A series of humorous events has hit the Internet as Weezer, Toto, and Weird Al Yankovic have come together under a playful, musical roast of some sort. Beginning in May 2018 with Weezer covering Toto’s “Rosanna”, the act started a game between the two iconic bands. Next, Weezer sang a rendition of Toto’s “Africa” earlier this year, which ultimately received an unexpected amount of praise as it reached number one on Alternative radio and number 54 on Billboard’s Hot 100.
Following their own songs being sung with a twist, Toto felt it was only necessary to try Weezer’s 2001 version of “Hash Pipe”. Speaking with The Guardian, keyboard player, Steve Porcaro said the original idea was to cover the band’s top hit, “Beverly Hills”, because it “lent itself to a Toto vibe”. However, with some convincing, the band decided upon “Hash Pipe” and dedicated the performance to their friends during Toto’s first concert of the Vancouver tour in July 2018.
While performing at The Forum concert venue in Los Angeles, Yankovic made a guest appearance on stage for an accordion solo during Weezer’s live performance of “Africa”. Additionally, on The Jimmy Kimmel Show, Weezer invited Porcaco onto the stage to perform alongside the band for the 1980’s pop hit. On Sept. 24, Weezer took the joke one step further by releasing their “Africa” music video starring Yankovic. In a replica of Weezer’s “Undone-The Sweater Song”, Yankovic is seen mimicking Weezer’s frontman Rivers Cuomo, blue-black drop complete with look-alike band members.
Not only has the interaction between these artists been a light-hearted parody, but it has shown the talent of this group of musicians. For the first time since 2009, Weezer is seen back in the Hot 100 after their release of “(If You Are Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To”, which peaked at number 89, reported Stereogum. The creativity that went into the remixing and reproducing of these legendary hits and music video highlights the core talent of Weezer, Toto, and Yankovic.