Guster continued its ongoing spring tour this weekend with shows at The Paramount in Huntington, NY on Friday, the Columbus Theatre in Providence, RI on Saturday, and Lebanon Opera House in Lebanon, NH on Sunday. Each of the three shows featured sit-ins by the tour’s opening act, bassist/bandleader Karina Rykman, including a run through “Simple Machines” and a pair of rare electric renditions of “Hard Times”.
Rykman opened all three shows with her eponymous solo band before turning the stage over to Guster, who treated fans to songs culled from the group’s extensive discography, including fan favorites “Satellite”, “Airport Song”, “Do You Love Me”, “Come Downstairs and Say Hello”, and “Amsterdam”. During the headlining set, Rykman took the stage in a velvet blazer matching Guster frontman Ryan Miller to join in on “Simple Machine”. The last songs of the set (“The New Underground” and “Fa Fa”) and the first of the encore (“Window”) were accompanied by the songs’ music videos, which were projected behind the band. “Window” also featured a guest violin player, opening a three-song encore that concluded with “Hello Mister Sun” and “Barrel of a Gun”.
Guster w/ Karina Rykman – “Simple Machine” (Partial) – 3/31/23
[Video: dgold61]
Guster continued on to Providence, RI, Guster’s set offered another retrospective of the band’s 30-year career, with highlights including a shoutout to the band’s roadie Bernie, a story from Ryan Miller about Guster’s tour bus getting hit by the former mayor of Providence, and a sit-in by Karina Rykman on an electric version of “Hard Times”, a tune the band has played acoustic for the last few years. Guster played a double-encore, returning after the first to cap off the night with and acoustic “Jesus on the Radio”.
Karina Rykman and Gustercontinued to grow their budding connection on Sunday, when the young bassist/vocalist once again sat in on an electrified “Hard Times” at Lebanon Opera House in Lebanon, NH.
Guster’s onstage collaborations with Rykman follow a June 2022 sit-in by Phish bassist Mike Gordon at the band’s concert in Vermont. Gordon and Rykman had a run-in of their own at Rykman’s show at Nectar’s in December, where Gordon sat in with her band on the song “City Kids”.
The band’s spring run featuring support from Karina Rykman continues this week with shows in Northampton, MA (4/4) and Jersey City, NJ (4/6). Guster will continue on from there with a number of spring and early-summer shows in the Northeast and South including performances with the Boston Pops and The San Diego Symphony Orchestra. For a full list of upcoming Guster tour dates and to purchase tickets, visit the band’s website.
Click below to check out a selection of videos from the weekend. Scroll down for setlists and photo galleries from Friday and Saturday night via Jesse Faatz and Shado Congalton.
Guster – “New Underground” – 3/31/23
[Video: dgold61]
Setlist: Guster | The Paramount | Huntington, NY | 3/31/23
Set: Long Night, Careful, Center of Attention, Don’t Go, One Man Wrecking Machine, Hercules, Doin’ It By Myself, Amsterdam, Two Points for Honesty, Come Downstairs and Say Hello, Do You Love Me, Lightning Rod, Terrified, Simple Machine (with Karina Rykman), Ramona, Satellite, Airport Song, Diane, The New Underground (Played with the song’s music video projected behind the band), Fa Fa (Played with the song’s music video projected behind the band)
Encore: Window (With a guest violin player; played with the song’s music video projected behind the band), Hello Mister Sun, Barrel of a Gun
Note: Band never left stage for encore.
Setlist: Guster | Columbus Theatre | Providence, RI | 4/1/23
Set: Ramona, The Captain, Don’t Go, Demons, When You Go Quiet, I Spy, Satellite, Red Oyster Cult, Kid Dreams, Come Downstairs and Say Hello, Happier, Improv Fix it Bernie (The roadie Bernie is brought out on stage and thanked before this jam), Never Coming Down, Improv The Providence Story (Ryan tells a story about the tour bus getting hit by the former mayor of Providence), Lazy Love, Barrel of a Gun, Hard Times (with Karina Rykman), Doin’ It By Myself, Ruby Falls, This Is How It Feels to Have a Broken Heart, Improv The Chocolate Egg (Ryan opens a chocolate egg on stage and shares with the audience), This Could All Be Yours
Encore: Mona Lisa, Terrified, Do You Love Me
Encore 2: Jesus on the Radio (acoustic)
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