With post-Y2K Weezer, there are two ways to look at anything. Take this video, last night’s Hurley-promoting appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno last night. It’s a pretty good performance of a pretty good song, but one thing stands out: Rivers Cuomo uses crib notes. Sarah Palin-style, he wrote some lyrics on his forearm that he checks occasionally.

Now you could view this one of two ways. Weezer detractors might call this shameful, yet another symptom of Weezer’s decline. Weezer defenders, on the other hand, might find it endearing that after all these years, Rivers still gets the jitters when he goes on TV. In the age of teleprompters, it displays either an extraordinary technological backwardness or a quaint retro nostalgia (the song is called “Memories” after all).

Is all this making much out of a non-issue? Probably. But with most late night performances blending together, any idiosyncrasy stands out. For better or worse. See for yourself below.