Draft:30th anniversary of Weezer (The Blue Album)

From Weezerpedia
This page is for the events pertaining to the anniversary of the Blue Album. For the live EP, see The 30th Anniversary of Weezer.

Throughout the duration of 2024, Weezer celebrated the 30th anniversary of their debut album, Weezer (The Blue Album), originally released on May 10, 1994. To coincide with the anniversary, the band performed a tour themed after the album, released a vinyl and CD "super deluxe" box set including a remastered version of the album, released exclusive merchandise and music, and heavily featured the album's legacy in promotional material.

Voyage to the Blue Planet tour

See Voyage to the Blue Planet

Announcement and promotion

Announcement.[1]

Promotional "Real Demo" cassette tape

Tour

Moment.co concert film

Blue 30 Super Deluxe box set

Announcement and promotion

Contents

Japanese SHM-CD release

Blue 30 vinyl re-issues

Alongside the release of the "Super Deluxe" box set, the remastered version of the Blue Album was also pressed as a number of standalone vinyl issues.

On September 4 — in the same announcement revealing the "Super Deluxe" box set — two special pressings of the remastered album were mentioned.[1] The first was an Interscope.com-exclusive 2xLP, 45 RPM gatefold "audiophile edition", limited to 1,500 copies (originally advertised as 1,000).[2] The second was a zoetrope picture disc — a type of vinyl record pressed with an image over its grooves that, when rotated during playback, creates animated images. The zoetrope contained brief shots from Blue Album music videos on its A-side, and various pieces of Weezer iconography on its B-side. The record also came with an exclusive lithograph print of 1994 photograph of the band. These two releases are distinguished from all other pressings of the Blue Album by the text "weezer 30" (rather than just "weezer") on their covers. Both records were listed for pre-order alongside the "Super Deluxe" box set, all with November 1 release dates.

Two other exclusive presses of the remastered album went unmentioned in the original announcement but were also set to be released on November 1: an indie-exclusive "ghostly blue and clear" colored vinyl[3] and a Walmart-exclusive "blue galaxy" colored vinyl.[4] Unlike the other re-issues, these two records do not have the text on their cover altered.

Merchandise

Weezer Fan Club annual membership bundle

Coinciding with the unveiling of the Voyage to the Blue Planet tour on March 11, the annual Weezer Fan Club membership bundle was announced and made available to purchase. This granted the opportunity for fans to join or renew membership in the club, offering the timely benefit of exclusive pre-sale tickets to the newly-announced tour.[5] The bundle's merchandise contents were also revealed: a T-shirt toting the original Weezer logo and a unique Blue Album-themed fan club membership card.[6]

Johnny Cupcakes merchandise collaboration

On July 22, novelty T-shirt brand Johnny Cupcakes announced an official collaboration with Weezer, themed after the Voyage to the Blue Planet tour.[7] The brand designed a decorated box housing a T-shirt and three stickers, all featuring artwork of a spaceship and blue cassette tape alongside Weezer branding. It was released on July 26.[8] In addition to celebrating the Blue Album's anniversary, the collaboration also specifically commemorated the band's then-upcoming September 9 concert in Boston, MA, where Johnny Cupcakes operated a brick-and-mortar storefront.[9]

Amazon Merch on Demand "Blue Album Anniversary Collection"

Around September 3, a section for the "Blue Album Anniversary Collection" was added to Weezer's official Artist Merch Shop storefront on Amazon.[10][11] The collection included six new designs licensed by Manhead Merchandise and distributed by Amazon Merch on Demand; two T-shirts, a crewneck sweatshirt, a zip hoodie, a PopSocket, and a tote bag. Each item featured a variation on the cover art of the Blue Album.

Blue 30 anniversary merchandise collection

Weezer announced an exclusive line of merchandise celebrating the anniversary of the Blue Album on September 25. It was variably referred to in marketing as the "Blue Album Anniversary Collection", the "Blue 30 Anniversary Collection", and the "Blue Capsule Collection". Upon release, it was exclusively available on Shopify's Shop App marketplace. The first 500 U.S. orders (over $40) recieved a free 3 oz. package of Weezer-themed surf wax manufactured by Sticky Bump.[12] The collection was later made available on the weezer.com webstore.

Included in the collection was three T-shirts, a cardigan, a sweater, a crewneck sweatshirt, a pin set, a knit hacky sack toy, the 3 oz. pack of Sticky Bump surf wax, and a gag card manufactured by Joker Greeting and originally mailed to random fans[13] in the lead-up to the Voyage to the Blue Planet tour. Each product featured artwork associated with the Blue Album. The collection was marketed as limited edition, although the precise quantity of each item that was available was not shared.[14]

Soundwaves Art prints

October 30. Reference:[15]

Blue holiday merchandise collection

November 4. Reference:[16]

Brooklyn Projects merchandise collaboration

See Brooklyn Projects merchandise collaboration

Interviews and TV appearances

Oral history of the Blue Album by the LA Times

See Los Angeles Times interview with Weezer - March 25, 2024

The LA Times, a daily newspaper based in Los Angeles, California, published an oral history of the Blue Album on March 25. The publication interviewed Weezer's full 1994 roster, as well as Anna Waronker (of That Dog), Todd Sullivan (Geffen A&R representative), and others associated with the album's history. The piece was authored by pop music critic Mikael Wood.[17]

The piece was printed in the May 5 issue of the physical LA Times newspaper as the cover story of its "Calendar" section; reformatted for print, and with added photographs.[18]

Guest appearance on Everybody's in L.A.

See Weezer TV appearance: 05/08/2024 - John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in L.A.

On May 8, 2024, Weezer appeared as the musical guest on an episode of comedian John Mulaney's one-week Netflix talk show Everybody's in LA. They performed "The Good Life" and "Buddy Holly". Mulaney promoted the upcoming tour and approaching Blue Album anniversary.[19]

Guest appearance on the Kelly Clarkson Show

See Weezer TV appearance: 05/15/2023 - The Kelly Clarkson Show

Rivers Cuomo and Patrick Wilson appeared as guests on the May 15 episode of the Kelly Clarkson Show. The two Weezer members performed "My Name Is Jonas" live with Clarkson, who sang lead vocals intermittently, turning the song into a duet. Wilson performed on guitar, rather than drums. A backup band provided percussion and additional instrumentation.

Later during the show, Cuomo and Wilson were interviewed by Clarkson. The band promoted their upcoming tour and discussed early Weezer history.[20]

Questlove Supreme interview

See Questlove Supreme interview with Rivers Cuomo and Pat Wilson - May 22, 2024

Rivers Cuomo and Patrick Wilson were guests on the May 22 episode of Questlove Supreme, a podcast hosted by Questlove (Ahmir Thompson) of the Roots. Cuomo and Wilson reflected on the Blue Album, working with Ric Ocasek, and their upbringings.[21][22]

Rock Sound interview

See Rock Sound interview with Rivers Cuomo and Pat Wilson - June 13, 2024

On June 12, Rivers Cuomo and Patrick Wilson appeared in a video interview with James Wilson-Taylor for Rock Sound backstage before a concert in Glasglow, Scotland. The interview was published on June 13. Cuomo and Wilson discuss the band's their ongoing European tour with the Smashing Pumpkins, their recent collaboration with Dominic Fike, their 2023 concert supporting KISS, and upcoming plans for the Blue Album anniversary.[23]

Guest appearance on Good Morning Football

See Weezer TV appearance: 09/11/2024 - Good Morning Football

Brian Bell appeared as a guest on the September 11 episode of Good Morning Football, a daily talk show which airs on the NFL Network. Bell discussed football with the show's hosts and promoted the Voyage to the Blue Planet tour.[24]

Other events

March 15 performance at the Lodge Room

See Weezer concert: 03/15/2024

Amidst the numerous announcements made on March 11, a surprise concert to take place on March 15 at the Lodge Room in Los Angeles, California was revealed. The show commemorated Weezer's earliest concerts, opened by Dogstar (who headlined Weezer's first show) and promoted under Club Dump branding (Club Dump was a weekly event held at the Central where Weezer often performed in 1992 and 1993).

The Blue Album was played in full during the concert, although "Say It Ain't So" was mistakenly played out of order. Dominic Fike, a special guest at the show, performed backing vocals and guitar during the song. After the show, "Mykel and Carli" played over the venue's PA system in tribute to Weezer Fan Club founders Mykel and Carli Allan.[25]

Original Weezer bassist Matt Sharp was also present at the show. He was photographed backstage with the band's modern lineup.[26]

Release of "My Name Is Jonas (The Kitchen Tape)"

On May 10, the day of the Blue Album's anniversary, a special Karl's Corner entry was posted to the band's social medias recounting the album's gradual rise to popularity. Accompanying the post was a YouTube upload of the Kitchen Tape version of "My Name Is Jonas", originally recorded in August, 1992. This recording had not previously appeared on any officially release by the band, aside from its inclusion on the demo tape.[27]

The 30th Anniversary of Weezer Spotify session

See The 30th Anniversary of Weezer

On May 13, an Instagram story which appeared to show Weezer at Spotify Studios in Los Angeles, California was purportedly posted by the musician @imsadalex and reposted by Weezer collaborator Suzy Shinn.[28]

On June 24, Spotify released The 30th Anniversary of Weezer (also titled The Blue Album LIVE) onto YouTube and the Spotify streaming platform. The second entry in a series of three "Spotify Anniversaries" releases by the music company,[29] The 30th Anniversary of Weezer is a professional 30-minute video directed by Bradley Calder featuring four live performances of Blue Album songs alongside interview segments with the band. Three special guests — "unofficial fifth member" Karl Koch, Shinn, and Barry Johnson of Joyce Manor — are also present. Shinn and Koch perform the spoken segments in "Undone - The Sweater Song" and Johnson provides vocals on "Surf Wax America". The four songs performed were also made available as a standalone EP release (of the same name) on Spotify.

"Blue Wall" street artwork in Brooklyn, New York

Inspired by the "Brat wall" — a popular promotional stunt from artist Charlie XCX used to market her 2024 album Brat, wherein a public-facing wall in Brooklyn, NY was painted with material related to the album — Weezer rented or borrowed a region of wall space on the side of Square Design Inc.'s Brooklyn headquarters, already a shade of blue similar to the Blue Album cover's background, and painted a human-scale silhouette of the album cover at sidewalk-level.[30] The band promoted this on their social medias on July 24 and urged fans to visit the location. They also gave the specific address where this painting could be found: 283 4th Ave, Brooklyn, NY. An Instagram reel posted by the band was captioned "Blue wall is the new Brat wall", directly referencing the "Brat wall".[31]

Blue Rooms

On August 5, Weezer announced the Blue Rooms browser game on their social media pages.[32] The game is designed in Rooms.xyz, a social platform where users can create, program, and interlink interactive 3D voxel-based "rooms". The Blue Rooms game involves eleven consecutive "rooms", each with a puzzle which must be completed to progress. The first ten rooms are themed after songs from the Blue Album; their puzzles mostly involve completing unfinished lyrics by finding hidden objects. The final room asks the player to create a flying =W= symbol, then allows them to follow a link to "whatsinsidetheroom.com", where they may enter a phone number to join the band's mailing list. It is not known whether joining the mailing list via this webpage (as opposed to signing up on weezer.com) resulted in any unique promotional messages or offers. The rooms were designed and programmed by artist Thai Vo (also known as Voxel Play Yard).[33]

Weezer Fan Club vault dive

On August 30, five days before the first Voyage to the Blue Planet show, Karl Koch conducted the third Weezer Fan Club app-exclusive Vault Dive livestream. In it, Koch showcased rare and unseen production material and promotional ephemera from his "Weezer vault", all relating to the Blue Album. Koch wrote in a post announcing the livestream: "Will share some stuff and stories related to 'Blue', to get us in the mood for the upcoming #VTTBP tour!"[34] Two other streams happened earlier in 2024, not explicitly associated with the tour or Blue Album celebration, although both focused on covering early Weezer history leading up to their album debut.

Fortnite Festival bundle and "Sweat(er) City" event

On October 11, three songs from the Blue Album ("Buddy Holly", "Say It Ain't So", and "Undone - The Sweater Song") were made available for purchase in the rhythm game Fortnite Festival, an offshoot of the popular video game Fortnite, in celebration of the album's anniversary.[35] The songs could be purchased together as the "Blue Bundle" item, or bought separately. "Buddy Holly" was first added to the game a year prior, in 2023.[36]

On the same day, Weezer announced a collaboration with game development studio Look North World, known best for designing Fortnite maps and game modes. For one month, the studio replaced its map "Sweat City" (a "24-player FFA open world-style island"[37]) with "Sweat(er) City"; the map was altered to include references to Weezer and the Blue Album, including a recreation of the "Buddy Holly" music video set, a boss fight with Rivers Cuomo, and ten hidden "Weezered moments" (blue objects which play the "Buddy Holly" riff upon interaction).[38][39] The event was developed by Jon Jungemann (also known as SleightedSloth). Although promoted alongside the official Fortnite Festival content, this event was not officially associated with Fortnite developer Epic Games.

Sweater Saga arcade cabinet

See Sweater Saga

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Weezer (September 4, 2024). "30th Anniversary of the Blue Album - Box Sets, Tour & More!". weezer.com. Archived from the original.
  2. ↑ Interscope Records (November 11, 2024). Email communication. Screenshot: File:Interscope Nov 11 Blue 30 pressing correction email.png.
  3. ↑ "Blue - 30th Anniversary [Indie Exclusive Ghostly blue & clear LP]". Record Store Day listing. Archived from the original.
  4. ↑ "Weezer - Blue (Walmart Exclusive) - Vinyl". Walmart listing. Archived from the original.
  5. ↑ Karl Koch (March 11, 2024). Weezer Fan Club app announcement. Screenshot: File:Voyage to the Blue Planet fan club app announcement.jpg.
  6. ↑ Karl Koch (March 11, 2024). Weezer Fan Club app announcement. Screenshot: File:2024 WFC membership bundle merchandise announcement.jpg.
  7. ↑ johnnycupcakes (July 22, 2024). "Say it ain’t so, the official Johnny Cupcakes x Weezer collaboration drops this Friday ...". Instagram post. Archived from the original.
  8. ↑ Weezer (July 26, 2024). "New collab with Johnny Cupcakes just dropped to celebrate the Voyage to the Blue Planet Tour ...". Facebook post. Archived from the original
  9. ↑ "JC x Weezer Official Collab Boxset". Johnny Cupcakes. Archived from the original.
  10. ↑ "Weezer: Blue Album Anniversary Collection". Amazon Artist Merch Shop storefront. Archived from the original.
  11. ↑ "Weezer - Blue Album Anniversary Tracklist T-Shirt". Amazon listing. "... Date first available: September 3, 2024 ...". Archived from the original.
  12. ↑ Weezer (September 25, 2024). "The leaves may be turning yellow, but we're only getting more Blue! ...". Twitter post. Archived from the original.
  13. ↑ Weezer (August 27, 2024). "👀The Voyage to the Blue Planet begins September 4th 👀". Twitter post. Archived from the original.
  14. ↑ "Blue 30 Anniversary collection". weezer.com webstore. Archived from the original.
  15. ↑ Weezer (October 15, 2024). "The Blue 30 celebrations continue 🌀 Next up, new signed @Soundwaves_Art prints of 'Say It Ain’t So' & 'Only In Dreams' ...". Twitter post. Archived from the original.
  16. ↑ Weezer (November 4, 2024). "Wake up babe, the Blue holiday merch collection just dropped, including a =w= cookie cutter! ...". Twitter post. Archived from the original.
  17. ↑ Mikael Wood (March 25, 2024). "Weezer's Blue Album at 30: The inside story of the debut that launched L.A.'s nerdiest band". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original.
  18. ↑ Mikael Wood (May 5, 2024). "HOW A YOUNG L.A. BAND TURNED BLUE INTO GOLD". Los Angeles Times Calendar.
  19. ↑ Jon Blistein (May 9, 2024). "Weezer Enjoy 'The Good Life,' Celebrate the Blue Album on John Mulaney's 'Everybody’s in L.A.'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original.
  20. ↑ Jark Irvin (May 21, 2024). "Kelly Clarkson Performs Weezer's 'Say It Ain't So' with Rivers Cuomo and Patrick Wilson for Kellyoke". People. Archived from the original.
  21. ↑ Weezer (May 22, 2024). "Turning @qls Blue as Rivers, Pat + @questlove reflect on the album's release, the early days of =w=, Ric Ocasek & more". Twitter post. Archived from the original
  22. ↑ "Weezer". Questlove Supreme. Archived from the original.
  23. ↑ James Wilson-Taylor (June 13, 2024). "Weezer On ‘Blue Album’ Tour, Dominic Fike & The Smashing Pumpkins | Interview". Rock Sound. Archived from the original.
  24. ↑ Weezer (September 11, 2024). "Check out Brian’s in depth appearance this morning on @gmfb ...". Twitter post. Archived from the original.
  25. ↑ Tony Pierce (March 19, 2024). "Weezer Plays Blue Album From Front-to-Back with A Wrinkle". setlist.fm. Archived from the original.
  26. ↑ Weezer (March 18, 2024). "Celebrated the Blue Album with some old and new friends. ...". Facebook post. Archived from the original.
  27. ↑ OneAdmin (May 11, 2024). "Weezer shares ’The Kitchen Tape’ version of 'My Name Is Jonas'". 98 Rock Online. Archived from the original.
  28. ↑ AustinV [discoverlife2] and spicey [spicypicesowo] (May 13, 2023). Discussion about Instagram stories in the Weezerpedia Discord server #general channel. Screenshot: File:2024 Spotify Session Instagram story discussion on Weezerpedia Discord Server.png.
  29. ↑ Spotify (October 15, 2024). "Revisit Some of Music’s Most Iconic Hits With Our ‘Spotify Anniversaries’ Video Series". Spotify. Archived from the original.
  30. ↑ Emily Carter (July 25, 2024). "Weezer have their own Blue Album-themed Brat wall in Brooklyn". Kerrang!. Archived from the original.
  31. ↑ Weezer (July 24, 2024). "There is now a Weezer wall in Brooklyn. 283 4th Ave to be exact, go find it. ...". Instagram reel. Archived from the original.
  32. ↑ Weezer (August 5, 2024). "Come on a voyage with us through the Blue Rooms. ...". Twitter post. Archived from the original.
  33. ↑ Thai Vo [@voxelPY] (August 8, 2024). "Finally, it's here! Huge thanks to the Crush Music team and @jasontoff for letting me be part of this project. ...". Twitter post. Archived from the original.
  34. ↑ Karl Koch (August 29, 2024). Weezer Fan Club app #karlscorner post. Screenshot: File:August 30 Vault Dive Fan Club app post.jpg.
  35. ↑ Fortnite Festival (October 11, 2024). "You just got Weezered (Fortnite Festival Edition) ...". Twitter post. Archived from the original.
  36. ↑ Riley MacLeod (December 14, 2023). "It Should Be Illegal That I’m Not Better At “Buddy Holly” In Fortnite". Aftermath. Archived from the original.
  37. ↑ "Sweat City". Look North World. Archived from the original.
  38. ↑ Weezer (October 11, 2024). "Weezer + @FortniteGame, does it get any better? ...". Twitter post. Archived from the original.
  39. ↑ Genghis Husameddin (October 11, 2024). "Weezer’s Back in Fortnite in “Sweat(er) City” In-game Event". XboxEra. Archived from the original.
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