The Shins

We went for The Shins, with the added pleasure of seeing Silversun Pickups again. Weezer was almost an afterthought. Three bands from overlapping corners of the alternative rock universe, each carrying a few decades of songs that had somehow become part of the soundtrack to our lives. The kind of lineup that makes you realize just how much time has passed since you first heard some of this music.

Silversun Pickups brought their familiar wall of sound, all fuzzed-out guitars and restless energy. The Shins offered something different, those beautifully strange melodies and lyrics that seem to get more meaningful as you get older. There’s a particular pleasure in hearing songs you’ve carried around for years performed by the people who wrote them. A little nostalgia, sure, but mostly appreciation.

Then Weezer showed up and absolutely stole the damn evening. What could have been a straightforward greatest-hits performance turned into a ridiculously entertaining rock show. Rivers Cuomo and company seemed to understand something important: nobody came to Bridgestone to be impressed by how seriously they take themselves. They came to have fun. Even better, bringing the Silversun Pickups guitarist back out for three songs turned the night into something more than three separate bands sharing a bill.

Peach High Noons, Bearded Iris Homestyles, and Garage Beers kept the evening properly lubricated. A respectable progression of beverages for a night spent revisiting the music of our younger years, surrounded by thousands of people who still knew every damn word.

There’s a lesson in being surprised by the band you weren’t particularly excited to see. We arrived knowing what we wanted from the evening and left talking about something entirely different. That’s live music at its best. You can buy a ticket, choose your seat, and know every song on the setlist, but you still can’t predict who’s going to steal the show.