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April 16, 2003 // 8:50 p.m. // Guster 04.10.03
I guess I should discuss the concert before I forget. Taking a one day break from watching plays last week, I went to see Guster last Thursday. For those of you who don't know them very well, I can tell you that even if you don't know a single of their songs (like I did in 2000 when I went to see Owsley, the artist they were headlining with.) you enjoy their show. Every onece in a while, they play unexpected cover songs of artists like Journey or Tiffany. I wasn't a bit surprised to hear that they've opened for Barenaked Ladies, because when I think of fun concerts and bands, those are the first two artists I think of. Guster's sound is hard to describe. It's one part acoustic guitar, one part bass guitar and one part drums played completely by hand. Having that bongo sound rather than drums played with sticks gives them a completely different sound. If any of you have heard of Eddie From Ohio, this is the closest I can compare them to, except Guster is a bit more rockin' than this. The ticket said 7:00. It didn't say what time the show was to start or what time the doors were to open and it made no mention of what "7:00" meant. I arrived at 6:30, and the line was already longer than any concert I had ever been to. I knew arriving as late as I did would be trouble. Word buzzed through the line that the doors were supposed to open at 6 with the show starting at 7. By this time I had struck up a conversation with Christine and Eric(?) who were standing and had parked next to me. It was 7:45 at this time, and the line was no closer to moving than it had been an hour ago. Finally, after more than an hour of waiting, thwarting people trying to butt in line, growing frustrated by the lack of control and information being thrown our way and watching the line that began to form in the shape of a U due to the local businesses not wanting us parked in front evolve into a giant uniline, we were let in. I've said before that this venue (Brick's) has weird rules. Most clubs/venues have the same basic rules: No video cameras, no recording devices and no outside food or drinks. What were the rules at this club? Well, we *were* allowed to bring recording devices. We were not allowed to bring video cameras. We were allowed to bring digital cameras. We were not allowed to bring 35mm cameras. We were allowed to bring something we were eating, but we were not allowed to bring in markers. Markers. This was the item they stressed the most. In fact as I was being searched, the guy asked me if I had a marker with me as I had my arms extended. Security was awful. I did have what could be considered a marker in my left hand with my wallet, phone and small notebook. He didn't even look at what was in my hand. I could have had a small knife and he never would have noticed. Rather than staking out a spot close to the stage, I decided to hang out and talk to the two I met in line earlier. The show was quite fun. A song was dedicated to those of us that saw them back in 2000. They played a song that they apparently hadn't played live in years and for the encore, they came back out in suits and mop top wigs a'la The Beatles or The Monkees and played two songs in the style of a 60's pop band as well as The Monkees theme song, which they changed to, "Hey, Hey, We're The Guster's." The two I hung out with left a bit early and I didn't get the chance to run out to my car to get my camera to snap a picture of them like I had planned. I did catch them as they were leaving and as I was walking back out to my car. They said it was great talking to me and meeting me. I'm sure I'll run into one or the other again as she attends many of the same concerts that I do. Two options: Make this entry super long, or discuss the lit mag in the next entry. Lets go with the latter.