Pinkerton Tour
| Pinkerton Tour | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional photo by Anton Corbijn, commonly used in posters | ||||
| Artist | Weezer | |||
| Performances | 145 | |||
| Start date | August 5, 1996 | |||
| End date | August 15, 1997 | |||
| Headliner | No Doubt (May - July 1997) | |||
| Supporting act(s) | The Driven Hayden The Fauves Garageland Superdrag Placebo Ash Nerf Herder Ednaswap The Suicide Machines Room Full of Walters Red Five Lunachicks Mercy River Face to Face Moist The Pulsars Ridel High Burgundy | |||
| Associated album | Pinkerton | |||
| Legs | 4 | |||
| Tour Mngr | Bobby Herr (1996) Joe Carrachio (1997) | |||
| Weezer tour chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Pinkerton Tour, spanning August 1996 to August 1997, was a series of live concerts to promote Weezer's 1996 sophomore record Pinkerton.
Overview
Right now, I'm living the life of the id. I've really gotten into this whole thing of getting drunk, having lots of sex and trashing dressing rooms. I guess I waited till now to go through my teenage rebellious stage.
- —Rivers Cuomo, Interview with The Los Angeles Times, July 1997[1]
- —Rivers Cuomo, Interview with The Los Angeles Times, July 1997[1]
The tour for Pinkerton was among the most extensive and taxing the band has ever embarked on. The tour ended in tragedy, with the death of the band's fan club founders Mykel and Carli Allan. The tribute performance organized for the Allan sisters would be the band's last public performance for three years. It was also That Dog's final performance before their initial break up. With this event and Pinkerton's middling reviews, Weezer would retreat into an extended hiatus and leave many to believe they had broken up. Despite this, the tour and its namesake record would receive a critical reappraisal in the 21st century.
The tour began with multiple European dates in August and September 1996, including multiple festival dates. During these shows, Weezer would debut "Pink Triangle", "El Scorcho", "The Good Life",[2] "Falling for You"[3] and "Butterfly"[4] from the then-unreleased Pinkerton. The band's performance at the 1996 Bizarre Festival in Germany is widely bootlegged, and video of the show has reached over three hundred fifty thousand YouTube views as of January 2025.[5]+
To celebrate the release of Pinkerton, Weezer performed in a Tower Records parking lot in Los Angeles, California, on September 24. The Pinkerton banner they brought with them had to be partly covered up, as the Pinkerton Security Agency filed a lawsuit that same day.[6][7] Further shows were done in Australia, Japan, and the United States throughout the fall and winter of 1996, with one notable acoustic performance taking place at Shorecrest High School on November 6. This show was part of a contest with radio station KNDD 107.7 The End, where the winner would get Weezer to perform at their school.[8] Superdrag, Placebo and Ash were among the opening acts for these dates.
The tour continued through January 1997, with rock band Nerf Herder opening. Nerf Herder reminisced on their experience sharing a bill with the band in the 2016 song "We Opened for Weezer." "Devotion" was added to the setlist for an unknown amount of shows,[9] which wasn't performed again until the Memories Tour in 2011.[10]
The final show of the January leg was a show at the Barrymore Theatre, after which Rivers Cuomo went back to Harvard for the spring.[11] During this time, Matt Sharp went to the United Kingdom to continue extensively recording the Rentals' second album, and he had expressed that he wanted to tour in the summer to promote it.[12][13][14] Due to a upcoming tour opening for No Doubt, auditions were held at their rehearsal space in March 1997 for a fill-in bass player.[15][16] A couple bassists auditioned (including Scott Riebling, who would fill in for the "Pink Triangle" remix sessions) but the Rentals' second album wasn't completed and Sharp soon returned on bass.[14][15]
Rehearsals began in Boston in early April 1997 to prepare for the upcoming tour and a May 19 gig for WFNX's Best Music Poll Festival.[17] The tour took place from May to June 1997,[17] with few headlining shows in-between. Setlists for these shows were shorter and mostly consistent[18] to account for the other openers, which included Ednaswap, Lunachicks and Face to Face. In contrast to previous tours,[19] Rivers Cuomo enjoyed the Pinkerton Tour, living a rock star life style of one-night stands and getting wasted.[20][21]
On July 9, 1997, Mykel and Carli Allen died in a rollover accident on their way to a show at the DV8 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The band, along with Karl Koch, attended the funeral on July 14.[22] A concert at the Palace in August 1997 was held as a benefit for the family of Mykel and Carli.[23] This would be the last concert to feature Matt Sharp on bass, and the last performance as Weezer for three years.[24] At the time, there was on-and-off fighting between the members.[12]
Rivers Cuomo wanted to continue touring after the No Doubt dates, but the other members wanted a break to work on their solo endeavours.[25]
Interviews
Frontman Rivers Cuomo sat for some now-famously unsuccessful interviews during this tour. One of the most notable ones was conducted on October 5, 1996 on ABC's Recovery in Australia. Dylan Lewis, the show's host, calls him "Rivah Weezah," and the interview was conducted while Cuomo was both jet lagged and hung over. Cuomo also wouldn't retain eye contact with Lewis, leading to the interviewer trying to get his eye contact and not looking at his pad. When reflecting on the interview in 2019, Lewis stated "It is funny, now I can sort of chuckle a bit and then I’ll feel like I’m nearly over it. It was live and he was off his nuts. He wasn’t jet lagged, he was wasted. [...] Look, I love him but I can’t listen to Weezer anymore."[26]
Tour dates
Editor's Note: All of these dates, cities, venues and festival names were checked and, if necessary, corrected. So they may vary from other sources. In some cases individual notes were made when given information were contradictory.
Europe
| Concert | Opener(s) | Country | City | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weezer concert: 08/15/1996 | Hayden | 
|
Vienna, Austria | Les Arenes |
| Weezer concert: 08/16/1996 | The Prodigy, Prong, Hayden | 
|
Winterthur, Switzerland | Winterthur Festival |
| Weezer concert: 08/17/1996 | Hayden | 
|
Cologne, Germany | Bizarre Festival |
| Weezer concert: 08/18/1996 | Hayden | 
|
Saint-Malo, France | La Route du Rock Festival |
| Weezer concert: 08/21/1996 | Hayden, The Driven | 
|
London, United Kingdom | The Garage |
| Weezer concert: 08/23/1996 | Rage Against the Machine, The Prodigy, The Offspring, Terrorvision, Ice T, Butthole Surfers, Downset, Collapsed Lung, Seaweed |
|
Reading, United Kingdom | Reading Festival |
| Weezer concert: 08/24/1996 | Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Sonic Youth, The Offspring, Urban Dance Squad, Bush, Ice T, Girls Against Boys, Screaming Trees, Evil Superstars | 
|
Hasselt, Belgium | Pukkelpop Festival |
| Weezer concert: 08/25/1996 | 
|
Biddinghuizen, Netherlands | A Campingflight to Lowlands Paradise | |
| Weezer concert: 08/28/1996 | Hayden, The Posies, Soundtrack of Our Lives | 
|
Stockholm, Sweden | Gino |
| Weezer concert: 08/29/1996 | Hayden | 
|
Oslo, Norway | Sentrum Scene |
| Weezer concert: 08/30/1996 | Hayden |
|
Lund, Sweden | Mejeriet |
| Weezer concert: 08/31/1996 | Hayden | 
|
Copenhagen, Denmark | Den Grå Hal |
| Weezer concert: 09/01/1996 |
|
Cologne, Germany | Logo | |
| Weezer concert: 09/02/1996 | Hayden |
|
Munich, Germany | Backstage |
| Weezer concert: 09/04/1996 (CANCELLED) |
|
|||
| Weezer concert: 09/05/1996 | Hayden | 
|
Modena, Italy | Festa de l'Unità (Modena Open Air Festival) |
| Weezer concert: 09/07/1996 | Hayden |
|
Barcelona, Spain | Sala Zeleste (El Pop Festival) |
| Weezer concert: 09/08/1996 | The Posies |
|
Madrid, Spain | Revolver |
Los Angeles
| Concert | Opener(s) | Country | City | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weezer concert: 09/24/1996 | 
|
Los Angeles, CA | Tower Records parking lot | |
| Weezer concert: 09/26/1996 | Shufflepuck |
|
Los Angeles, CA | Whisky a Go Go |
| Weezer concert: 09/27/1996 | Filmstar(?) |
|
Los Angeles, CA | Whisky a Go Go |
Australia and Japan
| Concert | Opener(s) | Country | City | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weezer concert: 10/02/1996 | 
|
Melbourne, Australia | RMIT Storey Hall | |
| Weezer concert: 10/03/1996 |
|
Geelong, Australia | Lyric Theatre | |
| Weezer concert: 10/04/1996 |
|
Melbourne, Australia | The Palace | |
| Weezer concert: 10/05/1996 |
|
Brisbane, Australia | Livid Festival | |
| Weezer concert: 10/07/1996 (a) |
|
Perth, Australia | 78 Records (in-store acoustic performance) | |
| Weezer concert: 10/07/1996 (b) |
|
Perth, Australia | Planet Nightclub | |
| Weezer concert: 10/08/1996 |
|
Adelaide, Australia | Heaven Nightclub | |
| Weezer concert: 10/10/1996 |
|
Canberra, Australia | Anu Bar | |
| Weezer concert: 10/11/1996 | The Fauves(?) |
|
Sydney, Australia | Metro Room |
| Weezer concert: 10/12/1996 (a) |
|
Sydney, Australia | Red Eye Records (in-store acoustic performance) | |
| Weezer concert: 10/12/1996 (b) | The Fauves(?) |
|
Sydney, Australia | Metro Room |
| Weezer concert: 10/14/1996 | Garageland | 
|
Auckland, New Zealand | Logan Campbell Centre |
| Weezer concert: 10/18/1996 | 
|
Nagoya, Japan | Club Quattro | |
| Weezer concert: 10/19/1996 |
|
Osaka, Japan | Club Quattro | |
| Weezer concert: 10/21/1996 | Hi-Standard |
|
Tokyo, Japan | Liquidroom |
| Weezer concert: 10/22/1996 |
|
Tokyo, Japan | Liquidroom | |
| Weezer concert: 10/23/1996 |
|
Tokyo, Japan | Liquidroom | |
| Weezer concert: 10/25/1996 |
|
Tokyo, Japan | Liquidroom |
North America
Opening acts: Superdrag, Placebo, Ash
- 11/01/1996
Ventura, California - Ventura Theatre - 11/02/1996 San Francisco, California - The Fillmore
- 11/03/1996 Visalia, California - Visalia Convention Center
- 11/05/1996 Portland, Oregon - La Luna
- 11/06/1996 Seattle, Washington - Shorecrest High School
- 11/06/1996 Seattle, Washington - DV8
- 11/07/1996
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - Hellenic Center - 11/??/1996 Cancelled performance in Salt Lake City, Utah[27]
- 11/10/1996 Denver, Colorado - Ogden Theatre
- 11/11/1996 Lawrence, Kansas - Granada Theatre
- 11/12/1996 Columbia, Missouri - Blue Note
- 11/13/1996 St. Louis, Missouri - Mississippi Nights
- 11/15/1996 Minneapolis, Minnesota - 1st Ave Club
- 11/16/1996 Chicago, Illinois - The Riveria
- 11/17/1996 Cincinnati, Ohio - Bogarts
- 11/19/1996 Detroit, Michigan - St. Andrews Hall
- 11/20/1996 Cleveland, Ohio - Odeon Concert Club
- 11/21/1996 Buffalo, New York - Ogden Street
- 11/22/1996 Toronto, Ontario, Canada - Phoenix Concert Theatre
- 11/23/1996 Montreal, Québec, Canada - Metropolis
- 11/25/1996 Rochester, New York - Harro East Ballroom
- 11/26/1996 Boston, Massachusetts - The Avalon
- 11/27/1996 Providence, Rhode Island - Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel
- 11/30/1996 Washington D.C. - 9:30 Club
- 12/01/1996 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Theater of Living Arts
- 12/03/1996 New York City, New York - Roseland Ballroom
- 12/04/1996 New Haven, Connecticut - Toad's Place
- 12/05/1996 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Electric Factory
- 12/06/1996 Charleston, South Carolina - Music Farm
- 12/07/1996 Gainesville, Florida - Florida Theatre
- 12/09/1996 Ft. Lauderdale, Florida - Theatre & Club
- 12/10/1996 Orlando, Florida - Firestone
- 12/12/1996 Atlanta, Georgia - Masquerade Music
- 12/13/1996 Nashville, Tennessee - 328 Performance Hall
- 12/14/1996 Knoxville, Tennessee - Bijou
- 12/15/1996 New Orleans, Louisiana - House of Blues
- 12/16/1996 Houston, Texas - Numbers
- 12/17/1996 Austin, Texas - Liberty Lunch
- 12/18/1996 Dallas, Texas - Deep Ellum Live
- 12/20/1996 Phoenix, Arizona - Electric Ballroom
- 12/21/1996 Los Angeles, California - The Palace
North America
Opening act: Nerf Herder
- 01/09/1997 Lancaster, Pennsylvania - Chameleon
- 01/10/1997 Asbury Park, New Jersey - Convention Hall
- 01/11/1997 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - Metropol
- 01/13/1997 Richmond, Virginia - Flood Zone
- 01/14/1997 Norfolk, Virginia - The Boathouse
- 01/15/1997 Raleigh, North Carolina - Marrz
- 01/17/1997 Winston-Salem, North Carolina - Ziggy's
- 01/18/1997 Charleston, South Carolina - Music Farm
- 01/19/1997 Charlotte, North Carolina - Tremont Music Hall
- 01/21/1997 Louisville, Kentucky - The Brewery
- 01/22/1997 Columbus, Ohio - Newport Music Hall
- 01/23/1997 Milwaukee, Wisconsin - The Rave
- 01/24/1997 Madison, Wisconsin - Barrymore Theatre
Opening for No Doubt
- 05/24/1997 George, Washington - Gorge Amphitheatre
- 05/26/1997 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - Pacific Coliseum
- 05/27/1997 Portland, Oregon - Rosegarden Amphitheatre
- 05/29/1997 Santa Cruz, California - Catalyst (not part of the No Doubt tour, headlined by Weezer)
- 05/30/1997 Mountain View, California - Shoreline Amphitheatre
- 05/31/1997 Anaheim, California - Arrowhead Pond
- 06/01/1997 Anaheim, California - Arrowhead Pond
- 06/03/1997 San Diego, California - San Diego Sports Arena
- 06/05/1997 Salt Lake City, Utah - Delta Center
- 06/06/1997 Denver, Colorado - Red Rocks Amphitheatre
- 06/08/1997 Council Bluffs, Iowa - Westfair Amphitheatre
- 06/09/1997 Wichita, Kansas - Crown Bingo Arena (not part of the No Doubt tour, headlined by Weezer)
- 06/10/1997 Kansas City, Kansas - Sandstone Amphitheatre
- 06/11/1997 St. Louis, Missouri - Riversport Amphitheatre
- 06/13/1997 Nashville, Tennessee - Starwood Amphitheatre
- 06/14/1997 Knoxville, Tennessee - Worlds Fair Park
- 06/15/1997 Atlanta, Georgia - Lakewood Fairgrounds
- 06/17/1997 Virginia Beach, Virginia - GTE Virginia Beach Amphitheatre
- 06/18/1997 Manassas, Virginia - Nissan Pavillion
- 06/19/1997 Scranton, Pennsylvania - Tinks (not part of the No Doubt tour, headlined by Weezer, opener: Mercy River)
- 06/20/1997 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Sound Recording Studios
- 06/20/1997 Camden, New Jersey - E Center
- 06/23/1997 Wantaugh, New York - Jones Beach Amphitheatre
- 06/24/1997 Holmdel, New Jersey - PNC Bank Arts Center
- 06/25/1997 New York City, New York - Roseland Ballroom (not part of the No Doubt tour, headlined by Weezer)
- 06/26/1997 Mansfield, Massachusetts - Tweeter Center
- 06/27/1997 Buffalo, New York - North AmeriCare Park (unknown whether this show was part of the No Doubt tour or headlined by Weezer)
- 06/28/1997 Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio - Blossom Music Center
- 06/29/1997 Auburn Hills, Michigan - Palace of Auburn Hills
- 07/01/1997 Minneapolis, Minnesota Target Center
- 07/02/1997 Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Marcus Amphitheatre
- 07/03/1997 Chicago, Illinois - World Music Theatre
North America
Opening act: The Pulsars
- 07/05/1997 Omaha, Nebraska - Ranch Bowl Entertainment Center
- 07/06/1997 Lawrence, Kansas - Granada Theatre
- 07/08/1997 Denver, Colorado - Ogden Theatre
- 07/09/1997 Salt Lake City, Utah - DV8
- 07/11/1997 Calgary, Alberta, Canada - MacEwen Hall Ballroom
- 07/12/1997 Calgary, Alberta, Canada - MacEwen Hall Ballroom
- 07/15/1997 Seattle, Washington - DV8
- 07/16/1997 Portland, Oregon - La Luna
- 07/18/1997 Palo Alto, California - The Edge
- 07/19/1997 San Francisco, California - The Fillmore
- 07/20/1997 Santa Ana, California - Galaxy Concert Theatre
Asia
| Concert | Opener(s) | Country | City | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weezer concert: 07/27/1997 (CANCELLED) |
|
|||
| Weezer concert: 07/29/1997 |
|
Osaka, Japan | Club Quattro | |
| Weezer concert: 07/30/1997 |
|
Fukuoka, Japan | Drum Logos | |
| Weezer concert: 08/01/1997 |
|
Fukuoka, Japan | Penny Lane 24 | |
| Weezer concert: 08/02/1997 |
|
Nagoya, Japan | Club Quattro | |
| Weezer concert: 08/04/1997 | 
|
Bangkok, Thailand | Dance Fever | |
| Weezer concert: 08/06/1997 | 
|
Taipei, Taiwan | Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall |
Additional dates
| Concert | Opener(s) | Country | City | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weezer concert: 11/22/1996 (a) | 
|
Toronto, ON, Canada | CFNY Studios (The Edge 102.1, acoustic performance) | |
| Weezer concert: 08/09/1997 | Burgundy |
|
Honolulu, HI | Nimitz Hall |
| Weezer concert: 08/15/1997 | That Dog, Black Market Flowers |
|
Hollywood, California | The Palace (Mykel and Carli Allan tribute show, final show with Matt Sharp |
| Weezer concert: 08/23/1997 (CANCELLED) |
|
Gallery
-
Dallas, TX
-
Dallas, TX
-
Cover of bootleg release of the band's Osaka show
-
Perth, Australia
-
Brisbane, Australia (Livid Festival)
-
Brisbane, Australia (Livid Festival)
-
Brisbane, Australia (Livid Festival)
-
San Francisco, CA
Mykel and Carli Tribute show
See Also
References
- ↑ The Los Angeles Times interview with Rivers Cuomo - July 19, 1997
- ↑ Weezer concert: 08/15/1996
- ↑ Weezer concert: 08/16/1996
- ↑ Weezer concert: 09/05/1996
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0rh6mZSkjM
- ↑ Historic event: 09/24/1996 (b) by Karl Koch. Archived on Weezerpedia.
- ↑ Toronto Sun interview with Brian Bell - November 21, 1996
- ↑ Newspapers.com archive of The Rocket, Wednesday, November 20, 1996, Page 4.
- ↑ Historic event: 01/23/1997
- ↑ Karl's Corner - 07/14/2011
- ↑ Historic event: 01/11/1997
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Cuomo, Rivers. The Pinkerton Diaries. 2011. Self-published.
- ↑ Karl's Corner - Spring 1997
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Recording History - Page 9
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Karl Koch [Karlophone]. (January 10, 2025). Message sent to the Weezerpedia Discord Server channel #karlification. Transcribed at Weezerpedia Discord Q&A with Karl Koch - January 2025.
- ↑ GeneologyBank archive of "Boston Herald", Thursday, March 27, 1997, Page 23.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Geffen press release - May 6, 1997
- ↑ Karl Koch [Karlophone]. (January 12, 2025). Message sent to the Weezerpedia Discord Server channel #karlification. Transcribed at Weezerpedia Discord Q&A with Karl Koch - January 2025.
- ↑ The Toronto Star article - November 28, 1994
- ↑ Details interview with Rivers Cuomo - February 1997
- ↑ Fast Forward Weekly article - July 10, 1997
- ↑ Weezine Issue 11 - Fall 1997
- ↑ Bendersky, Ari. "Weezer, That Dog Pay Tribute To Fans" Rolling Stone. 23 August 1997. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/weezer-that-dog-pay-tribute-to-fans-181596/ Weezerpedia mirror
- ↑ Valania, Jonathan. "UNDONE: The Complete Oral History Of Weezer" Phawker 11 December 2018 https://phawker.com/2018/12/11/excerpt-the-complete-oral-history-of-weezer/
- ↑ frankin@mint.net March 17, 1999. "pat wilson from weezer". Retrieved from https://groups.google.com/g/alt.music.weezer/c/kiQ1OiL3l88/m/sPrpie7ATV8J.
- ↑ LeFevre, Jules. "‘Recovery’ Host Dylan Lewis On That Disastrous Weezer Interview, And The Chances Of A Reboot" Junkee. 26 November 2019. https://archive.junkee.com/recovery-dylan-lewis-interview/231879
- ↑ Drop-D Magazine interview with Patrick Wilson - November 1996