This September, Weezer was set to join the ranks of musical artists like Joan Jett, Patti LaBelle, Duran Duran, and Regina Spektor, all of whom have ditched stadiums to perform more intimate concerts on the Main Stem, but due to "low ticket sales" and "high expenses," the American rock band has reportedly canceled their five-night residency (September 13-18) at the Broadway Theatre, according to Billboard. The run was supposed to commemorate their new EP collection SZNZ, which comprises four new albums themed for each season. Find out more details about the show that almost was below.
News of the cancelation first came August 10 via Rivers Cuomo, lead vocalist, guitarist, and lyricist of Weezer, in a statement posted on the band’s Discord server (a group chat platform).
"I just learned that our Broadway shows have been cancelled (due to low ticket sales and unbelievably high expenses). I’m very sorry to be telling you this now after we’ve already invested so much time, thought, and emotion," wrote Cuomo.
"Extra apologies to those of you who cleared schedules and made travel plans to be with us. Thanks to @Broadway Producer for all your hard work and great ideas. I loved where we were going and I hope we can find a way to resurrect our vision."
In addition to Cuomo, Weezer comprises Brian Bell on backing vocals and guitar, Scott Shriner on backing vocals and bass, and Pat Wilson on drums. The band has released 15 studio albums and eight EPs—including SZNZ: Spring and SZNZ: Summer— along with their greatest hits, "Say It Ain't So," "Undone - The Sweater Song," and "Beverly Hills." Tickets went on sale June 24 through Telecharge, and have since been taken down.
Before the cancelation, Cuomo told us that the opportunity to play on a Broadway stage was completely unexpected. He noted that their manager called and said, “Hey, there’s a theatre that's available for a week. You guys want to take it over?” and with the offer being timed to the release of the band’s ongoing tetralogy, it seemed like kismet.
"It just seemed like a perfect way to use that week," said Cuomo, whose early work (the '90s Weezer albums) was influenced by operas, especially works by the Italian composer Giacomo Puccini. "We don't have a ton of time or money to pull it together, but we definitely have dramatic instincts and interests."
The punk-flavored singers of hits like 1995’s “Say It Ain't So” were working with a writer and "special producers" (including Vivek J. Tiwary from Broadway’s Jagged Little Pill and American Idiot) to create their theatrical show, which was set to feature ongoing storylines that could stand alone through all four nights, while also connecting the entirety of the residency.
The Discord channel mentioned above, which hosts thousands of fans, played a big part in the residency's creation. "We have a channel on the server that is dedicated to brainstorming theatrical ideas for the show. We have songs we've haven't played in years, or we've never played, and songs that we’re sick of playing because we have to play them every night at a regular concert," says the singer.
"Our fans are feeling the same way as us. The number one song that the fans picked was ‘Only in Dreams'," which is the band’s longest song to date (at nearly eight minutes) and hasn’t been performed live since 2015.
