Nada Surf play Let Go at Bowery Ballroom on 3/25
Posted on March 31st, 2010 by kerry
They did it again and again and again! Nada Surf played three shows in New York City last weekend. During each show, they played a different album in its entirety, plus an additional set of covers and hits. Thursday night was Let Go at The Bowery Ballroom, Friday night was The Weight is a Gift at The Bell House, and Saturday was Lucky at The Music Hall of Williamsburg. I was unable to attend all three shows, but being that they have been a favorite of mine for about ten years now, I had to go to one. Let Go was the winner. It is definitely my favorite of the three albums and I cannot deny my undying love for “Blizzard of ‘77”, “Fruit Fly”, and “Killian’s Red”.
During some in-between-song-banter, the band thanked Sondre Lerche for opening this show and another one years ago when he needed to be escorted on and off stage because he was too young to be in a bar. Matthew went on to say that he had a cold, which was surprising because his voice sounded spot on. He said that he was in a good mood anyway, and it was obvious. He was glowing. They also told the heartwarming story of how they had no money when they were making Let Go and paid for it by touring and selling merch, including tote bags that Matthew was very excited to conjure up.
I began listening to Nada Surf after the first time I saw them at Brownies. Every show since has been consistently mind-blowing, and Thursday night’s performance of Let Go was no exception. Live, the band are fun and energetic, and always amaze me by making each song sound better than its recorded version, which is not done by changing a note or playing drawn-out solos. Sometimes people don’t like it if a band plays their songs exactly as they sound on the albums, but this dependability is something that I love about Nada Surf. I can count on them to play a great show every time and will never get sick of seeing them. Not to mention that their joy is infectious, and I had a blast last Thursday singing along until my voice became scratchy.
The phenomenal second set included The Weight is a Gift’s “Do It Again” and The Proximity Effect’s “Hyperspace”. Covers included Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence”, The Go-Betweens’ “Love Goes On”, and The Soft Pack’s “Bright Side”. These covers also sounded terrific, but to be honest, I could’ve done without them. I get so excited hearing the Nada Surf songs that I love and just want that feeling to continue throughout the show. The only other complaint I have is that I was disappointed to not hear my favorite Nada Surf song, “Spooky”, which I haven’t had the good fortune to hear live yet. I don’t know if they played it during either of the other two shows.
The band came out for an encore ending with “The Blankest Year”, which they usually close with, probably because it’s fun to yell “Ah, fuck it” back and forth with the crowd. For the final encore, they played “I Fought the Law”. It was a fun way to end a spectacular night. Here’s to Nada Surf, a once one-hit-wonder who are now, undoubtedly, masters of their trade, without being wildly “Popular”.
