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The iconic band, Weezer, hit the stage in Council Bluffs, Iowa, this last Sunday evening (July 20, 2025). Upon arriving at the venue around 7 p.m., it was scorching hot. The venue is essentially a large grassy field with the stage connected to Harrah’s hotel and casino. Once the sun finally set, the temperature cooled off, and it ended up being perfect weather. I met another photographer before the show, and he is the venue's house photographer. He told me that the show sold out. The venue's maximum capacity is around 4,000 people, so that place was packed and filled with good vibes and a wide variety of Weezer fans.
Weezer has tons of hits, so they were playing a lot of them, and that had the crowd going crazy the whole night. They started off the night with some powerful and fan favorites like “Anonymous”, “My Name is Jonas”, and “Hash Pipe”. They kept the energy high all night and then led into some of their deeper cuts like “No One Else”, “In the Garage”, and “Holiday”. They were throwing in hits in between their other songs to keep the crowd on their toes. Weezer hit fans with nostalgic songs like “Surf Wax America”, “Undone - The Sweater Song”, “Beverly Hills”, and “Island in the Sun”. Weezer's lead singer, Rivers Cuomo, did a good job cracking some jokes and talking to the crowd, but not doing it too much to which stopped the flow of the show. The band sounded amazing as well, but that was something that I expected from a band that has been together for three decades.
I thought it was a great touch by them to mix in their deeper, lesser-known songs for the diehard fans with the hits for the more casual fans. I feel that it added a lot of depth to the show and their performance as a whole. It also showed the more casual listeners how rich their whole discography is.
The vibe throughout the evening was lighthearted and fun. The way that Stir Cove is layed out created a more intimate feeling show. The crowd was amazing, they were fun and loud the entire night. There were lots of younger fans there which was so cool to see that young people still love their music. The production of the show was pretty chill. They just had a backdrop of their logo and then colorful lights, and that was it. I prefer when bands do that rather than having a whole bunch of things going on, because it allows you to focus on the music even more.
All in all, Weezer’s stop in Council Bluffs didn’t feel like just an average concert; it felt more like a celebration of their music and the spirit of alt-rock. Weezer is one of my favorite bands and has been since I was very young, so this show was very meaningful to me personally. Weezer and the other band members know exactly who they are, and it genuinely seems like they love what they do and what they have accomplished. If Weezer is ever coming anywhere near you, I would highly suggest that you go and experience such a legendary band live.
