106 -- Guster -- Wednesday, April 18, 2012 -- Lincoln Theater – Washington, DC

The Nada Surf concert I saw the week before Guster could not have gone any better; frontman Matthew Caws could not have put on a better show.  The thing is, though, Guster still beat them.  Nada Surf is a solid band who delivers solid concerts, but they cannot compete with Guster live.  At this point, virtually no one can.  Bruce / Dave own the arena, Jeff / Win own indie, Tim / Matt own punk, and all of Guster’s members own…fun.

There were few moments the entire night that band members and audience members did not seem profoundly happy.  It felt like a late night in a freshman dorm, or the end of a fraternity camping trip.  It did not matter that there were 1200 people there.  It felt like Spotswood; it felt like TDX.  It was that intimate.  For someone who was not at the Lincoln Theater that night or has not seen Guster in concert, it’s hard to replicate that vibe, but I can at least share some of the top moments:

--- The “Window” rule.  Guster had a rule that on the rare occasion that someone requests “Window,” one of their most obscure songs, they promise to exit the stage, walk into the audience, and serenade the requester!  They certainly made good on that promise.

--- All the “interacting on social media,” as frontman Ryan Miller termed it.  Twitter allowed the band to request different items for their children each show.  This time, audience members brought in piggy banks!  In turn, Miller stumbled through covers of “Here Comes the Sun” and “The Lady in Red,” quipping, “Notice how few people are asking that we perform Guster songs.”  The person that requested “Lady in Red” was none other than Miller’s mom!  Miller described it as “one of the weirdest moments of my professional career.”  I’d describe it as one of the most endearing.   

--- The opening comedy act from Curb Your Enthusiasm‘s Jeff Garlin – especially when he messed with people who came late and when he did a voiceover for the theater’s hulking, pierced bouncer.  I wish I remembered specific lines from the set, but it was definitely funny.

--- All the unplugged instruments.  Multiple acoustic guitars, a violin, a cello, and a trumpet were featured during the show.  The trumpet was especially cool since Hark Tagunicar’s friend Sal, who we randomly ran into during the show, was a big trumpet player.

--- Finding out that The Game / Chris Brown stole portions of Guster’s “Rocketship” for their “Pot of Gold.”   When asked whether he felt exploited, Miller explained, “Well, we’ve been in this business a long time, and it’s not our first time watching ‘Rocketship’ get plucked from us for the glory of others.  Isn’t that right, Clark University Counterpoints?!”

--- Finding out that whistling really adds to “Rainy Day” and silence is the best part of “Empire State.”

--- Deciding that the intro to “This Could All Be Yours” sounded like the intro to “The Captain,” “Two Points for Honesty” sounded like Mumford and Sons, and “Come Downstairs and Say Hello” sounded AMAZING.

--- Deciding that “Jesus On the Radio” was the perfect closer: a spiritual song ending a spiritual show.

Grade: A+