An Evening With Nada Surf
The Terragram Ballroom
Los Angeles, California
05/12/18
By Eric Sandberg
Setlist: Set 1-Entire Let Go album; Blizzard of '77|Happy Kid| Inside of Love |Fruit Fly | Blonde On Blonde |Hi-Speed Soul| Killian's Red | The Way You Wear Your Head | Neither Heaven Nor Space | Là pour ça |Treading Water |Paper Boats
Set 2: Imaginary Friends |Teenage Dreams | What Is Your Secret?|Cold To See Clear |Out Of the Dark |Your Legs Grow | Dispossession |Do It Again | No Quick Fix | Firecracker| Robot| Stalemate (interpolating Love Will Tear Us Apart by New Order)|The Fox | Amateur| See These Bones
Encore: Popular |Always Love |Blankest Year
Impromptu performance at merch table: Rushing
Time: 2:35
Nada Surf are:
Ira Elliot on Drums & Vocals
Matthew Caws on Guitar & Lead Vocals
Daniel Lorca on Bass & Vocals
With: Louie Lino on Keyboards
If the world were a fair place, Nada Surf would be playing Staples Center and Weezer would would be playing clubs. After two years away from the road, Nada Surf brought their unique brand of Alternative, Garage, Power Pop, Psychedelia to the cozy, sold out Terragram Balloom on Saturday night (to be followed by another sold out show at the Moraccan Lounge Sunday).
An "Evening With..." performance, The three members of Nada Surf took the stage two shakes after 9:00 PM with an acoustic guitar and two microphones and sang "Blizzard of '77", the kick-off track of their seminal 2002 album, Let Go. The song also doubled as a greeting card to their fans who haven't seen them on the road for two years, closing with the lyric, "I miss you more than I knew".
Blonde and diminutive lead singer/guitarist Matthew Caws looks like the anti-Rivers Cuomo, thrashing his beat up black Telecaster, which didn't leave his shoulder all night save for two acoustic numbers. That I could still hear him sing while I was pushed up against the stage, behind the PA speakers, is testament to the deceptive power of his voice.
Founding Bassist Daniel Lorca is a master of power trio garage bass, smashing the perfect notes on his Fender Precision, sounding like a punky Chris Squire punishing his Rickenbacker. Lorca attacked the strings so savagely with his pick I was afraid one might dislodge and take my eye out.
Lorca carries on the tradition of pug-faced Rock 'n Rollers sporting dreadlocks that was started by Counting Crows singer Adam Duritz. Flailing away in the dazzling lights, Lorca often looked like a deranged Cowardly Lion.
Deep into the Let Go album performance, Lorca took center mic for a poignant lead vocal on the French language "Là pour ça", prefacing the song with an interesting story about how the classic album came to be made.
As Nada Surf tracked through Let Go I scanned the audience and saw people ranging from young girls to balding men in their 50s singing along to every word.
After a brief break, Nada Surf returned to the stage to begin a relentless 18-song set spanning their 8-album catalog, powered by tall, mustachioed and ultra-cool drummer, Ira Elliot and augmented by long-time collaborator Louie Lino on keyboards.
Many of Nada Surf's songs start quietly, building up Power Pop momentum as they unfold and often end up in a psychedelic garage groove that Caws would quickly wrap up lest things get too out of hand.
The band performed a three song encore beginning with the huge MTV hit "Popular" and ending with the anthemic "Blankest Year" with the always fun audience call and response of "Oh fuck it!"
The evening, however, didn't quite end there. On our way out of the venue we were caught in the crush around the merch table where Matthew Caws had appeared faster than a magician performing a dislocation illusion. Perhaps responding to a coy complaint that a favorite was not performed in the generous set, Matthew donned his acoustic and sang "Rushing" in its entirety.
Needless, to say, even if you are not a fan, if Nada Surf rides a crest into your town they are a must-see.
