Nada Surf w/ Port O'Brian – Swedish American Hall, San Francisco, CA 2/2/2008

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Photographs courtesy of Brooke M. Osborne

For the last couple of album tours Nada Surf have christened their musical jaunts with intimate acoustic concerts. Last year they played next door at the music club-cum-belly of a ship that is Café Du Nord for the The Weight is a Gift tour. They return to San Francisco for their electric tour on March 22nd at the Fillmore.

The night wasn’t exceptionally memorable, though Port O’Brien started off with a riotous set of songs inspired by lead singer/songwriter Van Pierszalowski’s trips every summer to work his father’s commercial salmon fishing boat, the Shawnee, on Kodiak Island in Alaska. Cambria Goodwin was on banjo, guitar and she also aided with the vocals – which sometimes reached passionate yelps and yowls. Pierszalowski’s Americana leanings seemed to be polished up since I saw him last spring opening for Bright Eyes – fresh off the band’s M. Ward christening recommendation. Thankfully the band hasn’t lost any of its razor edge on stage.

Decked out in beige moccasins Van and his gang of four blasted through his usual songs about his summers of isolation. The Herman Melville quote proudly featured on the band’s website bio explains it all for Pierszalowski’s weathered lyrics: “At sea a fellow comes out. Salt water is like wine, in that respect.”

Port O’Brian

Even though they were seated they kept a foot stomping beat through songs like ‘A Rooftop Song’ and the hail-mary closer, ‘I Woke Up Today.’ The latter featured Patrick Abernethy and Gram LeBron from Rogue Wave (Oakland bands stick together I guess). They helped yell the wordless chorus with the audience as Pierszalowski incited the crowd by yelling, “Two more times, San Francisco”.

‘Don’t Take My Advice’ captured a young person’s endless quest for settling in the disorienting midst of also wanting to not be tethered down. ‘Bird Flies By’ conjured up Appalachian music while ‘My Eyes Won’t Shut’ conflated the hyper jubilance of ‘90s alt-rock riffs with O’Brien’s careening folk. Their set proved to be the true high mark on a night that proved to be inconsistent at best for Nada Surf.

Then Matthew Caws, Ira Elliot and Daniel Lorca took to the stage. Ira was playing a cajon drum and supplying vocals. Daniel seemed really disinterested the whole night as a cigarette dangled from his mouth. The band’s boyish harmonies also have seemed to take a turn for the worse. The worst case was on the Teenage Fanclub-like outro singing that sounded more like dying cats Caws even admitted to it.

Lorca seemed to stumble through the songs that required him to sing. Maybe that cigarette might be impeding that. The waning alt-rockers peppered old favorites from Let Go like the chilly riff of ‘Blizzard of 77′. The night was dedicated to the stale material from Lucky though. The audience definitely perked up when they heard familiar mopey anthems like ‘Inside of Love’. The encore proved to be jam-packed with Let Go and The Weight Is A Gift tunes. Even though they were seated the band got the audience yelling the call-back chorus of “Fuck It!” on the closer for the night (‘The Blankest Year’).

I see the artistic and logistical reasoning behind Nada Surf wanting to strip everything down and go acoustic but at this stage in their development or un-development it seems to not be the best choice. The band’s elaborate productions on their albums serve as sly Emperor’s Clothes for their rather tiresome songs. Without that these new acoustic numbers seem frail and clichéd. Despite that the set definitely reminded us all of how Nada is continually trudging towards adult contemporary land. At least the fans have the memories though right? In light of Caws’ feather-light song on fatherhood it makes sense. “Here Goes Something” indeed.

Setlist:
Happy Kid
Whose Authority
What Is Your Secret?
Weightless
Killian’s Red
Blizzard of ‘77
I Like What You Say
Inside of Love
Ice On The Wing
Here Goes Something
Are You Lightning?
Beautiful Beat
See These Bones

Encore:
Fruit Fly
Blonde on Blonde
Do It Again
Always Love
Blankest Year

mp3:> Nada Surf: See These Bones