Guster is for Lovers

So three of us had the privilege of attending a free Guster performance at the University of Arkansas last night, and I’m sure that the other guys won’t mind me speaking for them when I say that we thoroughly enjoyed the show.  It was my fifth time to see them, so most of it I had seen before, but even so, it made for a really fun evening.  If you haven’t seen Guster live, you must put it on your to-do list.  They are easily one of the best performing bands around.  A big part of that is due to the fact that they just attract really great crowds.  And last night was no exception.  Even at a free show, the crowd was engaged and actually listening the entire time.

Throughout the night, they played three new songs off of their upcoming album.  I’m not a huge fan of hearing bands play their new material live, but the songs were all really great and now I’m even more excited to hear the new album.   They also played a lot of the classics, like “Demons”, “Fa Fa” and “Barrel of a Gun”.  But the two highlights for me were “Red Oyster Cult” and “Come Downstairs and Say Hello.”   “Red Oyster Cult” is one of the few songs where Brian leaves his bongo set, and I’m actually happy for him to do so.   Joe and Adam just really let loose on the guitars for this one and it was pretty stinkin’ incredible.  But what made it stand out was their decision to transition from this song straight into Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear the Reaper”, which they were actually able to pull off really well.   They didn’t really do anything special with “Come Downstairs and Say Hello.”  That song just really gets to me.  I get goosebumps every time I hear it live.

I also really enjoy the way they mock the whole encore tradition, by telling us exactly how many times they are going to leave the stage and then return.  Their second and “real” encore (as opposed to the “fake” three song closing they did right before) was awesomely bad.  Brian stepped out from behind his drums to sing a miserable rendition of 4 Non Blondes’ “What’s Up?”  Here is a wonderful example of the Thundergod’s amazing vocal abilities.

Guster – Circle of Friends

I was really hoping to get to another “Bloody Interview” last night, but unfortunately we were never able to get that set up.  Although my good friend Will Skaggs was able to hook me up and get me backstage, where I was able to meet and talk with Brian for a little bit.  I didn’t have a lot of time, so I just asked the one question that had been burning in my brain for a couple of years now. “Why don’t you guys ever play ‘Two Points for Honesty’?”  I just let him know how disappointed I was that despite my numerous requests, I have yet to hear them play the song that first got me hooked on Guster.  And you know what he actually gave me an answer.  “That is the one song that our sound guy has told us that he will quit if we play it live,” says Brian “Thundergod” Rosenworcel.   He then went on to explain that apparently the first like thirty seconds of the song is a lot of studio trickery that is really hard to reproduce in a live format.  He also said that the song is in an octave that is pretty difficult for Ryan to sing well night after night, which seems very legit.  I could never sing it and make it sound well.

Brian then informed me that they will actually have to learn to play the song live soon, because they are embarking on a short tour in the fall to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Lost and Gone Forever.  So that would be real exciting if they were to actually come anywhere near here.   Maybe I’ll be able to fit in a road trip. You never know.  I hope someone, somewhere is making your ears bleed.

Guster – Red Oyster Cult (Live)

Blue Oyster Cult – Don’t Fear the Reaper

Guster – Come Downstairs and Say Hello