6 -- Guster – Saturday, October 27, 2007 – Lake Matoaka – Williamsburg, VA

Behind the Music

The refurbished Lake Matoaka amphitheater was an impressive venue. I wish it’d been open for concerts when I was at William and Mary.

Catching up with Sara Rutter and the other undergrads during the lulls added to the Homecoming experience.



Album-Concert Contrast

Listening to a Guster album is like taking a late winter drive through Vermont. Snow swirls all around you, and the temperature hovers around zero, but there’s no fear of frostbite. You’ve got a hat, gloves, a snug North Face jacket, and a heater on full blast. Inside your warm car, you can sit back and let your mind wander – counting the snowflakes, tracing the tree branches, admiring all that nature has to offer.

Attending a Guster concert is like driving through Vermont on a party bus – with the windows open. The scenery is all the same, but it’s hard to admire when surrounded by fifty-something restless college kids. They may think being rowdy adds energy and opening the windows adds adventure, but they don’t realize what they’re missing. They’ve lost the warmth; they’ve abandoned the most intimate parts of the drive.





Translation

Guster’s best songs are soothing and introspective. These qualities were lost in concert when the band made numerous attempts to Rock up the crowd – even including pranks on two occasions. First, after the opening band, they came out dressed in costume as a ‘second’ opening band. I can’t remember if they were dressed as chickens, aliens, rednecks, or something else (yes, I’m aware those are all very different), but I do remember it being bizarre. Later, before the encore, they turned their back for a moment and announced that that was the official act break. Then they just finished the set.

The bits were funny, don’t get me wrong, but they cheapened the music. They lessened Guster’s original power.

Grade: C+