Hold this thread as I walk away. The Blue Album rocked my world when I finally discovered it a handful of years after release. I remember their “Say It Ain’t So” music video and the band pausing the music for Rivers Cuomo to take a drink from a juice box. Weezer immediately became one of my bucket list bands though I didn’t really dive back into their material until the Red Album. They never truly left my mind, however, as infections melodies from bouncy bops to crunch grunge created earworms that spanned years. Lucky enough now to have seen them twice, Weezer aged well and has proven they strive to make the music they want. Here are five things that made my second evening with the band just as memorable as the first.

1. Backdrops. The stage was a homage to their roots. The diner from the “Buddy Holly” and the garage from the “Say It Ain’t So” videos made appearances to tug on a few nostalgia strings.

2. Covers. The Teal Album is an excellent and eclectic mix of 80’s and 90’s covers, and it featured heavily. Not only did Toto’s “Africa”, TLC’s “No Scrubs”, and Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” sound amazing, they really highlighted the crowd’s generational divisions based upon who was singing along and who looked completely lost.

3. Gen Z’ers. Weezer is a Gen X and early Gen Y band, yet there was a row of college students seated in front of me. They knew some of the songs but not all the ones they should have known. How did they come to like or even know about Weezer? My guess, they pulled the band up on Spotify and listened to the top five songs. Thank you, Gen Z’ers, for the additional entertainment. Your enthusiasm for some songs and complete non-recognition of others was fun to watch.

4. The Pixies. Actually, I wanted nothing more than for The Pixies to stop playing. Their sound mix was terrible to the point the music was a painful screech of erratic guitars. Weezer sounded like the serenade of angels in comparison, and for that, the Pixies get my appreciation.

5. Weezer. Concerts are never more fun than when you can sing along with the band for every song. That kind of engagement means the band is playing the right songs and playing them well. They hit all the right notes.

Bonus: Seeing them with a significant other. The first time I saw Weezer was during a painful time in my life, but I was able to attend with my brother and sister whose friendship is something I deeply value. It was a memorable experience we share and still talk about. This time, Weezer came along at a better time, and I could share the experience with a special someone to create another memorable shared experience. If I could mimic the memory every weekend, I would never come undone.