Stinkin' Rockin' Band

last night was AWESOME. scrunch up those foreheads and get your pouty faces on my fellow Americans, because I went to see Guster in Manchester. And not only did I get to see Guster, but I totally felt like I was in an episode of the OC the whole time...come on, you know what i mean. the cameras are on the band and it's a small venue and all up close and musically personal. I think at one point the drummer winked at me and then held up his hand with as though he were writing on a piece of paper indicating that he wanted my digits. Alright, that's not true...BUT I was about 10 feet from them.

A rundown of the evening...

We arrived at this club called Night and Day that had this enormous wooden door that kind of made it look like it had been declared condemned by the government. To my surprise, the door opened without falling on top of anyone and we went in to a dark, musty kind of bar, but just the kind of bar that's great for a concert. A guy called Steve Reynolds who hails from America's Largest National Park, or Canada, opened for them and I was well impressed. He did an entirely acoustic set and I'd say that he's got a kind of Bob Dylan flavor (but don't all modern day acoustic musicians) mixed with some David Gray. Whether you like him or not, you've got to give the guy credit...he can play a guitar. He was amazing at picking.

And on to the main event...

Guster is so good live. I can't say it creatively. I can't give you an idea of exactly what it was like. The closest thing I can think of is that their music can send the most straight-laced and seemingly normal fellow into a hippie dance. You know the kind I'm talking about. The girl at the concert who has hair half way down her back, wears spaghetti strapped tank tops and a peasant skirt, and is always doning some sort of satchel made from hemp with a tie-dyed headband. She spins in circles and moves her head around hypnotically as if she looks like she's in a trance. Most of us laugh, but we don't feel the music like hippie girl does---but OH, everyone feels the music like this at a Guster concert. Even the guy in smart clothing starts to groove. Point is: They were good and I now officially want to learn to play both a regular set of drums and a set of bongos. They had one of the most amazing drummers that I've ever laid my eyes on.

Post-Gus....

We stayed for the encore knowing that our train was leaving really shortly. Brad, Jo, Toth, and I were the only ones left at Night and Day (so worth it) and I realized that we had only 15 minutes to make it to our train, I did what any wise girl would do. I took off my cowboy boots, hiked up my jeans, and ran like the dickens to Picadilly Station. Upon our breathless arrival, me and my super sore tootsies found out that we had to BUST it all the way across town because our train was actually leaving from Victoria Station. Ha. Eleven us turn and start running for taxis, literally leap in, arrive at Victoria Station with 4 minutes to spare and then head back to Liverpool.

It was great. A memorable night all in all and one that has given me the motivation to do something musical with my life. Check them out....you won't regret it. Pictures to come.