Weezer’s members took the stage at the 2026 Billboard Live Music Summit to receive the Legends of Live award and reflect on their booming touring business.
After appearing on the cover of Billboard’s touring issue this month, Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo, drummer Patrick Wilson and bassist Scott Shriner chatted with Billboard co-chief content officer Jason Lipshutz during the Tuesday (Nov. 10) conference in Los Angeles.
Legends of Live is an apt award for Weezer, which has toured every year since 2008 with the exception of 2020. They’re currently headlining arenas on the global Weezer: The Gathering Tour, averaging $1.1 million per show in 2026, according to Billboard Boxscore. Cuomo said Tuesday that while sometimes grueling, road life “feels like that’s a mission I want to take on.”
“It’s hard, but it feels meaningful,” remarked Cuomo. Shriner added, “There’s just nothing I’d rather be doing. I love traveling, I love waking up in different cities and running around playing shows. It’s just my dream life.”
Three decades into making music together, Weezer’s members have grown and evolved – and so have their routines on the road. These days, said Wilson, his favorite part of touring is bringing his family along. Cuomo added pickleball to his pre-show routine “I set it up right behind the stage, and for ten mins right before I walk onstage, I play pickleball,” said Cuomo.
The band spoke as well about the concept for The Gathering Tour, which features the band members playing next to each other in a set design resembling a house. “We created this album together in a small room in Orange County,” noted Shriner. “So going on tour we wanted to make it feel kind of similar. We’re standing a little closer to each other. It felt like I was more connected with each band member while we were playing, and the idea was to make a big space feel like a small, inclusive space.”
The band members thanked a slew of team members when they accepted the Legends of Live award, including their agents at WME and managers at Crush Management.