Live Rewind: Nada Surf at The Fillmore, 2.23.06

A month after Lifehouse, I attended the Nada Surf show at The Fillmore on February 23, 2006. Nada Surf is an established band who first hit it big in the mid-90s with their song "Popular". They have been releasing music and touring for over ten years and had released their album The Weight Is A Gift in 2005 and supported it throughout 2006. The band is comprised of lead singer and guitarist Matthew Caws, drummer Ira Elliot, and dreadlocked bass guitarist Daniel Lorca.

I invited Shyloe to the concert and she instantly became a fan of Nada Surf too. We arrived to another long line outside the venue which stretched well past the Fillmore station post office on Geary. They The long opener consisted of two acts: folk singer Inara George and Rogue Wave, a pretty good indie band from Oakland fronted by Zach Rogue.

I first discovered the band through a song on a random mixed CD from my friend Cat. After hearing "Inside Of Love" and the first single off The Weight "Always Love", I was hooked. Some of the memorable concert observations: the backdrop was very simplistic. There were six or seven circular mirrors positioned on stage that reflected the audience. It actually produced a pretty cool effect since we could see our energetic reflection against the band. Another amusing anecdote was bassist Daniel's chainsmoking throughout the concert, song after song. I thought for a moment, his dreads would catch on fire! Musically, Matthew Caws has an awesome live voice, which was showcased in the heartbreaking "Inside Of Love". One of my favorite songs performed that night was the high energy "Blankest Year" in which Matt sings "Oh Fuck it. Fuck it, yeah! I'm gonna have a party". Another notable song was "Concrete Bed". The band performed a generous set of song spanning their musical catalog. Towards the end of the concert when they finally began to play "Always Love", I called Cat so she could hear her favorite Nada song as a way of appreciation. You know, the cell phone is the 21st century's version of the bic lighter. Such a concert cliché.