| Weezer Cruise | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster for the 2012 cruise | |
| Genre | Rock |
| Dates | January 19–23, 2012 February 13–17, 2014 |
| Venue | Carnival Destiny (2012) Carnival Fascination (2014) |
| Locations | Miami toCozumel (2012) Jacksonville, Florida toFreeport andNassau, The Bahamas (2014) |
| Years active | 2012, 2014 |
| Attendance | 2,200 (2012) |
| Organised by | SixthMan |
TheWeezer Cruise was amusic cruise hosted by the Americanrock bandWeezer that was held in 2012 and in 2014. The cruise was organized by the company SixthMan and took place aboardcruise ships operated by theCarnival Cruise Line. The 2012 cruise took place from January 19 to 23 and consisted of a round trip fromMiami toCozumel aboard theCarnival Destiny, while the 2014 edition took place from February 13 to 17 and consisted of a round trip fromJacksonville, Florida, to the Bahamas aboard theCarnival Fascination, with stops inFreeport andNassau. For both cruises, Weezer was joined by numerous supporting acts, withOzma being the only other band to participate in both events. The cruises received positive reviews from music publications.
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On July 12, 2011, the Americanrock bandWeezer announced plans for amusic cruise that would take place in 2012.[1][2][3] The cruise, which was organized by theAtlanta-based company SixthMan,[4][5] would last from Thursday, January 19 to Monday, January 23.[1] It would take place aboard theCarnival Destinycruise ship, which is operated by theCarnival Cruise Line, and consist of a round trip fromMiami in the United States toCozumel in Mexico.[1] For the cruise, fourstages were prepared on the ship,[2][3] including one that was erected on top of aswimming pool.[6]
Per the initial announcement, the lineup for the concert, in addition to theheadlining act of Weezer, would consist ofsupporting actsThe Antlers,Boom Bip,Dinosaur Jr.,Free Energy,Gene Ween andDave Dreiwitz, Keepaway,The Knocks, The Nervous Wreckords,Ozma,Sebadoh,Sleeper Agent,Wavves,Yacht Rock Revue, andYuck.[1] Additionally,Lou Barlow of Sebadoh andJ Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. were scheduled to havesolo performances.[2]
At the time that they announced the cruise, Weezer was working on new material and was planning aconcert tour withThe Flaming Lips.[3][7] BothBillboard andNME, in their discussions of the cruise, noted that it was part of a trend for Weezer of performing in unconventional venues or touring styles.[8][9] Discussing this, drummerPatrick Wilson said, "We don't tour the way we used to. We used to go out for months at a time in a bus and kind of lose your mind. Nowadays, we've all got kids, and we just pick our spots. We much prefer it, actually."[8] A pre-sale event for the cruise tickets began on July 21, with regular sales beginning on August 3.[2] Prices started at $799 (equivalent to $1,117 in 2024) per person for a double cabin, or $599 ($837 in 2024) per person for group bookings of four people.[3][10]
The Weezer Cruise was one of a number of high-profile music cruises that took place in the early 2010s.[11][12][13] In a 2012 article forThe New York Times, Joe Levy, the editor forBillboard, called music cruises "a quietly thriving corner of the music and cruise industries", further saying, "While themusic business has been in decline for over a decade and traditionalcruise lines have never quite figured out how to attract the cool crowd, music cruises are both profitable and proliferating."[6] Other musical acts that either had hosted or were planning to host music cruises at the time includedSteve Earle,[3]Knife Party,[14]Kid Rock,[15]John Mayer,[15]Motörhead,[16][17]Paramore,[18][19]R Kelly,[20]Skrillex,[14] andLoudon Wainwright III,[3] among others.[21][22] In an interview withTone Deaf, Weezer highlighted the first cruise as among their top 20 career highlights.[23][24]
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On January 19,[25] the cruise departed fromPortMiami with approximately 2,200 passengers.[6][26] At departure, Weezer performed on the top deck of the ship, opening with "Hash Pipe"[25] and continuing with some of theirgreatest hits,[4][5] as well as non-Weezer originals "Karma Police"[26] and "Paranoid Android".[5] During this performance, Cuomo stepped down from the stage and interacted with fans.[4][6] For their next performance, the band played the entirety of their 1994 albumWeezer.[6][26] On Friday, the band put on two performances that included their albumPinkerton and several B-side songs.[27]Rivers Cuomo, the lead singer of Weezer, also read excerpts fromThe Pinkerton Diaries, which he recorded while making the album.[26] Other events that occurred on Friday included a Weezer-themed party forsingle people,[27] a Weezer-themedtrivia contest with the bandmembers participating,[26] and acannonball contest with the members of Sebadoh serving as judges.[4]
The ship docked at Cozumel on Saturday.[28] That night, the cruise featured a1980s-themedprom event.[4] Other events that Weezer bandmembers participated in during the cruise included a midnight movie screening hosted by guitaristBrian Bell, ashuffleboard contest overseen by Wilson,[29] and bassistScott Shriner presiding over wedding vow renewals.[10][30] In total, there were sixteen acts from all of the performers who were involved in the cruise.[6] Over the span of four days, Barlow performed seven shows between his solo acts and ensemble performances with Dinosaur Jr. and Sebadoh.[4][30] The ship returned to Miami on January 23.[25]
A follow-up event to the 2012 cruise was announced on March 11, 2013.[31] The band stated that they would hold three performances of their own during the event, which was scheduled to last from February 13 through February 17, 2014, and consist of a round trip fromJacksonville, Florida, to the Bahamas.[31][23] Specific stops in the Bahamas would includeFreeport andNassau, with Weezer performing an island beach party in the latter.[32] Unlike the 2012 cruise, this one would take place aboard theCarnival Fascination.[33] The lineup, which was announced later on May 28,[32] includedAsh,Bleached,Cat Power,Caveman,[32]The Cribs,Adam DeVine,[32]DIIV,Holy Fuck,The Orwells, Ozma,[32]Palma Violets,The Relationship,[32] andToro y Moi.[29][34] Individual tickets for the event had a starting price of $599 ($809 in 2024).[24]
During the cruise, Weezer debuted the song "Back to the Shack",[35] which would later be featured on their 2014 albumEverything Will Be Alright in the End.[36] According to Cuomo, the cruises were a major source of inspiration for the album, saying in an interview with the magazineQ, "One of the most inspiring moments for this record was when we did the Weezer Cruises and we were locked up with a bunch of our fans for five days. It was just such a feeling of love and support and passion for the most uniquely Weezer parts of what we do."[37]
In a 2012 article forThe Guardian,Wendy Fonarow gave the cruise a positive review.[4] Positive reviews were also given by Danny Cox ofBillboard and byNME,[5] with the latter calling it "one of the most surreal holidays in history".[25] Julia Wallace, in a blog forAlan Cross'sA Journal of Musical Things, said that the cruise resembled what she imagined "Spring Break atDaytona Beach" would be like.[30]
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