Free Guster Boston 2005 Show Recordings

Hey all, thought you might be interested in getting a copy of some live Guster tunes. Guster's 2005 show in Boston was one of those classics--a sort of homecoming. I thank Ryan's Smashing Life for posting this set list of recordings.

Who doesn't enjoy free Guster concerts, even if they aren't in person? Free music is always welcome to me. The best part of it is the fact that Guster still lets people make recordings of their concerts, as long as the venue allows it. These are some good ones, too.

Guster Concert Photos

I found a pretty good set of band photos taken at a Guster concert you might want to check out. I've attached an example to this blog for your consideration. The photos are at Cynical Wordsmith, another blog out there in the blogosphere. Aren't you glad I sift through all the junk for you? This is a pretty good set of shots. Who knows, maybe one of them will decorate your desktop, or become a fitting compliment to your Guster-devoted décor.

Guster's Backstage Food Demands

Ever wonder what Guster asks be available for their refreshment backstage? Evian water just won't do! We've all seen on TV the rockers requesting the oddest of things be available backstage in their contracts, but I'd never actually seen one of those lists, or imagined that people actually made special requests like this that actually got honored. These requests, called "contract riders," can include some pretty crazy stuff.

I feel bad blogging about something from the same source twice, especially in such quick succession, but I really had to share this article from the Signal with you, as it gave some really cool insights on what the band is really like. This is unique, interesting information that's usually not available to the public because of different confidentiality agreements, making this article a rare opportunity to learn about your favorite band.

Among my favorite of Guster's requests: fresh, healthy meals prepared by a chef (pizza and takeout don't count), a DVD movie (preferably an "indie film" or a "cult classic"), and a package of black athletic socks. Don't ask why...I don't know. Take a look at the lists, and you might be a bit surprised. It seems Ryan, Brian, and the guys might be a little bit on the finicky side about certain little things. Only has to make you like them just a little bit more--unless you're trying to fill those pesky little demands.

New Jersey Concert Wrap-Up

Hey all,

In case you're interested in the Guster show that happened in New Jersey a little over a week ago, there's a pretty good article, called The Luster of Guster that appeared in the University of New Jersey's school newspaper and just appeared online. There's a concert wrapup, some cool pictures, and a few other interesting remarks. Read what they have to say, and enjoy. Hopefully a Guster show is coming to your town, too, in the very near future. Not a bad article, either.

Guster Street Team

Do you like Guster music? Free Guster concert tickets? How about talking it up with your friends about Guster? Well, now's your chance to do all three, plus get a free download of the song Empire State in the process. I just joined the Guster Street Team, an informal group of fan promoters. As a member of the team, you post Guster posters to help the band advertise the shows (and I'm sure you can keep one for yourself), you can sell copies of the albums to your friends cheap, and you can receive free concert tickets in return for your services. I'm really excited about that one. They're probably pretty good seats, too, since you're getting them from the band.

I think the team is a great email list to sign up for--who knows, maybe something really cool will come of it for me. At the very least, I got the opportunity to download Empire State. Already have the new album, so it's nothing too exciting for me, but who knows...maybe one of you would like a free mp3. It's time for you to make a purchase, though--Ganging Up on the Sun is a great album! Anyway, I thought I'd pass these comments along. Click to Join the Guster Street Team.

Free Guster Streams and Downloads

Did you know that there are literally hundreds of Guster recordings available for completely free streaming and download? It's 100% legal and 100% free. No credit card required, no nothing--just download and enjoy!

The way it works is this...
Guster is one of the few bands that actually allows people to record their live shows as long as the venue permits it. These live recordings are posted as open, public domain, free for everyone's listening pleasure on Guster's page at archive.org. You might expect lousy sound quality out of this (and rightfully so, in some cases), but many of these recordings are extremely good. Check out the page, and I think you'll be extremely pleasantly surprised.


I started streaming one concert and thought the audio quality was so good that I'd download a song or two. I now have a GREAT live recording of the Guster song Satellite live from the Austin City Limits Festival that I paid absolutely nothing for. The band is perfectly OK with it, too! I'm a huge fan of live recordings, especially Guster live recordings, so this made my day. Check out the site and see for yourself!

Guster at Hill Auditorium, Michigan

Check out this article in the Michigan Daily, dealing with the band's show on Election Day (tonight!). The paper kept a very tongue-in-cheek approach to its interview with Ryan Miller. I got some great insights from the article, including:
1. Guster is not Rage Against the Machine, nor Barbara Streisand.
2. One of the most severe problems facing America today is overfishing.
3. The band lets others make political decisions for themselves. It's interesting how the political views of their fans are changing, though.
4. Guster understands that theis evolving sound may alienate some of their fans (have you listened to the difference between Parachutes and GUOTS?
5. It's more fun to get drunk with Bob Dole than Dan Quayle!

I thought this was a rather fun addition, even though there's no possible way I could make the show tonight. Good to see the band in papers.

Current listening selection on the iPod: Airport Song, Guster. (gotta love those ping pong balls)

Upcoming Guster Tour Dates

Is Guster coming soon to a theater (or other concert venue) near you? Here's a list of some upcoming shows!

Nov 3 2006 7:00A State Theatre, Minneapolis
Nov 4 2006 6:00P DePauw University, Greencastle
Nov 7 2006 7:00P University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Nov 8 2006 7:00P Lifestyle Communities Pavilion (PromoWest), Columbus
Nov 10 2006 7:00A The Eagles Club, Milwaukee
Nov 15 2006 6:30P Smith Opera House, Geneva
Nov 16 2006 7:00A Maine Center for the Arts, Orono
Dec 3 2006 6:30P Standford University - Memorial Auditorium, Stanford
Dec 5 2006 7:00P Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA
Dec 14 2006 8:00P Ogden Theatre, Denver, Colorado
Dec 16 2006 6:00P Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois
Jan 15 2007 12:00P Ships and Dip Cruise with BNL, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Feb 16 2007 7:30P House of Blues - Orlando, Orlando, Delaware
Feb 17 2007 7:00P The Tabernacle, Atlanta, Georgia
Feb 20 2007 7:30p Bogart's, Cincinnati, OH
Feb 21 2007 Champaign, IL
Feb 23 2007 Saint Louis, MO
Feb 24 2007 Indianapolis, IN
Feb 25 2007 Cleveland, OH
Feb 26 2007 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Feb 28 2007 Washington, DC
Mar 1 2007 Providence, RI
Mar 3 2007 Philadelphia, PA
Mar 31 2007 Crawfordsville, IN


To buy show tickets, visit:
Guster Ticketing: http://www.gustertickets.musictoday.com (password: guster) or
Guster on Ticketmaster: http://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/781894/

Scooter for a Day Contest

Have you ever wanted to be Scooter? Guster has an exciting new contest on their website where you can play the role of "Scooter" (actually Andrew Laubacher), the band's drum technician, for a day--while on board a caribbean cruise! Make sure Brian's drums are working (I'm sure he'll test them for you), and faint in ecstasy as you enjoy being in the presence of the band, up close and personal. They'll probably even get to know your name! All you have to do is submit a video on YouTube.com that explains why you should become "Scooter for the day" and you and a guest could be onboard the "Ships and Dip" cruise in January, as well as appear ONSTAGE with Guster! If you thought it didn't get any better, Barenaked Ladies will be on the cruise as well! (No, not the naughty vixen kind, the Canadian rock kind). For all of the details, check out Guster.com. There's a link along the right side of the page with all of the official details. Make sure your video follows all the rules, or they may not even know it exists!

Guster at Vegoose--free Webcast

Yesterday, I mentioned in my post about the cancelled Salt Lake show that I wished I could get to Vegas. Well, I can't go that far, but I'm still going to see the show.

Thankfully for everyone who will not be in Vegas this weekend, Guster is making THE ENTIRE SET from Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas available online for a streaming broadcast! I'm so excited! The show starts at 6:10 pm PST (the switch to standard time is on Sunday morning, folks) and can be seen for free at www.blueroom.att.com. If you can't catch the broadcast, there will be an archive available after the show so you can still check out at least bits and pieces.

Check out the original Guster blog post on MySpace if I haven't answered all your questions already.

FREE SHOW! WAHOO!

Salt Lake Guster Show Cancelled (10/27)

I just discovered today that Guster's show this weekend in my neck of the woods (Salt Lake City) has been cancelled. Poor Adam--sick with pneumonia. Poor me--I can't see the band this weekend. If only I could get to Vegoose. The show would be sweet. Guster AND The Killers? They're both pretty high on my iPod playlists.

Lucky Guster fans in Orlando and Atlanta--at least there's some good news for you!

Quoted from guster.com's news section:

Good news and bad news, Gusterkids.

BAD NEWS: Tomorrow's show in Salt Lake City, UT is cancelled, as Adam Gardner is still recovering from a miserable three-week bout with pneumonia. Refunds will be given at the point of purchase.

GOOD NEWS: Those of you coming to the Vegoose Festival in Las Vegas NV this weekend will get a chance to see Adam sweat through three shirts in the course of a one hour set! What could be sexier than an emaciated, feverish man with a guitar having the schvitz of his life in the desert?

All kidding aside, we're upset to have to miss a show in Utah, which is consistently one of our favorite places to play, and we're all pulling for Adam's antibiotics to kick in soon. Fortunately tour dates are a part of a greater cycle of life, and the death of the Salt Lake City show falls on the same day that we can announce the birth of two new shows next year:

2/16/07 - Orlando, FL
House of Blues
Tickets $19... on sale 11/4

2/17/07 - Atlanta, GA
The Tabernacle
Tickets $20... on sale 11/11

This will kick off an exciting three weeks of rock concerts in places we've been avoiding, like St Louis, Cincinnati, and Providence. Stay tuned. For now, we're off to tour the world with a contagious man and his hot flashes.

So, like the release says...good and bad news. I'll go sob in a corner about the Salt Lake show later tonight.