Weezer makes believers out of sold-out crowd at Pacific Amphitheatre

Rivers Cuomo is a geek and he knows it.

He knows he’ll never be as popular as the celebrities in “Beverly Hills,” he prefers surfing over driving and he longs to be on an “Island in the Sun.” But that quirkiness is what makes his fans adore him.

Dressed in a Boy Scout uniform and his token thick-rimmed glasses, Cuomo and his band Weezer performed those popular songs and more to a sold-out crowd at the Pacific Amphitheatre on Friday night.

With no opening act, the Los Angeles-based band carried on a captivating show for just more than an hour, playing hit after hit.

Such popular tunes as “El Scorcho” and “Hash Pipe” energized the crowd and proved that Weezer still had it, even after more than two decades since forming as a band.

Throughout the night, fans danced and sang along to songs from the group’s nine albums. And Cuomo showed his appreciation by continually jumping into the crowd to interact with his fans.

“I wish I could walk through the whole arena and say hi to everyone,” Cuomo said. “This is our hometown. This is where it all started way back in 1992.”

Later in the set, Cuomo paid homage to the show’s location.

“They don’t call it Banana County,” he said. “They don’t call it Strawberry County. What do they call it? Orange County!”

This statement showed Cuomo’s goofy humor, which is also evident in his lyrics.

A particularly beautiful moment happened during “Perfect Situation,” which inspired the mostly middle-aged audience to sing in unison to the “oh” part.

“Alright, guys, now we know they can sing,” Rivers said toward the band. “But can Scott sing?”

With that, bassist Scott Shriner took over vocals for “Dope Nose” while Cuomo played the song’s catchy guitar riff.

Guitarist Brian Bell also proved that he could handle vocals as he sang “Keep Fishin’,” and played piano on “The Greatest Man That Ever Lived,” proving that each band member was talented enough to handle multiple instruments.

As the group played “Pork and Beans,” Cuomo introduced each member by having them sing a bit from the song, adding a unique touch to the typical instrumental solo introductions at other concerts.

Weezer ended its set with “Undone (The Sweater Song),” which had fans dancing and singing, even when they were walking in the stands toward the exits.

Will it be a while until Weezer performs in Orange County again? “Say It Ain’t So.”