The Weezer song so difficult they refused to play it live
Bands face a constant problem: They are sometimes restricted in pushing themselves to the very limits because they know they will need to play the song live. Bands such as Weezer, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Steely Dan, and The Beatles have all been faced with similar problems in that some of their tracks couldn’t be played live because they were far too complex.
Steely Dan quickly recognised that they were putting unnecessary limitations on their band by playing live. They had to limit what they did in the studio so that they would still be able to play the songs live. After deciding to stop playing live, the band took this new sense of liberation and put it into making complicated songs that were heavy with innovative effects. These couldn’t be played live but could be recorded in the studio.
The Beatles had a similar revelation. When they stopped performing live, the decision came following a run of poor shows. They were excited about the new opportunities that not touring brought them. It led to them creating some of their most experimental music, such as that on Sgt Pepper’s, The White Album, and Abbey Road.
Even an amazing guitarist like Angus Young admits that playing some songs live fills him with dread. He might look like he has everything under control, but he admits that he always feels nervous when he plays ‘Thunderstruck’ live because the song is incredibly hard to get right.
“When we perform it live, I have to sit down for an hour and make sure I’ve got my fingers warmed up to take on that track,” said Angus Young, “It’s got an unrelenting intricacy. I have to be confident whenever I play it”.
Led Zeppelin also struggled with one of their songs. Despite each band member being often cited as the very best in their field, even they stretched beyond their ability at times. They had to not bother attempting to play the track ‘Four Sticks’ live because it was so hard to play. The track’s time signature made it borderline impossible to play on stage.
“It took him ages to get ‘Four Sticks.’ I seemed to be the only one who could actually count things in. Page would play something and [John would] say, ‘That’s great. Where’s the first beat? You know it, but you gotta tell us…’” Recalled John Paul Jones, “He couldn’t actually count what he was playing. It would be a great phrase, but you couldn’t relate it to a count. If you think of ‘one’ being in the wrong place, you are completely screwed.”
Even a band like Weezer isn’t immune to this kind of stressful dilemma, where some of their songs prove too difficult to play on stage. This happened with the track ‘The Angel and the One’ from their 2008 album Red Album. The band loved the track, with Patrick Wilson even naming it the best track off the album. Fans loved it and were very happy when Weezer played it live in Melbourne in 2013; however, the track proved so difficult to get right that this marks the only time Weezer have ever played it live.
