities started, Rivers also revealed that they will be hosting a special kick-off concert happening in Los Angeles on Friday, March 15 at The Lodge Room.

“We're gonna play a little show here in L A at The Lodge Room,” he says, performing alongside the very same band they played their first show with -- Dogstar. Explaining the story, Rivers remembers calling up a club called Raji's in Los Angeles back in the early ‘90s to beg for a time slot. “Finally, one day he called back and said, ‘We had a cancellation tonight. Can you guys come in and play?' And we're like, ‘Yeah, sure.’ And he said, ‘OK, you're gonna be playing with Keanu Reeves‘ band Dogstar.’ We actually went on after them at like one o'clock in the morning. And yeah, they played, the place was packed with young women and then they finished... and as soon as we went on, all the women started leaving and it was like, nobody there. But that was our first show. So, this is gonna be our reunion with Dogstar.”

Though Rivers says he doesn’t personally have John Wick’s number on speed dial, “somehow our people reached out to his people and it sounds like he's up for it, which is amazing.”

For Rivers, looking back at 30 years of Weezer in his rearview can sometimes reveal uniquely detailed stories. Regarding their very first show, Cuomo recalls the night vividly. “I have a journal entry from that night, so I know exactly what was going on," he admits. “We were all very nervous but man, the feeling on stage is just this incredible catharsis, and you know, hearing the other three guys in the band and the passion they were playing with it. It was the most incredible feeling. And I remember during one song, I was like, totally rocking out during the solo. My head was back, my eyes were closed and then I fell off the stage. Luckily it was only like a one-foot stage in a little club.”

That journal he mentioned, at 380 pages, certainly will help him when it comes time to talk about the ‘Blue Album’ in front of fans. “I went back and I just started reading it all,” Rivers says, “because I know this year is gonna be all about the celebration... I wanted a refresher on everything that was going on.”

Although there is no setlist carved in stone just yet, “It's just kind of this rough idea,” at the moment says Cuomo for the upcoming anniversary tour, aside from playing the ‘Blue Album’ in full, “we're gonna go back and find some really cool songs. You wanna please as many people as you can, including the people that mostly know the hits, but then also the hardcore fans and then also songs that we’re super stoked to play. We'll make sure we touch all those bases, and we're gonna come up with a pretty cool production too. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but I know there's gonna be a giant spaceship and a blue planet.”

The band’s focus is obviously on their upcoming tour at the moment, but fans can certainly expect to hear new music from Weezer sooner rather than later. “I always like writing.” Says Cuomo. “If I go too long without writing, I just feel weird. Like, something's wrong in my life. It helps me to sit down at the end of the day and just kind of write out some thoughts and then, yeah, call it a song.”

After 30 years, the last ten being arguably the biggest for the band with Saturday Night Live skits created about them, their massively successful cover of Toto’s “Africa” that started as a fan suggestion, movie inclusions, and their 4X-Seasons release to name just a few milestones, Rivers says that the metric the band feels most is the crowds at their shows, “because that's where the rubber meets the road... When you're out there, you're playing your songs and if it's working, it's incredible, and if it's not, you really know it immediately. So the shows have been just off the charts.”

Relating a personal win, Klein told Rivers about his first week at KROQ -- which happened to coincide with Weezer’s “Africa” cover being the biggest song in the world. “I knew a guy that knew a guy that said Steve Lukather of Toto lives on my street,” Klein remembers, “and I went to the front door and I said, ‘Guys, would you cover a Weezer song because they covered your song? And I got them to agree to do ‘Hash Pipe.’ I couldn't believe they agreed to do it... I've never seen these guys so excited of how big you made an already massive song.”

Rivers says he “absolutely” appreciated their take on his song. "I mean, it takes a lot of work to learn somebody else's song,” he says, “and get in there and do a good job recording it. We spent a long time working on Africa... it was just supposed to be this silly goof thing, but it kind of took off on us.”

Lastly, Klein and Ally fired off a few random questions to close out their chat...

Epic Question #1: If you could write a commercial jingle for any food, what would it be?

“I think the first thing that popped in my mind was Tostitos,” says Cuomo. “It's a chip, right? It just sounds like it would make a cool chorus like ‘Tostitos, Tostitos the best chip in the world.’”

Epic Question #2. What did you get paid to do that show with Dogsstar 30 years ago?

“The number $30 comes to my mind, but I'm not 100% sure," Rivers admits. "Split among the band.”

Listen to Klein and Ally’s full interview with Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo above -- and stay tuned for more conversations with your favorite artists right here on Audacy.

Words by Joe Cingrana Interview by Klein.Ally.Show

Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo joined the Klein.Ally.Show at KROQ in Los Angeles this morning to drop details about the band’s upcoming 30th anniversary celebration of their iconic ‘Blue Album,' as well as an exclusive kickoff concert in Los Angeles with a very special guest.
Getting right into the big Weezer news, “We're gonna do a big tour of the United States in the fall called ‘Voyage to the Blue Planet’ and we're gonna play the ‘Blue Album’ from front to back as well as some other cool songs from the ‘90s, and some hits,” says Cuomo.
In addition to that incredible announcement, he revealed that the band will also be bringing The Flaming Lips and Dinosaur Jr. along for the throwback trip. To get the festivities started, Rivers also revealed that they will be hosting a special kick-off concert happening in Los Angeles on Friday, March 15 at The Lodge Room.
“We're gonna play a little show here in L A at The Lodge Room,” he says, performing alongside the very same band they played their first show with -- Dogstar. Explaining the story, Rivers remembers calling up a club called Raji's in Los Angeles back in the early ‘90s to beg for a time slot. “Finally, one day he called back and said, ‘We had a cancellation tonight. Can you guys come in and play?' And we're like, ‘Yeah, sure.’ And he said, ‘OK, you're gonna be playing with Keanu Reeves‘ band Dogstar.’ We actually went on after them at like one o'clock in the morning. And yeah, they played, the place was packed with young women and then they finished... and as soon as we went on, all the women started leaving and it was like, nobody there. But that was our first show. So, this is gonna be our reunion with Dogstar.”
Though Rivers says he doesn’t personally have John Wick’s number on speed dial, “somehow our people reached out to his people and it sounds like he's up for it, which is amazing.”
For Rivers, looking back at 30 years of Weezer in his rearview can sometimes reveal uniquely detailed stories. Regarding their very first show, Cuomo recalls the night vividly. “I have a journal entry from that night, so I know exactly what was going on," he admits. “We were all very nervous but man, the feeling on stage is just this incredible catharsis, and you know, hearing the other three guys in the band and the passion they were playing with it. It was the most incredible feeling. And I remember during one song, I was like, totally rocking out during the solo. My head was back, my eyes were closed and then I fell off the stage. Luckily it was only like a one-foot stage in a little club.”
That journal he mentioned, at 380 pages, certainly will help him when it comes time to talk about the ‘Blue Album’ in front of fans. “I went back and I just started reading it all,” Rivers says, “because I know this year is gonna be all about the celebration... I wanted a refresher on everything that was going on.”
Although there is no setlist carved in stone just yet, “It's just kind of this rough idea,” at the moment says Cuomo for the upcoming anniversary tour, aside from playing the ‘Blue Album’ in full, “we're gonna go back and find some really cool songs. You wanna please as many people as you can, including the people that mostly know the hits, but then also the hardcore fans and then also songs that we’re super stoked to play. We'll make sure we touch all those bases, and we're gonna come up with a pretty cool production too. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but I know there's gonna be a giant spaceship and a blue planet.”
The band’s focus is obviously on their upcoming tour at the moment, but fans can certainly expect to hear new music from Weezer sooner rather than later. “I always like writing.” Says Cuomo. “If I go too long without writing, I just feel weird. Like, something's wrong in my life. It helps me to sit down at the end of the day and just kind of write out some thoughts and then, yeah, call it a song.”
After 30 years, the last ten being arguably the biggest for the band with Saturday Night Live skits created about them, their massively successful cover of Toto’s “Africa” that started as a fan suggestion, movie inclusions, and their 4X-Seasons release to name just a few milestones, Rivers says that the metric the band feels most is the crowds at their shows, “because that's where the rubber meets the road... When you're out there, you're playing your songs and if it's working, it's incredible, and if it's not, you really know it immediately. So the shows have been just off the charts.”
Relating a personal win, Klein told Rivers about his first week at KROQ -- which happened to coincide with Weezer’s “Africa” cover being the biggest song in the world. “I knew a guy that knew a guy that said Steve Lukather of Toto lives on my street,” Klein remembers, “and I went to the front door and I said, ‘Guys, would you cover a Weezer song because they covered your song? And I got them to agree to do ‘Hash Pipe.’ I couldn't believe they agreed to do it... I've never seen these guys so excited of how big you made an already massive song.”
Rivers says he “absolutely” appreciated their take on his song. "I mean, it takes a lot of work to learn somebody else's song,” he says, “and get in there and do a good job recording it. We spent a long time working on Africa... it was just supposed to be this silly goof thing, but it kind of took off on us.”
Lastly, Klein and Ally fired off a few random questions to close out their chat...
Epic Question #1: If you could write a commercial jingle for any food, what would it be?
“I think the first thing that popped in my mind was Tostitos,” says Cuomo. “It's a chip, right? It just sounds like it would make a cool chorus like ‘Tostitos, Tostitos the best chip in the world.’”
Epic Question #2. What did you get paid to do that show with Dogsstar 30 years ago?
“The number $30 comes to my mind, but I'm not 100% sure," Rivers admits. "Split among the band.”
Listen to Klein and Ally’s full interview with Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo above -- and stay tuned for more conversations with your favorite artists right here on Audacy.
Words by Joe Cingrana Interview by Klein.Ally.Show

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