Weezer Surprise with New Covers Album, Tour Dates

The Weezer cover is a controversial art form. Fans were at each other’s throats following the release of their rendition of Toto’s “Africa” last summer, vehemently arguing over whether the group did right by staying so true to the original song. Expect the in-fighting to continue with the surprise release of The Teal Album, Weezer’s new LP of throwback covers, out now via Crush Records/Atlantic. Listen to their version of The Turtles’ “Happy Together,” and see the full tracklist and artwork down below.

Weezer have always enjoyed integrating covers into their live sets, having performed everything from Nirvana to Outkast. Until last May, Toto’s Africa seemed like an obvious hole in their borrowed discography. Provoked virally by Twitter user @weezerafrica, the band eventually gave in, and ended up with their first Billboard No. 1 single in 10 years. Surely, the surprising success of this release must’ve prompted the recording of an entire batch of throwback pastiche.

However, Weezer cover naysayers can relax. This guilty pleasure of the group’s won’t affect the release of the forthcoming Black Album, which is still due out March 1. A few new tour stops were announced as well, rounding out their previously announced road schedule alongside Pixies. See all their U.S. road dates below.

You can stream The Teal Album in full here.

The Teal Album Tracklist:
01. Africa (Toto)
02. Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Tears for Fears)
03. Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) (The Eurythmics)
04. Take On Me (a-ha)
05. Happy Together (The Turtles)
06. Paranoid (Black Sabbath)
07. Mr. Blue Sky (Electric Light Orchestra)
08. No Scrubs (TLC)
09. Billie Jean (Michael Jackson)
10. Stand By Me (Ben E. King)

The Teal Album Album Art:

Weezer Tour Dates:

March
08 – Louisville, Ky. @ KFC Yum! Center
10 – Columbia, S.C. @ Colonial Life Arena
12 – New York, N.Y. @ Madison Square Garden
13 – Montreal, Que. @ Bell Centre
14 – Albany, N.Y. @ Times Union Center
16 – Mashantucket, Conn. @ Foxwoods Resort Casino
17 – Baltimore, Md. @ Royal Farms Arena
19 – Columbus, Ohio @ Schottenstein Center
20 – Grand Rapids, Mich. @ Van Andel Arena
22 – Memphis, Tenn. @ FedEx Forum
24 – St. Louis, Mo. @ Enterprise Center
26 – Kansas City, Mo. @ Sprint Center
27 – Tulsa, Okla. @ BOK Center
28 – Des Moines, Iowa @ Wells Fargo Arena
30 – St. Paul, Minn. @ Xcel Energy Center
31 – Madison, Wis. @ Alliant Energy Center

April
05 – Nampa, Idaho @ Ford Idaho Center Arena
06 – Portland, Ore. @ Moda Center
07 – Vancouver, B.C. @ Rogers Arena
09 – Sacramento, Calif. @ Golden 1 Center
10 – Oakland, Calif. @ Oracle Arena
12 – Las Vegas, Nev. @ Mandalay Bay Event Center
13 – Indio, Calif. @ Coachella
20 – Indio, Calif. @ Coachella

June
29 – London, U.K. @ O2 Academy Brixton

July
02 – Hamburg, Germany @ Stadtpark
04 – Utrecht, Netherlands @ Tivoli Vredenburg
07 – Bologna, Italy @ Sonic Park
08 – Zurich, Switzerland @ Xtra