One of rock’s hottest acts will be performing for free at 7 p.m. Friday at the South Oval, if the student body finds out about it.
Although Weezer is arguably the largest act to perform at the annual Welcome Week Concert (T-Pain and Rihanna have performed in the past, before their mainstream popularity), many students were unaware when The Lantern asked them.
“I didn’t know there was one (a concert),” Veronica Betancourt, a graduate student in art education, said with surprise.
“I didn’t know about it,” said Jessica Bartholomew, an undecided second-year.
Those who were aware of the concert were plenty excited, however. Justin Villanueva, a second-year in city and regional planning, complimented OUAB for planning events such as the free concert series.
“The OUAB free concert series is pretty genius, actually,” he said. “Utilizing our Student Activity Fee to bring people together for something other than sports.”
Weezer formed in California and gained fame after its 1994 self-titled debut (referred to as “The Blue Album” by fans) reached No. 16 on the Billboard charts. The album included the singles “Buddy Holly,” “Say It Ain’t So” and “Undone — The Sweater Song.” The band became popular among alternative rock circles for its simple, garage-rock sound and attitude.
The band hasn’t slowed down since. Weezer has released seven albums since its debut, each one staying close to the band’s straightforward rock ‘n’ roll formula.
Although the next few albums after “Blue” didn’t reach the same sales totals as the debut, the band found itself in the spotlight again in 2005 with its single “Beverly Hills.”
OUAB concert chair Linnea Larson said Weezer’s relevance after 16 years was one of the key reasons why OUAB aimed to get the band for this year’s concert.
“We thought Weezer would be appealing to Ohio State students because Weezer is a band that has fans through multiple generations, starting with the creation of the band in the early ‘90s through today,” she said in an e-mail.
Larson also said the band was an ideal choice because alternative rock has not been well-represented at OUAB concerts in the past.
Weezer is known for its entertaining stage show, and the concert on the South Oval will offer attendees a chance to get closer than they might at a typical arena show.
Although students might not have been aware of the show beforehand, it doesn’t mean they aren’t interested. After finding out about the concert, Betancourt said there was a distinct possibility she would go.
“Now that I do (know about the concert), I might go,” she said.
