Weezer concert: 01/11/1997

Weezer concert: 01/11/1997
Tour	Pinkerton Tour
Venue	Metropol
Location	Pittsburgh, PA
Date	January 11, 1997
Associated album	Pinkerton
Supporting acts	Nerf Herder
Guests	Speed Levitch
Weezer live show chronology
01/10/1997 - Asbury Park, NJ 01/11/1997 - Pittsburgh, PA 01/13/1997 - Richmond, VA

Weezer performed at the Metropol in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on January 11, 1997 as part of the Pinkerton Tour. The opening act was Nerf Herder (who later referenced the show in their 2016 song, "We Opened for Weezer").

Setlist

Setlist

Soundcheck
No.	Song
1	"Devotion"

No.	Song
1	"Tired of Sex"
2	"Getchoo"
3	"My Name Is Jonas"
4	"Pink Triangle"
5	"No One Else"
6	"No Other One"
7	"Why Bother?"
8	"In the Garage"
9	"You Gave Your Love to Me Softly"
10	"Falling for You"
11	"Say It Ain't So"
12	"The Good Life"
13	"Undone - The Sweater Song" (Speed Levitch on intro vocals)
	Encore
14	"Butterfly"
15	"Across the Sea"
16	"El Scorcho"
17	"Buddy Holly"
18	"Surf Wax America"

Fan recollections

Attendee Bill Andrulonis recounted the concert in an e-mail to Karl Koch:

I remember seeing Weezer in Pittsburgh at a club called Metropol (Jan 11, 1997). Nerf Herder was the opening act. They put on a great show and I got to shake Rivers' hand and get his autograph. He seemed to have a cast on his right arm/hand, but it may have been a brace of some sort. I know the date of the show because I had him sign my ticket stub.

If you like, I can scan in the ticket stub with Rivers' autograph, I've got two tickets, on which I display from the front to show the date of the show, the other has his autograph with a cover from the blue album in a frame on my wall.

Since this happened a looong time ago, I can't remember much other than having a great time and that the crowd loved Brian (Rivers even made it a point that Pittsburgh loves Brian). Pat was late getting on stage for some reason, but once he made it up there, they rocked out.

During the sweater song, they had someone up on stage reading poetry between the verses, they recorded a version of Surf Wax USA (no idea what became of this), Matt Sharpe was playing on top of the amps and generally being a wild man on stage (My friends and I mused that it looked like he wanted to be the front man for the band), and Rivers played Butterfly acoustic by himself on stage.

—Bill Andrulonis, e-mail exchange, 200?

Matt Rust also recounted the concert in an e-mail to Karl Koch:

Here is a fan account of a pinkerton-era tour date. I was in the height of my weezer fandom and they finally were making it back to the 'burgh, so there would be no way I would miss it. My brother scored us some free tix from a guy who worked for the ticket company or the promoter.

The show was on a weekend, I think. It was in Pittsburgh on January 11th 1997 at Metropol, now known as "M". We got to the show pretty early and got our tix at the door, we were on some sorta guest list or something. So we got right in. I had no clue what was going on, I just hoped to god that when we got to that door without tix in hand they would have the info so we could get in. and we did.
I can remember the anticipation...just waiting and waiting and then nerf herder came on and I had no friggin clue who they were. a week later I bought the album. They were decent and most of all the songs stuck in my head.
Finally weezer came on. It all started how I expected. Matt sharp, I believe announced "this is the first song off our new album" and they went right into 'tired of sex'. That was followed up by 'getchoo'. After that who knows...it all ruled soooo much. It was so long ago its like a blur. All the favorites basically. and "only in dreams" towards the end and I think "surf wax" last.
I was up a level near a bar and I sat there and watched. I hadn't been to many concerts and was not a big mosher, so I just wanted to actually watch the band. I noticed one key thing. Matt Sharp was rawkin the house. He was insane and had some of the greatest stage presence I've ever seen. A couple of my friends were there and commented that Brian and Matt had switched instruments for a song or two. That I'm not real sure about.
Anyways, the show 0wned. By the end I wanted to be jumping around and stuff, but It was ok that I was up top just watching. It really was something that was long overdue in my life at that time.
So after the show it got better. My brother and I started herding out towards the door with the crowd and he spotted the guy who got us the tickets and he said we should "go back and thank him" and talk to him. So we stopped and he told us real nonchalant "you guys gonna stick around and meet the band". Wow.
So We both stood by the door and waited for the crowd to thin out. I saw my friends from the pit and they asked me what I was doing and I told him we were waiting to see the band and they said "good luck".
I stood there about 15 minutes maybe just trying to be cool and not really think about that I was going to meet my current idols.
Finally my brother's friend led us up to the 'floor' area in front of the stage and as we went in the security was counting each person. I think in all 17 of us went in. We all filed in next to the stage and were just waiting around and then one of the promoters or whatever mentioned that anyone under 21 would have to meet the band first, get autographs and then leave. Because the band and everyone was eventually going upstairs to the "bar" area.
Let me mention here that I was like 16, and everyone else back there was pretty much over 21 and like mid 20s to 30s at least. Most of the people were just back there because they could be there and seemed to not be there to meet the band. They just weren't concerned or caring really. So anywyas, I was standing near the wall looking around the crowd. Older ppl just chatting it up, whatever. And there standing against the wall just past the crowd was Brian Bell ! He was just hanging out as if he was waiting to meet the band or something.
So I went over and just said "hey" and shook his hand and said it was a "great show". He had a sharpie in hand so I had him sign this "nerf herder" piece of paper/ad that I had. He commented that nerf herder was right behind me by the stage but I wasn't concerned and said something like "ah, who are they...you're in weezer!"
After that I didn't have much else to say. I said thanks and then spotted Matt Sharp in the next room. It was like the side door entryway and the room off of the "dressing room". There was another under 21 fan there talking with Sharp. You could tell he was a fan. I only wish I could've thought something at all interesting to say to him. I listened to him tell a story about how he didn't like his name when he was little because he thought it was a girls name because of a girl he knew called "madi". I'm assuming the name was 'madison'. No idea. I shook his hand and then got his autograph as well. Told him the usual good show and stuff. Didn't actually tell him that I was shaking the hand of my gaddamn idol and so on, but that's ok.
After that I came back by the stage, I found out that Rivers turned out being in the crowd up by the front door just hanging out, meeting people. Mostly just getting mobbed. The guy who got us the tickets gave me a pinkerton poster and about 2 minutes later, Rivers came to the back.
He seemed pretty short. Shorter than me even. He had long shaggy hair like past his ears and had on his glasses. He reminded me of a kid that I was in High school with at the time. I shook his hand and said the usual "thanks" and "good show". He seemed in a pretty good mood. I also had him sign the poster and I was Realllly happy about that.
I didn't see pat at all, he was probably in the back "dressing" room area, which I didn't go in. Also I didn't take my camera in the show for fear of it getting confiscated. Dumbest idea ever. That was the biggest mistake I've ever made. So I don't even usually tell this story because I don't like to try and brag about stuff and come off looking like a complete liar. But It's not about if ppl want to believe it. It was all about the experience.
Before we left , I decided I'd say bye. I walked over to the dressing room, and poked my head in and said "hey, see ya guys!!" as if they were like friends of mine, and off we went. That act alone made me very happy.
We ended up going out the side door of the venue, right next to the buses. There were about 30+ people waiting there to hope and see the band. As we walked out it was just like dead silence and 30 some ppl just looking up at us. So I made the asinine move and I raised my hands and said "I met weezer!!!" I remember some laughs and someone in the crown yelling out "Kick His Ass!". After that some dude was all like "hey man how'd you get back there" like I knew the secret or something. I just gave him some bullshit answer that someone in the crownd pulled me aside and asked me to meet the band. Haha.
That's pretty much the whole story, It was such a great night.I wish I would've had my camera and I reallllllly wish I would've been 21 so I could've hung out with the band and made some memories. Haha.

I hope you enjoyed this story. That's all for now

—Matt Rust, e-mail exchange, 200?

Justin Hoenke also recounted the concert in an e-mail to Karl Koch in 2003:

t's been 6 years now so i can barely remember the fine details but anyways, here goes...

it was about 2 degrees out that day and stupid me decided to not wear a jacket and show off my weezer pride. i think i had 2 or 3 weezer shirts on but that barely kept me warm. i sat outside the bus for about 4 hours but in the end i got to meet rivers and pat.
rivers was actually quite talkative with me. he had to rush inside to soundcheck but he assured me he'd be out by the bus after the show.

and i sat outside the building and listened to soundcheck. i know for sure that they ran through "devotion" once. after that i went into some comic book store to get warm.

the show was quite rockin'. i remember standing in front of rivers the whole time in awe of what he was doing. they played everything off of pinkerton, everything on blue except for "holiday" and "oid."
the crowd shouted for jamie the whole time but we didn't get it...bah. at one point during the show rivers went up to the mic and sang "suddenly our shortcomings..." and then backed off. i was certain we were going to get "devotion" live but i was fooled.
the crowd was very intense and everyone was singing along to EVERY song off pinkerton (even though at that time i had to defend the album every day...it was at this time where pinkerton was considered to be a major flop).

so yeah, that's about all i can remember now...i went home afterwards and got warm.

—Justin Hoenke, e-mail exchange, 2003

Gallery

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  Ticket stub

See also

• List of Weezer concerts
• Historic event: 01/11/1997
• Pinkerton Tour