I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: August 10, 2022] Guster [rescheduled from January 14, 2021, I guess]

Back in January, Guster was supposed to play the Wellmont (after postponing a seated acoustic show in 2020).

This show seems to have been the rescheduled show–does it even matter at this point?

The show sold out and we had pretty good seats.  Seats? For a  Guster show?  The seats thing proved to be the real downfall honestly because I was seated behind a freaking behemoth of a guy.  The entire row was full of normal sized people and this hulking dude who clearly did not care about Guster. What a travesty that was.

The guys came out to raucous applause and they opened with “Careful.”  Surprisingly, this was only the third time we’d seen them play this.  By the way, this was our ninth Guster show, we are definitely getting into territory where if they play anything we haven’t seen before we will be surprised.

Ryan was wearing one of his new wild fruit suits and looked wonderful.

They followed up “Careful” with a new song “Terrified.”  They actually did not play very much from their new (2019) album at this show which was kind of surprising.

Ryan switched to bass and Luke Reynolds played guitar which pretty much means only one of  few things.  In this case, it meant “Diane.”  Again, this was only the third time we’d seen them play it?

Another instrument change as Ryan moved to piano Adam played bass and and Luke played banjo  for “Hercules.”  I always feel like they need to pay more from this album and yet I guess they are always playing songs from this album.

Back on guitar, Ryan sang “Hang On” while the Thundergod sat at the drumkit and the mysterious fifth Guster played piano.

The Thundergod moved back to the bongos (where he belongs) for the perennial favorite “Barrel of a Gun.”  Sure, we’ve now heard that seven times, but I’d be sad if they didn’t play it in a show.

They moved on to a relative rarity (okay, three times for us, but the first time was a really long time ago).  “Backyard” featured Luke on bass and harmonica solo!

The only song they’ve played more that “Barrel of a Gun” is “Satellite” which we’ve seen 8 times.  And the only reason we haven’t seen it 9 times is because they hadn’t recorded it yet when we first saw them.  Every version of this song is great (although the one with Kishi Bashi playing violin is still the best).

And then something remarkable happened.

The power went out.  Apparently it went out around a small area of Montclair.  Some of the stage lights stayed on, but there was no amplification.  So the band came up to the front of the stage and spontaneously played a few songs acoustic.

We all clapped along and sang “Jesus on the Radio” like a campfire song.

Then they played a new song, “Hard Times” in this same way.  This song is in no way conducive to this format but seems appropriate given the lyrics to try it out this way.

Then the guys pulled out a real treat, playing a song from their debut.  Indeed, playing the title song from Paracgute the way it was recorded–two guitars and two voices.  I’d never heard them play that one before and I feel like the weird incident brought out that rare treat.  The power came on while they were singing and you could see the relief in Ryan’s face, but I think they enjoyed the weird change of pace.

They also really celebrated New Jersey for totally enjoying them for making do.

With everything back up and running, they played “Doin’ It By Myself.”  This is the sixth time they’ve played it and the third time that Ryan has used the opportunity to come out into the audience.  With a seated crowd it made it something of a challenge.  But he walked near us (but not quite near enough for us to high five or anything (even though S. was wearing her “feel alive” shirt just as he sang the line.  It was hard getting pictures of him in the crowd because it was so dark, but it was really fun watching him walk around.  Where’s the best place to stand??

There was one more eight-timer for me and that was “Come Downstairs and Say Hello,” the song where the Thundergod plays his awesome bongo “solo” (not really, but he does get a huge bongo moment that’s so much fun to watch).  The only time they didn’t play this song was during the Free at Noon which was a shorter set.

Then they played “Lazy Love,” an older slower song that they played twice before for us, but not since 2015!

Then we had another super cool moment.  Ryan told us that they had made a video for “The New Underground” but that it had never been shown or something (I didn’t quite follow).  So they were going to show the video and play the song to the video.  The  video was super weird and creepy and cool (just like the song).  I loved it.  I love the song and they had never played it live for us before, so it was like a double bonus.

They followed it with “Lightning Rod” another song they’d only played for us once before–back in 2016.  Another deep cut!

Then came another surprise.  They’ve had guest performers come out from time to time.  Tonight’s guest performer was an 11 year-old boy who was going to play the bagpipes during “What You Call Love.”  How fun is that.  You could barely hear him because everyone was cheering so loudly for him.  Guster is awesome.

After a delightful run through “I Spy,” they played another song from the new album.  I have to admit I was really surprised they didn’t play “Overexcited,” the actual single from the album. But hey, maybe they’re tired of it already.  They did play “Don’t Go” a fun synthy song–I’m guessing Ryan enjoys that synth.

I feel like Adam used to sing more lead vocals but now it seems like he only sings “Ramona.”  So I’m always glad to hear it.

I feel like Ganging Up on the Sun gets a lot of love in concert (and it is a great album, for sure).  We’ve heard The Captain six times.  I love the guitar solo in it–simple but ever so catchy.

Ryan ended the set with a fun story about Jersey domination and how they thought they’d lost it but that it began again tonight.  In Jersey we set it straight!.  Then they launched into Demons to let Adam sing one more song before the end of the set.

Before they left, Ryan announced that they would be playing Carnegie Hall on the day after Thanksgiving.  S. and I decided that we would definitely like to go to that show.  It would be our tenth time seeing them.

After a brief encore break, they came back out to sing “Do You Love Me,” a song I’m really fond of.  I feel like “This Could All Be Yours: is such an obvious encore/set ender, that I’m surprised they don’t use it more, but Guster do like to mix things up.

It was another great Guster show.  With another terrible Guster audience.  I cannot figure out what it is about the Guster audience that makes them so terrible.  They drink a lot and talk a lot.  I guess Guster makes them think of being in college where they drank and didn’t pay attention to the music they were partying to.  Which is a shame because Guster is great and they have definitely earned the respect of the audience.  They have ours, that’s for sure.

We look forward to seeing them for show number ten.

		8/10/2022–Wellmont
		Careful © [3]
		Terrified £ [3]
		Diane © [3]
		Hercules  ω [3]
		Hang On ⊗ [4]
		Barrel of a Gun ≅ [7]
		Backyard © [3]
		Satellite (House PA goes out at the end of the song due to power outage.) ⊗ [8]
		Jesus on the Radio (Acoustic) © [3]
		Hard Times (Acoustic) £ [2]
		Parachute (Acoustic) ¶
		Doin’ It By Myself (Ryan sang while walking amongst the crowd) € [6]
		Come Downstairs and Say Hello © [8]
		Lazy Love € [3]
		The New Underground ⊗
		Lightning Rod ⊗ [2]
		What You Call Love (with 11 year old Sam on bagpipes) ω [4]
		I Spy ≅ [5]
		Don’t Go £
		Ramona © [6]
		The Captain ⊗ [4]
		Demons ℵ [7]
		encore
		Do You Love Me ω [6]

 

3/23/2019–Fillmore	1/11/2019–Free at Noon	11/1/2018–White Eagle Hall
Diane © [2]	Hard Times £	Long Night € [4]
The Captain ⊗ [3]	Ramona © [5]	Happier ≅ [4]
Terrified £ [2]	Mind Kontrol £ [2]	What You Call Love ω [3]
Airport Song ℵ [6]	Manifest Destiny ⊗ [5]	I Spy (haven’t heard since 2004) ≅ [2]
Gangway € [2]	Terrified £	Endlessly € [2]
Hello Mister Sun (w/horns) £ [2]	Look Alive £	Airport Song ℵ [5]
Overexcited (w/horns) £ [2]	Satellite ⊗ [6]	Hello Mr. Sun (new) £
Stay with Me Jesus ω [3]	Overexcited £	Stay With Me Jesus ω [2]
Satellite ⊗ [7]	encore	Doin’ It By Myself € [4]
Doin’ It By Myself (w/horns) € [5]	I Spy (not broadcast) acoustic ≅ [3]	improv Levi’s bar mitzvah
Look Alive £ [2]		Come Downstairs and Say Hello © [6]
Backyard (w/strings} © [2]	** from the new album	Do You Love Me ω [5]
Amsterdam © [3]		Rocketship (never before) ℵ
Window (w/strings & showed the original music video) ¶		Manifest Destiny ⊗ [4]
LOST AND GONE FOREVER 20th ANNIVERSARY SET		Amsterdam (not since 2004) © [2]
What You Wish For ≅ [2]		Ruby Falls ⊗ [2]
Barrel of a Gun ≅ [6]		Ramona © [4]
Either Way (w/strings) ≅		Satellite ⊗ [5]
Fa Fa (w/horns & Stephen on flute) ≅ [3]		Barrel of a Gun ≅ [5]
I Spy ≅ [4]		improv-“False encore” song
Center of Attention ≅ [2]		This Could All be Yours ω [5]
All the Way Up to Heaven (not since 2004) ≅ [2]		“encore”
Happier ≅ [5]		Mind Kontrol (new) £
So Long (w/strings) ≅		Two Points for Honesty ≅ [3]
Two Points for Honesty (w/strings) ≅ [4]		Demons ℵ [6]
Rainy Day (w/strings)		2nd encore
encore		Jesus on the Radio (acoustic, no mics) © [2]
Rocketship (w/strings) ℵ [2]
Hang On ⊗ [3]
Great Escape ℵ
Come Downstairs and Say Hello © [7]

 

6/16/2016–Fillmore	11/21/2015–Wellmont	4/24/2015–TLA
What You Wish For ≅	Ramona © [2]	Demons ℵ [3]
Satellite ⊗ [4]	Satellite ⊗ [3]	Center of Attention ≅
Doin’ It By Myself € [3]	Simple Machine € [2]	Doin’ It By Myself €
Barrel of a Gun ≅ [4]	Happier ≅ [3]	The Beginning of the End ⊗
Ramona © [3]	Hercules ω [2]	Ramona ©
Never Coming Down € [3]	Careful / “Chariots of Fire” © [2]	Gangway €
Architects & Engineers ω [2]	Doin’ It By Myself € [2]	Endlessly €
Lightning Rod ⊗ [2]	The Captain ⊗ [2]	Stay with Me Jesus ω
Come Downstairs and Say Hello © [5]	Kid Dreams €	Come Downstairs and Say Hello © [3]
Do You Love Me ω [4]	Homecoming King © [2]	Do You Love Me ω [2]
Dear Valentine ⊗	Come Downstairs and Say Hello © [4]	(Everything I Do) I Do It for You [Bryan Adams cover]
That’s No Way to Get to Heaven ω	Do You Love Me ω [3]	Hang On ⊗ [2]
Red Oyster Cult © [2]	Never Coming Down € [2]	Lazy Love €
Mona Lisa ¶ [2]	Demons ℵ [4]	Hercules (with Kishi Bashi) ω
Manifest Destiny ⊗[3]	Two Points for Honesty ≅ [2]	Satellite (with Kishi Bashi) ⊗ [2]
Simple Machine € [3]	Happy Frappy ¶	Simple Machine €
Airport Song ℵ [4]	Ruby Falls ⊗	Never Coming Down €
Kid Dreams €[2]	Lazy Love € [2]	Two Points for Honesty ≅
Demons ℵ [5]	Barrel of a Gun≅ [3]	Diane ©
This Could All Be Yours ω [4]	This Could All Be Yours ω [3]	Careful ©
encore “Improv”	“encore” (“Zombie Jews”)	This Could All Be Yours ω [2]
Long Night € [3]	Long Night € [2]	“encore”
Bad Bad World ω	One Man Wrecking Machine ⊗	Long Night €
What You Call Love ω [2]	Manifest Destiny ⊗ [2]	Manifest Destiny ⊗
Fa Fa ≅ [2]	Airport Song ℵ [3]	What You Call Love ω
encore “boooo”	Careless Whisper [George Michael cover]	Happier ≅ [2]
Jesus on the Radio ©

 

	7/20/2013–PNC Bank Center	7/5/2004–Starland
	The Captain ⊗	Happier ≅
	Architects & Engineers ω	I Spy ≅
	Homecoming King ©	Airport Song ℵ
	Come Downstairs and Say Hello © [2]	Demons ℵ
	Do You Love Me ω	Amsterdam ©
	Airport Song ℵ [2]	Come Downstairs and Say Hello ©
	Hang On ⊗	Barrel of a Gun ≅
	Demons ℵ [2]	Mona Lisa ¶
	Satellite ⊗	Red Oyster Cult ©
	Barrel of a Gun (with Ed Robertson) ≅ [2]	California Dreamin’ [Beach Boys cover]
	This Could All Be Yours ω	Fa Fa ≅
		Jam (with Ben Folds)
		Backyard (with Ben Folds) ©
		All the Way Up to Heaven ≅

£ Look Alive (2019)
€ Evermotion (2015)
ω Easy Wonderful (2010)
⊗ Ganging Up on the Sun (2006)
© Keep It Together (2003)
≅ Lost and Gone Forever (1999)
ℵ Goldfly (1997)
¶ Parachute (1995)

 

Parachute

1. “Fall in Two”
2. “Love for Me”
3. “Eden”
4. “Scars & Stitches”
5. “The Prize”
6. “Dissolve”
7. “Cocoon”

Goldfly

1. “Perfect”
2. “Medicine”
3. “X-Ray Eyes”
4. “Grin”
5. “Getting Even”
6. “Bury Me”
7. “Melanie” (unlisted bonus track)

Keep It Together

1. “Keep It Together”
2. “Long Way Down”
3. “I Hope Tomorrow Is Like Today”
4. “Two at a Time” (hidden track)

Ganging Up on the Sun

1. “C’mon” – 3:51
2. “Empire State” – 4:59

Easy Wonderful

1. “On the Ocean”
2. “This Is How It Feels to Have a Broken Heart”
3. “Jesus and Mary”
4. “Do What You Want”

Evermotion

1. “Expectation”
2. “It Is Just What It Is”
3. “Farewell”

Look Alive

1. “Summertime”
2. “Not for Nothing”
3. “When You Go Quiet” (CD + LP Bonus Track)