Say what you want about Rivers Cuomo, but the man keeps his word. Back in February, after a fan caught the Weezer singer’s attention by posting a video to TikTok of himself playing the “Buddy Holly” riff for 990 days, Cuomo invited him to perform the song with the band on tour. That offer became a reality on Wednesday night in Madison, Wisconsin.
Wisconsin native Evan Marsalli plays drums in a band called Diet Lite, though his 15 minutes of internet fame came when Cuomo virtually “duetted” his 990th “Buddy Holly” video with a challenge: to play the iconic guitar lick with the band when their “Indie Rock Roadtrip” tour came through town. Indeed, fan footage shows Marsalli with the pop-rock veterans, who piped down to let the young artist hit that “do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do” all by himself.
“After 990 videos and 1 duet @dietlitemusic finally took to the stage to play Buddy Holly last night in Madison, WI!,” the band tweeted. Check out the clip below.
Weezer’s “Indie Rock Roadtrip” tour continues through the summer, and tickets are on sale now via StubHub. Outside of playing shows, Cuomo has turned to his fans to find a co-writer for a Weezer musical — though he’s also conceded that the band might have “too much” music.
After 990 videos and 1 duet @dietlitemusic finally took to the stage to play Buddy Holly last night in Madison, WI! https://t.co/0wt6xJu5in
— weezer (@Weezer) June 15, 2023