Weezer‘s enduring popularity can be a sore spot for the band’s early fans.

Following the success of its first two albums, the band took a three-year hiatus in the late nineties before finally returning to the spotlight. That period is more than just an empty space on Weezer’s resume — it serves as the wedge between the band’s two distinct groups of devotees.

On one side, there are those who were weened on the classic Blue Album and the almighty Pinkerton, and who view the band’s last five albums as, at best, a goofy waste of time, or, at worst, a pillaging of their youth and cynical cash-grab on the same insidious par as the Star Wars prequels.

On the other side of the divide are the band’s younger, second generation of fans, who grew up on post-hiatus hits like “Beverly Hills” and “Pork and Beans,” don’t view lyrics like “Everybody get dangerous, boo yah” as slumming it, and don’t understand what all those whiny Pinkerton fans keep getting so emo about.

Regardless of which side you fall on, you’ll probably enjoy at least part of Weezer’s August 21 show at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. The concert is the latest in the race track’s summer-long concert series, which recently featured shows by Pinback, the Soft Pack and the B-52s.

Weezer are currently at a crossroads in their career — they just announced that they’re leaving their longtime label Geffen for the greener, punkier pastures of Epitaph Records.

Could their departure signal a change back to the less ridiculous Weezer of yesteryear? Could their show at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club be the beginning of a new renaissance for the band? Will their long-suffering fans finally see Weezer deliver on the promise of greatness they made with Pinkerton?

Probably not, but it looks like we’ll all have to head on up to Del Mar on August 21 just in case.