Hey! Wait! We have no complaints! Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo took on Nirvana‘s hit “Heart-Shaped Box” for the first time last week during his “Island in the Zoom” livestream show, which he launched after the coronavirus pandemic led to the cancellation of concerts around the world as people began sheltering in place.
In the grainy video the musician uploaded on Monday (May 11), Cuomo plunks out the haunting tune on the piano while dressed in a blue and white striped tank top, a ginormous plant next to him. Even without the drums and roaring guitars of In Utero‘s original version, Cuomo’s take is able to translate the ache that runs through Kurt Cobain‘s song.
Cuomo is no stranger to covering the iconic Seattle grunge band’s songs. Weezer (playing under the alias Goat Punishment) covered “Breed” off of Nevermind in 1998. More recently, they took on “Lithium” while opening for the Foo Fighters in September 2019. Dave Grohl, who was Nirvana’s drummer, was so moved by the cover he later told the audience, “I gotta be honest, I cried a little bit. I did! I miss playing that song. I miss it, so I’m happy to hear Weezer play it.”
This summer, Weezer is set to hit the road with Green Day and Fall Out Boy for the worldwide Hella Mega Tour; however, the European leg has been postponed due to the pandemic, and the fate of the rest of the dates remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, the band has kept busy while sheltering at home. They dropped new single “Hero” — off the upcoming album Van Weezer — on May 6, and debuted part of a new song “Blue Dream” as animated musical guests on The Simpsons May 10.
Check out Cuomo’s cover of “Heart-Shaped Box” below:
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