Guster Live at The Mod Club in Toronto!
Blown Away: Guster Performs at The Mod Club
Boston based indie-rockers, Guster took over Toronto’s Mod Club this past Tuesday. Veterans on the stage, these pals have been drawing in fans since they formed out of university in 1991. A lifelong fan myself, I fit right in with audience members who travelled from across the GTA to catch the soundtrack to their young adult years come to life. How appropriate, in promotion of their new album, Look Alive, that dropped Friday.
Lead vocalist Ryan Miller, along with band members Adam Gardner, Brian Rosenworcel and newer addition Luke Reynolds produced a captivating show. Immediately grabbing the crowd’s attention with folk hit What You Wish For off of their 1999 album Lost and Gone Forever, the scene was set for Guster to blow us away. From Piano, bass, keys, guitars, percussion and even a banjo that stuck the landing, every sound was covered. Even the lighting was incredible, using timed strobes to amplify their rhythms and spotlight instruments, really affecting the tone. Rosenworcel, known to drum entire sets without sticks, gave us a taste of this and threw in some bongo action in for good measure.
For a second I closed my eyes and really let the sounds filling the room and blinking lights take me away.
Halfway through the performance, playful Miller walked into the crowd with the kind of confidence that only comes from years of shows. In true rock-star spirit, he traipsed across the bar top singing verses of Doing it By Myself on his way back to the stage. His shenanigans continued to ensue, even performing an improvised ballad about his adorned ‘Pac Man Suit;’ an ode to how ‘fancy’ everyone in Toronto appears.
Immediately grabbing the crowd with classic hits, stopping to crack jokes and incorporating b-side fan requests into their encore, Guster will always win us over in Toronto. They brought forth the kind of combination of bold lighting effects, bouncy rhythms and crowd interaction that leaves you feeling musically satiated. Guster, we love you.
Guster Set List, Toronto – January 22, 2019
• What You Wish For
• Hang On
• Hello Mr. Sun
• Terrified
• Diane
• Hercules
• Hard Times
• Do You Love Me
• Doin’ It By Myself
• I Spy
• Come Downstairs and Say Hello
• Gangway
• Red Oyster Cult
• Look Alive
• Satellite
• Expectation
• Overexcited
• What You Call Love
• Barrel of a Gun
• Mind Kontrol
• Demons
• Manifest Destiny (Fan Request)
• Jesus of the Radio (Unplugged)
Photos of Guster at The Mod Club, Toronto – January 22, 2019
