Weezer has invited a fan named Kira Iaconetti to one of the band’s upcoming shows in 2019, after footage of her singing the group’s song “Island in the Sun” in the midst of having brain surgery went viral.
The 19-year-old Iaconetti, an aspiring musician, was recently diagnosed with a form of epilepsy that triggers seizures when she listens to or performs music. She explained about her condition, “It just (felt) like a light switch switches in my brain and suddenly I’m tone deaf. I can’t sing. I can’t process the words in time with the music.”
Doctors decided that Iaconetti could be treated for her condition through an awake craniotomy, in which she was put under anesthesia but kept awake during the surgery and asked to sing — so doctors could see which part of her brain was in use when she sang.
Video footage of Iaconetti singing during her surgery has since emerged. She sang the 2001 Weezer track “Island in the Sun” since it both reminded her of her birthplace in Hawaii and because it contained the line “I can’t control my brain.”
The surgery was successful, with Seattle Children’s Hospital confirming that Iaconetti was playing guitar and singing in her hospital bed 48 hours after the operation. Following the publication of Iaconetti’s remarkable story, Weezer reached out and invited her to join them on one of their tour dates next spring.