I used to sit and watch the pouring rain… and now I do it while listening to a recording of Guster performing at Boulder Theater!
Anytime you see Guster, there’s always an element of surprise. From show to show, they are constantly changing their set lists to create a unique experience for all those in attendance, in addition to creating improvised gag songs and affable crowd interactions throughout. Similar to a jam band but without the 20-minute psychedelic musical explorations, Guster’s “jam” moments are their ebb and flow with the crowd. For their most recent tour, Guster has decided to amplify the interactivity by melding improvisational comedy with music in an endearing and totally Guster way. Hosted by MC and New York based comedian Connor Ratliff, the show was a mashup and amplification of all the things that make Guster great. A show for the true hardcore Guster fan for sure.
It was immediately apparent from the start of the show that the intent was to create an experience that was entirely unique to this crowd and night. The crowd (well, really anyone in the crowd named “Connor” or “Brian”) decided what order the band members would come out. From there, there were a couple of improv songs based on a fan yelling out that they were lacking “the voice of a woman”, and goofing on another fan’s description of their “complicated job” as a Software Test Engineer. In addition to the comedy tunes, the band was also performing entirely acoustic, which was sonically different than what fans may usually be accustomed to. Although many Guster songs prominently feature acoustic instruments, and technically there were some electric guitars on stage, but they WERE all sitting down, which is very acoustic. Jokes aside, all the songs sounded great with the stripped-down acoustic composition, which led to especially poignant performances of “Hard Times”, “Two Points”, and the only dark Guster tune, “Rainy day”. The band performed a great mix of fan favorites, opening with “Careful” and closing the set with “Amsterdam”, as well as deeper cuts, such as “Rise And Shine”, which was on the “Satellite E.P.”. After the first three tunes, the band invited up their string section. The strings contributed beautifully to songs like “Rocketship”, which got its proper outro for fans of the Goldfly studio version, “Two Points For Honesty”, which got its proper intro for fans of its proper studio version, and “The Beginning Of The End”, which contained a particularly fiery violin solo in the outro, courtesy of their violinist with the very nice hair.
The crowd interactions initiated by the band and the MC made for the most distinct moments of the show. For example, a fan named Jeff wrote to the band prior to the show, delivered them a pair of socks, and asked if he could play on “Satellite”. The band not only obliged; they also asked him to come back up on stage not once, but two more times. One time was to play lullabye-esque music to a young fan that had fallen asleep during the show, and while Jeff played, the band took a selfie with the sleeping fan. The band then asked Jeff to stay on-stage for a take on OG fan-favorite, “Mona Lisa”. After his initial sit-in for “Satellite”, the crowd was chanting his name and giving him high fives on his way down the aisle. If Jeff has a cooler concert story after that, I’d love to hear it.
Guster continues to push the envelope in creating a live experience that’s entirely novel and special. Their songwriting has always won them ears, but their live show wins them fans. After almost 30 years as a band, for them to keep finding ways to keep their shows original is nothing short of spectacular. This show was everything you could want (and never knew you wanted) from a Guster show and why Guster will always make me overexcited. Can’t do a damn thing about it.
Guster | 2020-03-05 | The Boulder Theater, Boulder, CO
-= One Set =-
01. (Band Introductions)
02. (“I Am A Woman” Improv Song)
03. (“Software Test Engineer” Improv Song)
04. Careful
05. Simple Machine
06. Rise And Shine
07. Rocketship
08. (“We Got A Note” Banter)
09. (“Jeff’s Coming Down (F#m)” Improv Song)
10. Satellite[1]
11. Either Way
12. What You Call Love
13. The Beginning Of The End
14. (“Message to The Band” Banter)
15. (“11 Books” Improv Song)
16. (“I Bought Two Pieces Of Clothing” Improv Song)
17. (“Sleepy Time” Improv Song)[1]
18. Mona Lisa[1]
19. The Captain[2]
20. Backyard
21. Rainy Day
22. That’s No Way To Get To Heaven
23. Overexcited
24. Do You Love Me
25. Amsterdam
-= Encore =-
26. (Encore Break / Banter)
27. Hard Times
28. Two Points For Honesty
29. (“Thank You” Banter)
30. This Could All Be Yours Someday
Show Notes: This show was billed as “An Evening Of Acoustic Music & Improv” and was MC’d by comedian Connor Ratliff. Beginning with “Rise And Shine”, all subsequent songs featured Rebecca on cello and Bridgid on violin. “Empire State” was listed on the set list but was not played.
[1] “Satellite”, “(“Sleepy Time” Improv Song)”, and “Mona Lisa” featured fan Jeff Goeke on piano.
[2] “The Captain” was chosen over “Bad Bad World” by the audience.
Taper Notes: FOB DFC (Level C, Row: 15, Seat: 20) clamped on to sound booth rail. Mics raised around 10′ DIN configuration.
Thanks to Guster and Boulder Theater for being cool with taping/sharing shows. Go see live music and tip your bartenders! #spacetapes
LINK: https://archive.org/details/guster2020-03-05.StudioProjects.C4.MKII.cards.flac16
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