Nada Surf in October, at their now infamous drummer-less gig.Photo: Elizabeth Weinberg / Retna
Nada Surf’s Hometown Fans Fail to Go Completely Nuts at Show
Nada Surf should have felt perfectly at home playing the first of two sold-out gigs kicking off the tour for their new album, Lucky: Half of the thirtysomethings filling the Music Hall of Williamsburg were probably the Brooklyn group’s friends, after all, and the audience was warm and attentive. But warmth and attentiveness isn’t what hometown shows by beloved bands are about — boisterousness and ardor are. The crowd seemed a little like they had their minds on the babysitters back home. Singer Matthew Caws, who lives a short way from the venue, even went so far as to say that he felt like the show could’ve been happening on “Any Street, USA.” And so it was a testament to the guys onstage that near the end of a set that tended toward the tender, melancholy, and beautiful, the folks in attendance finally seemed pumped, taking a cue to sing along and even launching a few fists in the air. Apparently heart-on-sleeve and balls-out can co-exist after all. —Julia Simon Nada Surf’s Hometown Fans Fail to Go Completely Nuts at Show
