Scott’s not happy about a 9-hour roundtrip roadtrip

The last time I put myself through a 9-hour roadtrip for a concert was my sophomore year of college – over 10 years ago. That is, until this past Saturday when Scott and I drove to Cincinnati and back to see Guster, Ben Folds Five, and Barenaked Ladies.

It was around 3am on Sunday morning when we realized we’re getting too old to load up on coffee and power through the drive. However, if anyone was worth it, it was this match-up.

Logo from LastSummerOnEarth.com

To celebrate their 25th anniversary, BNL brought together two of my favorite bands for the awesome 90s rock trifecta that is the 2013 Last Summer on Earth tour.

If you read my post about their recent acoustic tour, you already know my love for Guster. And while I’ve seen Ben Folds perform solo, this was my first time seeing Ben Folds Five back together. I wasn’t going to miss it.

While I don’t have a full recap, I do have some photos (until my phone died halfway through Ben Folds Five’s set). Standing in line for an hour was definitely worth it as we landed in the second row.

Boothby Graffoe with Barenaked Ladies’ Ed Robertson

BNL’s Ed Robertson introduced British musician and comedian Boothby Graffoe as the show’s opener, who treated us with a selection of his absurd – and hilarious – songs. British, absurd and funny is Scott’s kryptonite so we picked up his album for the ride home.

BNL’s Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson and Jim Creegan join Boothby Graffoe on stage

Later in his set, Boothby was joined by Robertson, Jim Creegan and Kevin Hearn from Barenaked Ladies for songs like Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde where we learned it doesn’t matter whether you bring your polar bear a hot cocoa. It’ll still kill and eat you.

Guster’s Ryan Miller

One of my favorite highlights of Guster’s performance was seeing Ryan with a Cleveland is the City shirt. Take that, Cincinnati (kidding)!

Here’s the full band belting out their usual awesome harmonies:

Guster – Last Summer on Earth 2013, Cincinnati

And a Thunder God action shot!

Thunder God on the drums!

Ben Folds Five was next and I managed to snap a few more photos before my phone died on me.

Ben Folds getting ready to play

I was happy to see them back together and playing a mix of songs off their new album and crowd-rousing older stuff like Song for the Dumped.

Ben Folds Five at Last Summer on Earth, Cincinnati

I don’t care how many times I watch a Ben Folds video – you have to witness his crazy piano playing skills live:

Ben Folds

With a long drive home ahead of us, we had been considering skipping Barenaked Ladies’ performance. However, I’m glad we stuck around.  They rounded out the evening very well and Scott and I found ourselves dancing to a few of our BNL favorites (how could you not dance to Be My Yoko Ono or If I Had a Million Dollars?).

It was a long day, but a fantastic one. The only thing I’d change next time is getting a hotel room and skipping the caffeine.

Guster performs at LCCC’s Stocker Arts Center in Elyria (photos from HOB Cleveland’s Twitter feed)

It was early August 2004. As I drove through my hometown in Virginia one last time, I was overwhelmed with mixed emotions.

Warm sunlight was streaming in through the sunroof. I was moving back to Philly to start my first “real” job. Part of me was ecstatic.

But I was wistful. I was leaving home for the last time. This was different than going back to college for the semester. There were no mid-term breaks. No turning back.

I was listening to the one album that had been a big part of my senior year – Keep It Together by Guster.

When I first picked up Keep It Together, it wasn’t my favorite of their albums. But between all of the listens and using Amsterdam to audition for Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, it grew on me and rose to the top.

And as I was driving home to pack the remaining boxes for my new apartment, Come Downstairs and Say Hello came on:

Someone, someone could tell me
Where I belong
Be calm, be brave, it’ll be okay
No more messing around and living underground
And new year’s resolutions
By this time next year I won’t be here.

It was perfect.

I was a little late to the Guster party, introduced to them in 2000 during my freshman year at La Salle – nine years after Adam Gardner, Ryan Miller and Brian Rosenworcel first formed Guster during their freshman year at Tufts.

Guster’s music is layered with complex vocal harmonies. And in addition to guitar, bass and piano, they often mix in banjo, trumpet, harmonica, ukulele and strings. While accessible and fun, it’s a sound that rewards over multiple listenings.

Guster plays musical chairs at Tuesday’s concert. Some may have been better, but not as hilarious as Guster’s Brian “Thundergod” Rosenworcel behind the violin. (Photo by Kate Galo)

And then, of course, there’s Thundergod – Guster’s percussionist Brian. In addition to a traditional drumset, he beats on bongos, congas, djembe, hand snares and cymbals with his bare hands.

It’s a fascinating fluidness to watch, complemented by the best facial expressions. You can’t help but be captivated during shows by how in the moment he is.

At Tuesday night’s concert at the Stocker Arts Center, I joked to Scott that there should be a Faces of Thundergod calendar. I’d buy it.

Guster was in Elyria this week as their latest acoustic tour winds its way home to New England.

This concert was different, though, than other Guster shows I’ve been to (I missed their other Ohio acoustic stop at Kent last Spring):

Promoting their new live acoustic album, the current tour features more intimate venues. Seated upfront and center without the usual concert lighting effects to distract us, it was much easier to connect with the music.

The show also featured the Guster String Players – April Guthrie and Charlene Huang  – transforming old favorites with their cello and violin.

What wasn’t different about this show was the personality Guster brings to every performance. For a band who has a tightly layered sound, their shows have a loose, almost unraveling nature to them.

That’s the charm, though. You never know what to expect when you’re there.

Among other things, the audience was treated to Twitter song requests and a game of musician musical chairs.

While certain members of Guster may have been better than others at trying their hands at different instruments, the outcome was a hilarious rendition of Amsterdam.

A handful of fans also got to participate in an elimination-style contest to see who looked the least threatening to drive Ryan to his hotel.

The fact that the concert took place in a college theatre much like La Salle’s good ol’ Dan Rodden added a different emotional punch for me than previous Guster concerts.

It was during theatre tech on a stage just like this one where my love of Guster began (though we didn’t have fancy Eames chairs like LCCC).

Complemented by the Roy Orbinson-esque opener Yellowbirds, Tuesday’s show made it in the top 3 of my favorite Guster concerts.

And with a copy of their new live acoustic album now in hand, I can take that sound wherever I go.