A night of nostalgia at The O2 Arena with Weezer and The Smashing Pumpkins
We absolutely loved Weezer and The Smashing Pumpkins at their recent gig at The O2 Arena on Saturday 8th June 2024.
Up first for the night was Teen Mortgage which seemed to be an unusual choice as a supporting set for the two bands from the late 80s to early 90s. It was very visually dark and grungy. Nevertheless, it’s heartwarming to see these 30 year old bands giving space for a newly formed band and we are so here for that! Massive respect to Weezer and The Smashing Pumpkins on that front.
But hey, who doesn’t like a bit of Weezer? Apart from 3/4 of the planet (apparently)… Well we absolutely loved them! They were funky, quirky and an outright ‘dad band’ which the crowd absolutely loved. From the first song, which was ‘My Name is Jonas’ all the way through the 20 song setlist to ‘Buddy Holly’ the crowd loved them, singing all the way through. To be honest, we aren’t sure why they aren’t running their own headlining tour, all this night did was prove they have the fans.
Their iconic W sign fitted above the stage, illuminated the band and crowd and overall, it was a visually appealing set which was very bright and certainly what you would expect from Weezer, if you have seen them before.
The Smashing Pumpkins were up next and, oh boy, did they hop on stage to thunderous applause and cheers, the crowd were so ready for them.
Starting off with ‘The Everlasting Gaze’ which riled up the anticipating crowd and just wow! What a song to open up the stage with, there was a bit of every instrument - every band member was able to show off their immense skill. Even, new member Kiki Wong who has proven to be a very talented guitarist from what we saw from her so we would like to dedicate a round of applause to her for owning The O2 Arena.
Their solid 24 song set list was a beautiful journey through the years of Smashing Pumpkins, showcasing songs from their early days and some of their newer stuff, with fun little singles thrown in to shake the show up. Including a cover of U2 song ‘Zoo Station’ which was performed pretty solidly, we also saw lead singer Billy Corgan's kids join the band on stage for ‘Beguiled’ which was just so cute and wholesome.
The Smashing Pumpkins closed the show with the infamous ‘Zero’ and was nothing short of epic, especially for me! Does anyone else remember The Smashing Pumpkins showing up in The Simpsons and playing that hit song? That’s how I first heard of this incredible band back when I was 10!
It was a night of nostalgia, these two legendary bands who hold a lot of nostalgia points for a lot people, musically coming together to create a spectacular evening, it’s clear that every single band member still gets on that stage because they love it, they love the music and their fans.
