Photography by Cameron Carleton
By Samantha Woolf
"WE NEVER CANCEL SHOWS!"
lead singer of Guster, Ryan Miller, shouted before he introduced a song. They were advised to cancel the concert because of a winter storm hitting the city during the show, but Guster wouldn't give up a chance to play in their home, Boston, for anything. And their fans, dancing and cheering for them the whole time, certainly didn't want to miss this band performing live.
Just the day before, Guster released their 8th studio album, Look Alive.
Fresh off the momentum of their first studio release in almost 4 years, Guster brought infectious energy and charm to the House of Blues on Saturday night.
The band made an impact right from the start, walking to the front of the stage unceremoniously and standing in a row. Each band member played acoustic instruments and harmonized beautifully without microphones or other electronic influence for their song "Jesus On The Radio." This stripped down selection brought the audience into Guster's world. It immediately set the tone for the concert as intimate, positive, and all about the music.
Guster really thrived in their home state!
The group met at Tufts University in Medford during their freshman orientation, so Massachusetts always played an important role in their musical careers. Many of the Boston fans at the House of Blues followed Guster from the start. During their song "Homecoming King" everyone had a blast chanting the lyrics "Back to Massachusetts!" with the band.
Guster had a ton of fun on the stage, which made the concert environment really light and carefree. They had the audience laughing out loud at multiple points during the show. For instance, halfway through their song "Hello Mr. Sun," the band members put on giant rainbow hats. During another song, a bag of ping pong balls was sent around the audience. Then, all at once (and all in good fun) the fans pelted the band with them! One concert-goer brought a massive poster of Miller's head and Miller took it onstage with him and did a funny dance and song with it.
After such a long hiatus, everyone at the House of Blues was so thrilled to see one of their favorite bands performing new music. The band made a point to thank the audience members and all of their fans for encouraging them to make new artistic choices in Look Alive. Miller spoke on behalf of the band, saying they are so glad their fans stuck with them through all their years of performing and making music.
