Weezer is among the headliners for DeLuna Fest, set for Oct. 14-16 on Pensacola Beach. / Special to GoPensacola.com
WEEZER AT DELUNA FEST
Weezer is set to perform at 9 p.m. Friday on the main stage at DeLuna Fest.
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Weezer makes 'Memories'
Longtime fans know Patrick Wilson as the drummer for Weezer. But when the alt-rock superstars take the stage at DeLuna Fest on Oct. 14, you won't see Wilson behind the kit much.
"Rivers (Cuomo, Weezer's frontman), a couple of years ago, felt restricted by playing just guitar and singing, so I took that opportunity (to play guitar)," Wilson said during a phone interview to promote the band's DeLuna Fest appearance. "It's every drummer's dream to get out from behind the kit and be the guitar player, and I took that opportunity."
Weezer — which also features guitarist Brian Bell and bassist Scott Shriner — has been known to switch off on instruments over the years, both live and in the studio. These days, the touring drumming is mostly handled by veteran session drummer Josh Freese.
"It's been fun to shred on the guitar and bring my friend Josh out," Wilson said. "(Now,) if it's a regular show, I just play one song on drums."
It's hard to believe, but next year will mark 20 years since Weezer got together, and 18 since the band broke through to huge success with it's self-titled debut album (known to fans as "The Blue Album," as Weezer has three self-titled albums to its credit) and hits such as "Buddy Holly" and "Undone (The Sweater Song)." Short of a hiatus around the turn of the century, the band has remained a fresh presence on radio with songs such as "Beverly Hills," "Hash Pipe," "Island in the Sun," "Memories" and "Pork and Beans."
Ask Wilson, and he's not surprised to still be making music two decades later.
"I simply never accepted the option of not being in music," Wilson said. "Maybe I've been in denial the whole time. I just keep my head down and go."
Still, Wilson does occasionally find himself wondering how he got to where he is today — part of a multi-platinum band that regularly performs in front of thousands of screaming fans.
"I'll sort of contemplate about what we've been able to do," he said. "When you get older and have kids, your perceptions change. I feel like a completely different person now than when we first started.
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"Not only has my perspective changed, but I think people who are fans, they also build up a bunch of nostalgia as life goes on, so it takes on another meaning apart from the original thing that attracted them to Weezer."
Wilson said that one of the things that keeps Weezer going is that the band knows when it's time to take things a little easier. That earlier-mentioned hiatus, between the band's second album, 1996's "Pinkerton," and 2001's second self-titled disc ("The Red Album" to fans), set that tone.
"Weezer has a funny history," Wilson said. "We're not Katy Perry, let's put it that way. She just seems super-driven, where Weezer will just not do stuff for a while if we feel like it."
Weezer's visual side has also been a key to its success, with a series of striking music videos helping to keep the band in the public eye.
"We've been super fortunate to work with very talented directors," Wilson said. "When your first two videos are directed by (award-winning director) Spike Jonze, you've got a lot going for you."
Wilson thinks directors have responded to something intrinsic in the band's music over the years.
"I think there's a kind of intelligence infused into our records, and I believe a lot of directors respond to that and represent it visually," he said.
Still, and perhaps most importantly, Wilson said Weezer is still having fun.
"We played like 54 shows last year, which is pretty good," he said. "That part is super fun. I think we've figured out a way to be active but not burn out, and I think that's good. Typically that's what happens to bands, they play for years and years and lose the spark."
