Guster at Columbus Theater
Providence, RI
November 19, 2016
The 3 founding members of Guster met at Tufts University (go Jumbos!) in 1991. Celebrating 25 years as a band, these guys sound polished and as good as they ever did back in their glory days.
Jeff and I decided it was time to party like it was 2003. That’s what we thought when we arrived at this show- that it would be a lovely night of college nostalgia. I never thought that I would be photographing Guster after listening to their music for the past 15 years. Lead singer Ryan Miller described wanting to “bring people together” after this divisive election, and that’s exactly what happened that night. Everyone in that room could agree that we saw over 2 hours of solid, great music that we all knew the words to. And guess what? The newer songs kicked ass too.
From the opening notes of “What You Wish For”, there was an electricity in the room. It was sort of like visiting with old friends and you hadn’t realized how much you missed them. Other classics included were “Amsterdam”, “Two Points”, “Airport Song”, and “Happier” (which is a personal favorite). Ryan and Adam Gardner played an acoustic version “Parachute”, one of the first songs that they ever wrote together. The audience was mesmerized. The set was long and the end of the second encore was particularly special. “Demons” was played acoustic with drummer Brian Rosenworcel beating on a single bongo. “So Long” had accompanying cue cards so everyone could sing along. And “Jesus on the Radio” ended the night with it’s pulsing banjo and everyone belting out the chorus.
In addition to all of the classics, the band played plenty of their newer work. I had “studied” before this show and was now quite familiar with the albums “Easy Wonderful” and “Evermotion.” Those songs felt like they fit in perfectly with the older stuff. “Doin it By Myself”, “Do You Love Me”, and “Never Coming Down” were particular standouts. Ryan Miller was hilarious as ever and even called a member of the audience up to sing lead vocals on “Rise and Shine”, karaoke style.
What I learned is that Guster is not simply a nostalgia band, although those old songs were just so damn fun. The newer songs were rockin’ too, and I drove home continuing to sing them all.
All photos by Suzanne McMahon (Suzanne Davis Photography)
About the author: Suzanne started her love affair with photography at age 15. When she's not snapping photos, she is working as a Clinical Social Worker just outside of Boston. Suzanne also enjoys attending concerts and singing. Check out more of her photos at facebook.com/suzannedavisphotography