Weezer: A Night of Geeks, Guitar Heroes and Almighty Singalongs in Halifax [Photos]

It was guitar hero time once again at The Piece Hall as they welcomed legendary L.A. geeks Weezer to the historic venue (one of the best, according to Rivers) for a night of riffs and almighty singalongs. The nerds assembled – and yes, we proudly consider ourselves as one of them!

Less than a week since their buddies Deftones played here, it was like chalk and cheese weather-wise, as the sun shone down and gave everyone sweaty back and crack syndrome before a note was even struck.

2-piece Teen Mortgage raised the temperature with their scuzzy and raw sleaze brand of rock – and for a duo – created one hell of a racket. The giant screen behind them showed a shitload of quirky illustrations, gnarly video clips and a thousand different versions of their logo as they play – and pretty much tells you all you need to know about this band. Even though they only get about 30 minutes to win fans over, they do. With style.

Essex punk rockers Bad Nerves were next and are probably incorrectly named, as not one of them looks like they’ve ever suffered with any kind of nerves, ever. Full of confidence, bravado, swagger and (most importantly) with the songs to back it up, they are absolutely made for a big stage.

With a 70s punk aesthetic, boundless energy and the kind of bone rattling rock and roll The Ramones would be proud of, they completely stormed their set. Jumping around like the stage was one giant trampoline and leading the crowd in anthemic singalongs there wasn’t one pair of feet that stayed in contact with the courtyard floor during their set.

A funny, silent, and overlong intro to one of their final tracks had everyone questioning their sanity at one point – but the whole show was incredible. Were it not for a gigantic queue at the merch stand, they would have instantly been the newest tee in my collection.

Weezer took the stage a bit awkwardly and with zero ego, as they looked surprised and honoured to be welcomed to Halifax. They’re a band who became cool years ago when all the ‘cool’ bands proclaimed their love for the band – but they just come across as 4 kinds of shy, little nerdy, average guys genuinely happy to have a fan base that digs their stuff. It doesn’t hurt that their ‘stuff’ is some of the most singalongable stuff ever written. How many other bands have their own hand sign that the fans throw at them?

With the giant screen showing scenes of the Yorkshire landscape and a 3D rendered Weezerworld they open with “Anonymous”, “Hash Pipe” and “My Name is Jonas” leaving nobody in doubt that they were in for a special show.

Having done their research – they namechecked local landmark Wainhouse Tower in the spoken intro to “Undone” – they had the crowd in the palm of their hands and one of the most memorable (and pleasing) sights of the evening was the distinct lack of phones in the air for most of the night with fans opting to be in the moment and enjoy the experience to its fullest. Something more people need to do at more shows. The music took everyone back to the good old ’90s, and the lack of phones made it feel like concerts used to feel.

What between song small talk there was, was a little awkward but genuine – and they tend to let the music do most of the talking anyway.

“Island in the Sun,” “Holiday,” and “Beverley Hills” got some of the biggest singalongs of the night, as did as brilliant “Pork and Beans” – but it was the emphatic ending of “Say It Ain’t So” and “Buddy Holly” that garnered the biggest of the night, unsurprisingly.

With every year of shows that passes at The Piece Hall, the number of iconic bands getting ticked off the bucket list is growing and growing, and with shows like this becoming the norm it fills people with excitement to see who will be coming through the doors next year. If Weezer tell all their friends how good a night they had in Halifax, there will be some cool bands on their way.

Our photographer, Frank Ralph Photography, brought back a gallery of photos from the show. Check out Frank’s Gallery and the Weezer setlist here:

Set List:

1. Anonymous
2. Hash Pipe
3. My Name Is Jonas
4. Dope Nose
5. No One Else
6. Perfect Situation
7. Run, Raven, Run
8. Getchoo
9. Surf Wax America
10. Undone – The Sweater Song
11. Island in the Sun
12. Holiday
13. In the Garage
14. Pink Triangle
15. Beverly Hills
16. Why Bother?
17. Pork and Beans
18. El Scorcho
19. The Good Life
20. Only in Dreams
21. Say It Ain’t So
22. Buddy Holly

Weezer (w/ Bad Nerves) @ The Piece Hall on June 30th, 2025

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