Weezer's Voyage To The Blue Planet Tour

Rob Grabowski and Tom Antonson caught Weezer, The Flaming Lips and Dinosaur Jr. In The Act during the Rosemont, Il stop of the Voyage To The Blue Planet Tour on September 6th . Check out Rob's photos and Tom's review!

Weezer brought their Voyage to the Blue Planet tour to the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois on September 6, 2024. Alternative/Indie rock band Dinosaur Jr started the night with a short set that included their hit "Feel the Pain" and ended with a cover of The Cure's "Just Like Heaven." The fast tempo beats and wailing guitars were a great way to kick off the night. Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips could be seen taking in the show from the crowd.

The Flaming Lips took the stage before Weezer. The eclectic sounds from the psychedelic band filled the arena m, getting the sold out audience to their feet. As their first song ended, Wayne Coyne talked about the many times the band had played in Chicago over the past 20+ years calling out the missed years during the pandemic. He mentioned playing at many famous Chicago venues including, Aragon Ballroom, Concord Music Hall, Metro, and Riot Fest. The Flaming Lips' energy could be felt through the crowd as 2 large, pink, inflatable robots took the stage on both sides of Coyne. The robots danced along with the band as they played "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt 1 and Pt2." As the robots deflated, Wayne put on a Wonder Woman Snuggie that had a similar logo to Weezer's famous 'W.' While wearing the Snuggie, the band began playing "She Don't Use Jelly," the band's first charting hit from their 1993 album "Transmissions from the Satellite Heart." The audience cheered as the song began to play, singing along to every word. Wayne encouraged more audience participation during "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power)" as he held an inflatable set of lips while inflatable eyes took a spot on either side of him, looking around while the audience sang the chorus. The band ended the night with "Do You Realize??" as a rainbow inflated across the stage. Wayne encouraged the crowd to spread love and to turn to the people they were with and tell them how much they love them. As the band exited the stage, Coyne came out with balloons that spelled out, "F*CK YEAH CHICAGO." The balloon was tossed into the audience where the letters were ripped apart, becoming a souvenir for a few lucky fans.

After a quick set change, the lights went out and a five minute countdown displayed on the video screen. The center of the stage had a space ship that donned blue light accents and fog filling the stage, as the iconic W logo hung above the Blue Voyage ship. As the clock reached the ten second mark, the crowd joined in the countdown and cheered as the clock displayed zeroes. Weezer was cleared for takeoff as dramatic music and radio transmissions played over the speakers. The video screen showed the band in space uniforms walking to the ship. The space ship began its launch as Rivers Cuomo, Patrick Wilson, Brian Bell, and Scott Shiner were revealed. The band launched into their first song of the night, "Anonymous." The excitement of the audience was electric as the band powered through the first part of their mission. Songs like "Dope Nose," "Pork and Beans," and "Beverly Hills" made the multi generational audience dance and sing along. The sold out audience contained fans that had been introduced to the band 30 years ago to fans that were just being introduced to the band by the parents. Rivers Cuomo, Brian Bell, and Scott Shriner took control of the stage as their guitar solos ripped through the audience. As the space ship entered the "Pinkerton Asteroid Belt," Weezer played a handful of songs from their sophomore album, "Pinkerton." The crowd couldn't stop moving to "Pink Triangle" and "You Gave Your Love to Me Softly." As the Blue Voyage landed, the fans were treated to "The Blue Album" in its entirety. The tour is celebrating the 30th Anniversary of their debut album. The album contains three of Weezer's biggest hits, "Buddy Holly," "Undone - They Sweater Song," and "Say it Ain't So." As River's sang, "Say it Ain't So," the lights displayed on the audience as they took over the chorus. The band blasted through the album the kicked off the band's career. As the house lights came on and the fans began to leave, the feeling of happiness could be felt. Weezer did not hold back and the fans left feeling like they were floating in outer space.