Just a few days into spring, the fall portion of this year’s concert calendar got a big addition with the announcement that Weezer will headline an alt/indie rock showcase Oct. 7 at Fiserv Forum that also includes The Shins and Silversun Pickups.
The last time Weezer were in Wisconsin was a 2023 visit to Breese Stevens Field that featured a memorable cameo by Evan Marsalli, drummer of Milwaukee band Diet Lite. The alternative legends were in southeastern Wisconsin a few years before that, playing at the belated 2021 edition of Summerfest as part of the Hella Mega Tour with co-headliners Green Day and Fall Out Boy.
It’s been even longer since The Shins last graced Milwaukee. The band that changed Natalie Portman’s life in Garden State were also part of Summerfest history, closing out the festival’s 50th anniversary with a show at the BMO Pavilion. They’ve been infrequent visitors besides that, so consider the show coming up this October a rare (possibly final, because you never know with James Mercer) chance to catch them live here.
Rounding out things at the Fiserv Forum will be Silversun Pickups, who have dropped by the Rave with regularity since breaking out in the mid/late-2000s, most recently visiting in 2024. Many of us first got our ears on the band via “Lazy Eye,” either through the debut album on which it appeared (Carnavas) or the juggernaut music video game trend that saw the track land in both Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero World Tour. Their subsequent albums — Swoon and Neck of the Woods — both landed in the top 10 of Billboard’s album chart.
Tickets to “Weezer: The Gathering” — as the tour is called — featuring The Shins and Silversun Pickups have a local presale that kicks off at 10 a.m. next Thursday, April 2 (code: MILWAUKEE) online via Ticketmaster. The general sale starts at 10 a.m. the following day, also through Ticketmaster as well as in person at the Fiserv Forum box office.
