Guster rocks during April Fool's concert
By LISA BRUNO
Scene Music Critic
Eight years ago at Tufts University, an amazing thing happened — three freshmen, Brian Rosenworcel, Adam Gardner and Ryan Miller met and decided to form a band. Gardner and Miller provided the vocals and guitars, and Rosenworcel provided the percussion on congos. Originally calling themselves "Gus," the band was forced to change its name to Guster after facing legal troubles.
In 1993, Guster self-produced its first album, Parachute. The band then held off any new material until their 1998 release, Goldfly. With Goldfly, the band's second album, Guster was picked up by the Sire record label. Since their very formation, Guster has set focused goals for itself, at each turn, setting those goals a bit higher.
This focus is prevalent in their 1999 release, Lost and Gone Forever. But nowhere is the focus more apparent than in their live shows, most recently this past Saturday night at the House of Blues in Chicago. Performing before a sold out crowd, Guster did what many bands dream of doing — gave a flawless performance. Their cohesiveness on stage was off the scales and was only complemented by the energy that came from their obvious enjoyment of performing.
From the thundering opening of "Happier," Guster announced that they were there to play — and play well.
They performed songs from all three albums, including the single "Fa Fa." One of the highlights of the show came with the "Happy Frappy" melody where they played only what they considered to be the best snippets of songs from their first album.
And since the concert took place on April Fool's Day, it couldn't be an authentic Guster show without a few Guster tricks. The first came with a hoaxed lip-syncing of "Great Escape" in which, after performing half the song, Rosenworcel stopped the show, and with the music continuing in the background, confessed that all the while they'd been lip-syncing. The second surprise came with a passionate performance of Six Pence None the Richer's, "Kiss Me" by Rosenworcel, who dosen't usually sing but sticks to the drums.
A review of Guster would not be complete without mentioning what Rosenworcel does behind that drum set. He is known as "Thundergod," a name that couldn't be more accurate. It seems almost unreal to see the effort he puts forth with each song. He becomes almost like a puppet behind the congos — his hands hitting them with such force and precision, it's difficult for the onlooker to keep track of where his hands are going. The result is an amazing driving backdrop to each song, which distinguishes Guster from any other band.
The vocals and guitar are provided by both Gardner and Miller, who also put forth immeasurable effort with each song, not holding back in any way.
All the lyrics on Lost and Gone Forever were written by Gardner. As Rosenworcel commented, the album captures Guster and at times seems like a break up album — especially with songs like "Either Way" and "I Spy." Despite this theme, the audience members' faces were covered with smiles.
In talking with Rosenworcel before the show, it was apparent that one of Guster's top goals has included an attempt at staying grounded as a band. As he described it, they realize their fan base is an integral part of their success and they are somewhat a result of a grass roots following. In realizing this, Guster continues to play smaller, more intimate venues and to make each show distinct and interactive with the audience. They genuinely appreciate their fans, and this is apparent in their "Rep" program. Fans across the country are designated as Guster reps. They receive a press kit and an official Rep name and take part in concert promotion in their town. This program offers results. Their current road manager, Pasty, was once a Guster Rep. It doesn't get any more real than that. And that's how it is with Guster — real.
The show ended with what felt like a special gift — an unplugged performance of "Mona Lisa." As pure quiet came over the audience, there was some hope out there that Guster will never change, that they will somehow pause and stay this amazing and this real for an indefinite amount of time. But the reality is that their fan base is growing, they have produced a video and they will be touring until 2001. Yet, Guster seems to be untouched by this and they seem to continue to appreciate their fans and to love performing.
This was the concert that ended too soon and left the audience saying "Thank you Guster for playing your instruments, and thank you for being so real."
All Scene Stories for Tuesday, April 4, 2000
