Guster On Ice - Live From Portland, Maine (DVD, 2004)

Guster has in the last two years leaped into my favorite current band - especially live. If you've ever seen a Guster concert (and you should!) you will immediately fall in love with them. The music is raw and powerful - lots of acoustic guitar and sounds and plenty of big drum and bongo beats. The lyrics are simple yet powerful. Guster has for years been hugely popular among college populations and stations - but their music (like Demons and the Airport Song) are hitting it big time and onto MTV. Their shows are sold out and they play with the like of Howie Day (who I actually dislike) and other acoustic rockers. Excellent album - my personal favorite of the last 3 years!!

1. Careful
2. Happier
3. Red Oyster Cult
4. Ramona
5. Barrel Of A Gun
6. Flowers, (Nothing But)
7. Come Downstairs And Say Hello
8. Demons
9. Amsterdam
10. I Spy
11. Airport Song
12. Homecoming King
13. Fa Fa

From the album notes - excellent remarks: Guster's energetic live shows and loyal fan base have been widely chronicled, so an album recorded in the group's natural on-stage habitat is an especially welcome addition to their catalog. GUSTER ON ICE: LIVE FROM PORTLAND, MAINE is about as close as one could get to being at the concert, and showcases Guster's cheerful acoustic guitar- and vocal harmony-driven sound amid tons of giddy crowd noise. Sometimes sounding like a less-melancholy Toad the Wet Sprocket, the group charges through a selection of its best-known songs ("Amsterdam," "Red Oyster Cult," "Fa Fa") with unbridled enthusiasm, inviting the adoring crowd to share in the fun. As the track list draws from all of Guster's previous releases, GUSTER ON ICE could serve equally well as a fan memento or "best of"-style introduction.

Guster on Ice is a live DVD and CD recorded in Portland, ME in 2004. It's a blend of catchy riffs and pop melodies with impressive hand-drumming by Brian. The production on this DVD is great and the music is addicting. Guster is currently touring and will be paying a tribute to their 10-year old release Lost and Gone Forever - another must have CD!! Check out www.guster.com for dates and venues. They ROCK!!!! ~Drew

I've been a Guster fan for about 10 years now, but I have always enjoyed them live better than on CD. Guster on Ice, while not the greatest performance I've ever seen from them, suffices to hold me over while I wait for their next trip to the Southeast. The DVD has lots of footage, but (for me) it is over edited. As an example, out of focus shots of the band playing while focusing on some piece of lighting or structural member of the venue takes away the very thing that I like about a Guster show...the noticeable skill of the performing musicians. So, if you're looking for a complaint, there it was...the rest of the DVD and music on it is great. Unlike many DVDs from other bands, I can happily watch it over and over again...and at eBay prices, why shouldn't you give it a try?