Alongside the road in Utah this summer, an unsolicited billboard ad for Weezer appeared. Purchased by a fan and social media influencer named Cory Hunter Winn, the billboard is part of an oddball promotional strategy for his clothing company, Lucca International.
Now, Weezer — the Rivers Cuomo-led Los Angeles rock band — has responded in kind. The group raised a response billboard in the area as a way to thank the fan.
Winn’s original outdoor ad in Murray, Utah, sports a blank white background and all-caps “WEEZER” text in a plain, Comic Sans-like font. It reads as a tongue-in-cheek boost of the band in service of Winn’s marketing campaign, which included another non-Weezer billboard in the town, according to The Salt Lake Tribune and Stereogum.
Last week, in a video showing the response billboard, Winn explained, “Alright, alright — so I bought this billboard, right? Everyone knows; it’s in Utah. It’s been there for, what, six months now? But today, this one pops up down the road. I’m not kidding.”
He added, “We don’t know who bought it. … They’re responding to us via billboard. It was sent to me today. I haven’t gone and seen it for myself. But that doesn’t look fake, does it? Who did this? Was it Weezer?! Are we in contact?!”
Winn shared several more clips of the response billboard. The reply on the ad reads, “Thanks to whoever bought the billboard down the road. – Weezer.”
Weezer confirmed the billboard response was genuine by reposting a video of it over the weekend (Oct. 14).
Earlier this year, Weezer celebrated 30 years as a band. The third release in their ongoing SZNZ series, SZNZ: Autumn, emerged Sept. 22. The fourth and final, SZNZ: Winter, arrives Dec. 21.
Weezer Billboards in Utah – October 2022
10 Alternative Rock Songs Written Under the Influence of Alcohol or Drugs
Drugs are a part of life. They are also a part of rock — even alternative rock. So because heavy metal and classic rock already have so many inebriated tales of their own, here are a few from the alt-rock end of things.
