SHEEZER at Lee’s Palace, Friday, August 7. Rating: NNNN
It was bittersweet to watch Sheezer, the all-female tribute band to seminal 90s sad boys Weezer, perform for the last time. The Toronto foursome kicked off their farewell show with O Girlfriend and what ensued was a set so classics-heavy that there were almost no moments when the packed house at Lee’s Palace wasn’t singing along.
Sun-drenched fan faves like Surf Wax America and In The Garage got the crowd’s blood pumping a bit more than lesser-known tracks like Jamie and Across The Sea. Dana Snell (drums), Laura Barrett (bass), Alysha Haugen (lead guitar), and Robin Hatch (multi-instrumentalist) played so fast and hard there was little time for stage banter.
After a gloriously sloppy take on The Good Life, Sheezer took a quick break and returned to encore with Hash Pipe. That led into an epic version of Only In Dreams that shook the bar and drove home just how much of a drag it was that this would be the last time it would happen. The band took their final bow with an a capella rendition of Butterfly that broke the remaining full hearts in the crowd.
music@nowtoronto.com | @mattgeewilliams