[Nada Surf's Matthew Caws courtesy of redboy.com]
NADA SURF / SUPERDRAG
4/11/08 - Terminal 5, NYC
About halfway through their 90 minute set, Nada Surf vocalist/guitarist Matthew Caws announced, "Contrary to popular belief, we enjoy playing this song. And now we'll enjoy playing it for you." With that, bandmates Daniel Lorca (bass) and Ira Elliott (drums) joined him by launching into "Popular", the 1996 MTV hit that once threatened to bury them in the black hole that is one-hit wonderdom, before their 2003 comeback with album number three, Let Go, breathed new life into their career.
And on this full-house homecoming--probably their largest headlining audience to date--they seemed to be keenly aware of this fact: 10 of Let Go's 12 tracks made the set list; twice as many as current album Lucky in fact. Regardless, the Brooklyn trio--augmented by Calexico multi-instrumentalist Martin Wenk--was in fine form, making the most of an evening in which they were joining their 1996 tourmates and fellow Elektra Records signees Superdrag for a bit of heady mid-90s nostalgia.
Since they reunited last year, the original Superdrag lineup--John Davis (vocals, guitar), Brandon Fischer (guitar), Tom Pappas (bass, vocals) and Don Coffey, Jr (drums)--has been performing a set culled largely from the band's first two albums, Regrettfully Yours (1996) and Head Trip in Every Key (1998), as well as some John Davis solo tracks.
Kicking off their high-energy, hour-long stint with fan favorite "Garmonbozla", the boys from Tennessee did not disappoint one bit and had no problem winning over the New York crowd with their rockin' show and Southern charm. (They warmly acknowledged the evening's vibe of brotherly love between the two bands by dedicating "True Believer" to Caws.) Yes, they played a bunch of their best loved tunes, including "Do the Vampire" and their big hit "Sucked Out". But who expected otherwise? Glad to have you back, gentlemen.
