Disco de Guster: “Guster on Ice - Live From Portland, Maine [PA]”

Wow, at first I was kind of put off by the price and the PA, but I really like Guster, so I picked it up and I've got to say it's a very reasonable price for this. Each piece, the cd and dvd, are terrific in and of themselves and could've been sold separately for twice as much. And I feel that the PA was somewhat unnecessary considering the fact that the advisory comes from banter the band does in segments outside of the actual feature concert footage and doesn't detail explicit sex, or violence, but is mild profanity. At any rate, the concert film delivers. It mixes concert footage of the band without footage of them backstage, before a concert, at a radio performance, sliding around on ice outside, and tons of relevant crowd shots filled with reactions and candid behavior aplenty. Also included is a short film by a fan who followed them for week when they were touring to support the Barenaked Ladies. This provides the other portion that could possibly be the reason for the PA, but everything is covered, so I don't understand it. There's also a section where you meet Joe, the unofficial fourth member who was added for the tours of Keep it Together. He plays his guitar and sings his songs for you, and he's excellent at playing the guitar, not a very good singer, though. You also see him lead a jam with the band riffing in Chips Ahoy cookies and some music videos for two of Keep It Together's most famous songs pretty much wrap up the extras. Oh, there's a segment with the ridiculous inflated Cowboy who runs around in their video for Amsterdam and during the concert. That's it for the DVD. It gives you what you need to know about the band. As for the CD, it's excellent as well, containing every hit that the band released, but lets be honest, the perfect Guster concert recording would be them performing every song they've ever released. That will never happen, so here's the next best thing. Some of the songs sound fresher live, the "Airport Song" lacks the scratchiness of the violins and sound of ping pong balls at the end, which I love, but it also sounds more dramatic now. Whereas, on the record it sounds like macabre joke. If you watch the DV, the crowd throws ping pong balls onstage during it. CRAZY. "Come Downstairs and Say Hello" shows the mood change in the song, it's great. Above all else on this release, it's nice to see Brian "Thunder god" Rosenworcel in action with the bongos and to hear the group speak in a candid way Great stuff.

I got turned on to Guster after I bought "Keep It Together" several years ago, and subsequently bought "Lost and Gone Forever." I listened to "Soulfly" and "Parachutes" but they were a little too run of the mill acoustic for me. Anyway, I got this one because It had a great selection of songs from "KIT" and "LaGF" plus the DVD. The DVD was a great bonus because I have seen them live a couple times and they put on a great show.

So I take the package home and pop in the DVD and it is fantastic. The entire thing was recorded hi-resolution digital cameras with great editing. All of the other concert DVDs I have were FILMED and the quality of the picture really suffers because of it, but this one is immaculate. Their shows are filled with great color contrasts and it comes through beautifully on this DVD. The other thing is that the bonus features include a little 30 minute documentary on a week with Guster that is actually both interesting and funny. I also really liked how both the CD and DVD audio was mixed for production--you can tell they really spent some cash to do this thing right.

Seriously, this is a great buy--come on, you get both a full-length CD and DVD for around $15!!!

Guster is a band I finally gave into about a year ago when I saw them live, which was really my first exposure to their music. I think part of the reason I love them so much is that they just sound so incredibly good live... their songs are so solid in every aspect, from the instrumentation to the lyrics and the vocals. I am a sucker for bands that can harmonize so well live.

Regardless, this is a fantastic set that is worth the price, no question. I have a few complaints, such as the fact that they could have fit a few more songs on the cd... there are a few great ones on the DVD that didn't make the cd, but whenever you really like a band there is no way to fit every song you like on one disc. Besides that, everything here is great. The concert footage is very well edited, and really gives you a feel for what being at the show was like. The sound quality is terrific, and the band sounds great... these guys are not a studio band, they perfected their craft playing live and it shows.

Best tracks? Its hard to pick, but... I think my favorites are Come Downstairs and say Hello, and Demons, thats a great 1-2 punch in the middle of the disc. I Spy and Happier also see the band in top form... and their classics all sound great, and end the disc... Homecoming King and Fa Fa. All I can say is thanks to Guster for putting out this release for fans of the band. Its almost everything we could've hoped for.

Ya, I'm biased slightly, having been to the concert and being a bit of a "closet" fan for a lot of years. While this was taken from two nights, the set list really captures the best moments and songs. Since the set list was basically the same, you are not missing out. Sound quality, and performance, are excellent, though I didn't think it captured the "feel" of the show that well-the energy and volume was insane. I did not appreciate how mastering seemed to take precedence over the crowd, band, ect.-I promise many of the electronic instruments could not be heard at all. I consider them detracting from the music.

The DVD is great, and captures a lot of cool moments at the show-though again, a lot of the "after song" chatter is lost. These guys can be pretty funny so that was a bit of a disapointment. Also things like busting cymbals gets left out. Whatever. I still think this is an awesome collection, and it has the feel of a novel item. Plus, its filmed in vacationland! Our economy needs more bands like this.

This was an excellent show, and it was exciting to sit in the living room and try to recapture the feeling. The show was amazing, and its translation onto DVD was very good. I'll be honest, you simply can't recreate a live performance through a TV set, but it was still nice to lend a closer ear to the music, which, for the most part, was performed better than most of the studio work (if you can believe that). Airport song, and Barrel of a Gun probably stood out as two of the strongest songs at that show, with Backyard being the only song I can think of that seemed a little rough / weak. I strongly recommend this disc to anyone - the live CD stands on its own as an excellent recording to anyone who might not have liked the "over produced" feeling of "Keep it Together". The songs really come alive when they are played...live!