MUSIC NOTES: Weezer travels to the “Blue Planet” with catchy hits on board.

Is there a better power pop band on planet Earth than Weezer?

Probably not, and the LA quartet proved that during a trippy, space-freak rock show at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on Friday, October 4th.

Singer/guitarist Rivers Cuomo and his gang headlined an entertaining evening of '90s music, starting with Dinosaur Jr., which rocked the hockey rink with just six songs, including a Cure cover (“Just Like Heaven”) brought, followed by the party time props and antics of The Flaming Lips.

Weezer's current Voyage to the Blue Planet tour celebrates the brilliance of the band's 1994 debut album Blue, which will be played in its entirety. But first they took concertgoers on a tour of the galaxy in NASA-like uniforms, shooting up the polarizing air with “Hash Pipe,” “Beverly Hills,” “Island in the Sun” and other hits and misses 1996 Pinkerton Album.

With ultra-catchy hooks layered over simple, upbeat riffs, Weezer's best songs captivate you and won't let go. Don't try to scream the “Say It Ain't So” refrain along with 17,000 other fans. Do you want a catchy tune? “Surf Wax America” does it with the memorable line: “You take your car to work, I’ll take my board; and if you run out of fuel, I’ll still be afloat.”

Today, 30 trips around the sun later, Weezer's debut is pretty much a greatest hits album worth celebrating.

When Weezer was last in town at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver in August 2023, his creative stage was a giant car dashboard with a steering wheel, radio dials, speedometer and the like.

This tour, their “Voyage,” features an amazing stage with a giant spaceship and curved video screen, dangling planets, rock formations and all the smoke, pyro and space imagery you would expect. Cuomo flying the Weezer flag on the “planet” was a nice touch (before he launched into “My Name is Jonas”). Mock news clips provided entertainment, and the film-like credits detailed the work of a small army putting on the concert, part of a month-long tour of North America before the band heads to Japan in 2025.