Plan for a Foo/Weezer weekend

While the Tampa area is known to attract a quality cross-section of shows, it’s been a while since a concert has brought together two popular and respected bands with an affordable price tag. This weekend, downtown Tampa will be saturated with dark-rimmed glasses, tight pants and mod haircuts as the Foo Fighters’ tour brings the band to the St. Pete Times Forum, co-headlining with indie-favorite Weezer.

Weezer bandmates Rivers Cuomo on vocals and guitar, Brian Bell on guitar, Scott Shriner on bass and Patrick Wilson on drums are set to open the show. According to the Web site www.weezer.com, the band was founded in Los Angeles on Feb. 14, 1992, and began writing music and playing local clubs. Despite its initial lack of success, Weezer’s self-titled debut album, released May 10, 1994, eventually rose to hit status. The single “Undone – The Sweater Song” helped the album go double platinum and win a slew of MTV awards.

Four albums later, the band is performing to sold-out venues and has a dedicated fan base. The tour is promoting the band’s most recent album, Make Believe, released May 10 of this year.

The post-grunge the Foo Fighters include Dave Grohl on guitar and vocals, Nate Mendel on bass, Taylor Hawkins on drums and Chris Shiflett on guitar. Grohl formed the band in 1995 after the demise of cult grunge band Nirvana, in which he played drums. According to wikipedia.org, the band name was derived from a World War II term referring to mysterious aerial phenomena.

The band’s first single, “This Is a Call,” was released in June 1995, and their self-titled debut album was released the following month to enthusiastic fan response, according to wikipedia.org. The site mentions one notable moment in the band’s history came in 2000 when late-night talk show host David Letterman invited the Foo Fighters to perform on his first show after undergoing heart bypass surgery, where the band played “Everlong.” Letterman introduced them by proclaiming, “My favorite band, playing my favorite song.”

According to wikipedia.org, the band’s newest recording is a double LP, In Your Honor, released June 14. In an interview for NME magazine, Grohl said the two-disc release – one full of rock songs, the other featuring acoustic tracks – is a perfect memorial for the band’s 10th anniversary.

“It’s really amazing. The good thing about doing it is that you split it up so that there’s no middle ground. So the rock stuff is the most rocking stuff we’ve ever worked on, ever,” Grohl said.

The Foo Fighters and Weezer play Sunday at 7 p.m. at the St. Pete Times Forum. Tickets range from $27.75 – $37.75.