Guster has got to be one of the most unique bands of our time. Sure, lots of people have never heard of them, but seriously, how often do you get to experience a band play with a drumstick-less percussionist? I've had the oppurtunity several times now, all of which were at a Guster concert.
The most recent of these experiences was this past Saturday night, when Guster played at the Nokia Theatre in Times Square. Wow. What - A - Venue. This place was ridiculously fancy for a concert like this. When I think of Guster, I think of places like The Electric Factory and Irving Plaza, not some place with stained hard-wood flooring and chandeliers. More importantly, the acoustical properties of the stage were spectacular.
The show itself was great. More evidence of Guster's uniqueness was displayed as Chewbaka (from Star Wars,) was brought onto stage in between songs. This reminds me of a particular Guster show in Philly that happened to be right around the start of Hanukkah. A request was made to play the Dredyl Song, which the band granted, but with a Guster-esh twist. The Philadelphia Eagles mascot was brought onto the stage to light a giant menorah with a plunger. Never a dull moment.
The band treated us to a second encore, which consisted of a completely acoustic performace of Jesus on the Radio. Let me re-iterate here. A completely acoustic performance. In all the shows I've seen (lots) I've never experienced a band give an all-acoustic performance to a couple thousand people. When does Guster play again?