How Boca Outdid Weezer

By
Marci
Shatzman

Fans
came
out
for
the
band
not
the
birthday,
but
the
city
was
well
prepared.
Headliner
Weezer’s
AEG
ticketed
concert
billed
as
a
Boca
Raton
Centennial
event
sold
out
almost
immediately
in
the
outdoor
Mizner
Park
Amphitheater
Saturday
night.
So,
Boca
had
to
scramble.
It
did.

Two
giant
screens
showing
the
stage
were
set
up
on
either
side of
the
north
pavilion
in
the
city-owned
median
in
Mizner
Park.
More
people
brought
their
own
seating
or
sat
on
fountain
ledges
to
watch
from
there
than
the
turnout
in
the
front
of
the
amphitheater
with
barricades
and
a
no
chairs
sign.
 Mayor
Scott
Singer
and
city
council
introduced
the
7:30
p.m.
concert
that
lasted
past
10
p.m.
But
other
than
centennial
projections
on
the
screen
onstage
before
the
show
started,
that
was
the
extent
of
the
city’s
birthday
mentions.

A
Centennial
merchandise
table
set
up
in
front
of
the
amphitheater
did
a
brisk
business.
And
Boca
Raton
Police
Services
Department
had
both
their
special
100
years
of
service
and
recruiting
squad
cars
and
their
own
tent,
too. 
As
usual
for
special
events
like
this,
there
was
plenty
of
visible
security.

The
city
prepared
for
the
traffic
surge
by
providing
four
free
shuttle
routes
from
4
p.m.
to
midnight,
free
parking
at
city-owned
venues,
and
cut
off
auto
access
to
Mizner
Park
inside
and
out.
So,
people
like
David
Skrabee
Jr.,
18,
and
his
dad
arrived
for
the
concert
on
bicycles.
They
were
able
to
lock
them
up.

Restaurants
and
shops
in
Mizner
Park
were
open
and
the
usual
Saturday
night
dinner
crowd,
mostly
couples,
managed
to
get
in.
You
could
tell
by
their
walking
in
the
opposite
direction
and
their
curious
looks.
A
totally
different
concert
crowd
were
mostly
families
in
Weezer
T-shirts.
Rachel
Silva,
13,
brought
her
mom
Aline.
Weezer
recorded
its
first
album
in
1994,
so
the
band
isn’t
new,
and
the
kids
said
they
listened
to
their
parents’
play
list.
But
“I’m
the
original
fan,”
Rachel
said
proudly
on
the
way
in.

The
city
publicized
the
concert
and
two
free
drone
shows
and
a
fireworks
display
the
next
night
at
Boca
Raton
Innovation
Campus
(BRiC)
as
a
weekend
of
Centennial
events.
Their
free
summer
concert
series
starts
June
13. https://myboca.us/2021/Mizner-Park-Amphitheater   If
you’re
a
Weezer
fan
and
couldn’t
get
into
the
sold-out
Boca
concert,
their
next
one
is
June
5….in
Denmark.