Weezer Hosts a Gathering at Place Bell in Laval, QC [Photos]

“I’d love to have a fence like that for my house.” That was the first thought that crossed my mind as I walked toward the stage at Place Bell in Laval. It was moments before Weezer took the stage, and I was admiring the scenery. A little bungalow with a satellite dish receiver on the roof sat on the stage. On one side stood a large telephone pole, complete with shoes hanging from the wires. Along the other side ran the white picket fence that I desired.

Before I could finish a Home Depot shopping list, I quickly reminded myself that I was nowhere near handy enough to pull off such a renovation. It was probably best to get back to the music. It wasn’t a very hard mindset to return to. The Shins got things started with their hit “Simple Song.” They had a good vibe going, and the crowd was having a great time swaying along to the beat.

“Australia” followed, and the band took things up a notch. There was no jumping around on stage or wild histrionics because there was no need. The Shins are masters of their craft and played flawlessly. One thing that caught my photographer’s eye was the placement of several little knick-knacks around the stage. Patti King had some starfish next to her keyboard. A golden robot sat on Jon Sortland’s drums, and other figures sat on Mark Watrous and James Mercer’s speakers. I tried to work them into a couple of the photos. The band finished up with “Sleeping Lessons,” earning a rousing applause from the fans.

Before Weezer took the stage, we watched an introduction video. A little kid was trying to book Weezer to play in his backyard for a gathering. Thus the name of our tour. In a funny bit, after saying that he only had .98 cents to pay the band, their manager loudly hung up on him. He then writes a letter on golden paper using the symbols featured on the cover of Weezer’s latest self-titled album. Through the magical powers of the universe, the letter ends up in singer Rivers Cuomo’s hands and convinces him that they have a show that night.

He straightaway rounds up the rest of the band, who are all entranced by the golden letter as well. The video cuts as the band arrives at the house. A golden light bathed the arena, and the stage filled with smoke. The picket fence swings open, and the band walks through, takes their positions, and opens the show with “Shine Again.”

After that track from their latest album, it was all the way back to album #1 for “Surf Wax America.” This one really got the crowd going; you could feel the floor tremble from all the jumping behind me. Each song had a unique lighting setup, and some special hidden surprise. For “Keep Fishin’,” an attentive eye might have noticed the silhouette of Kermit the Frog. He appeared in the stagehouse window a few times during the song.

There were lots of little gags like that throughout the night. During “Beverly Hills,” the chorus was changed to “living in Montreal, Quebec.” After “Across The Sea,” the power lines exploded and the arena went dark. They called Hydro-Quebec to report the outage, and the on-hold music was “Island In The Sun.” With the power out, Weezer played acoustic versions of “Longtime Sunshine” and “In The Garage.” Another lyric change happened during “Pork and Beans” when Celine Dion became the artist who knows the way to the top of the charts.

It was just a super fun night. Weezer treated their fans to all their greatest hits and added some local flavour. Undoubtedly, they are probably doing the same in every town they visit. If so, it’s a great little touch that got a huge reaction. The final curtain came down as the entire arena sang along to “Buddy Holly” and “Island In The Sun.” Afterwards, in the spirit of a great gathering, everyone went home happy. Perhaps a little sad that the gathering was over, but smiling from ear to ear, remembering how fun it had been.