Weezer: Los Angeles Spaceland

The gathering outside Spaceland looks all too much like a Depression-era breadline. And the headliners Goat Punishment look all too much like pop darlings Weezer. Though they've adopted the name to play secret shows at smaller venues, it's no mystery that Weezer are back for the holidays. As the first in a series of Los Angeles shows, tonight's gig greets those lucky enough to squeeze into the small club with a flashing Goat Punishment sign - a knock-off of the Weezer logo, itself a knock-off of the Van Halen logo.

Borderline mental case Rivers Cuomo wastes no time in leading his crew through a thirty-minute mini-set, racing through 'Undone (The Sweater Song)', 'Say It Ain't So', 'Tired Of Sex' and other emo-marinated-pop gems that gained the quartet mass attention in the post-grunge era. Known for covering Nirvana and Oasis for an entire show under the bizarre Goat Punishment moniker, Weezer is simply Weezer tonight. The tunes don't stray far from their album versions, and that seems to be what the crowd likes. The band doesn't leave much new material for fans, but the festive 'Christmas Celebration' tune and a quick encore with 'Surf Wax America' serve as a warm-up for what's to come.

With Ric Ocasek of The Cars fame producing their new album (set for spring) and this weekend's appearances at LA radio station KROQ's Acoustic Christmas shows with No Doubt, Deftones and Moby, going incognito may be the only way to keep Cuomo off the funny farm for good.

Tony Bogdanovski