105 – Nada Surf – Tuesday, April 10, 2012 – Verizon Center – Washington, DC

I arrived at the show very unsettled.  Part of this was because I had just dragged a flat tire six miles across Rock Creek Parkway.  Mainly, though, I was unsettled because I did not know how Hark Tagunicar would react to Nada Surf.  He had not known much about the band, and they did not offer many pop hooks or catchy choruses.

Fortunately, I found out pretty quickly that I had nothing to fear.  Nada Surf retained the awesome chill vibe they had the previous 9:30 Club show, and this time they played their best possible combination of songs.  Everything was there: “Concrete Bed,” “Waiting for Something,” “Weightless,” “Killian’s Red,” even “Blonde on Blonde,” which I called seconds before they played it!  There were also a number of stellar one-two punches – back-to-back songs whose rhythm and mood played off each other: “When I Was Young” was followed by “The Way You Wear Your Head,” “Blonde on Blonde” was followed by “High Speed Soul,” “Visions of Love” was followed by “Always Love.” 

It was not a perfect show: “Jules and Jim” dragged, “PaperBoats” sank, and the brilliance of “The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy” ended with its title.  Emotionally, though, it was perfect.  By the time they made it to the end, to the joyful burst of expletives in “Blankest Year,” the crowd was united.  As frontman Matthew Caws said, “I’ve got everyone here, man.  I’ve been together with Dan, my [mega-dredded] bassist, and Ira, my [Jagger-esque] drummer, since I was six.  I have my dad with me here in the audience tonight, and I have all of you.  I’ve got no complaints.” 

Grade: A