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Reviews From 08-21-2002
Submitted to Guster.net by Amie

08-21-2002
Mesa Amphitheatre, Mesa, AZ


I attended the John Butler Trio/Guster/John Mayer show at Mesa Amphitheatre on 8/21, and yes, I am one of those annoying people who came primarily to see John Mayer (HUGE fan of his music), but left a big Guster fan. I have to say- having never even heard of Guster prior to this show, I was completely impressed with the band's performance. Their set was great, and the crowd was mesmerized by their songs. A friend of mine who was there with me, who also had never heard of the band prior to the show, agreed with me that there wasn't a bad or even so-so song from Guster. Everything they played was absolutely fantastic. I think it's unbelievable that their percussionist plays with his hands- I'd be shocked if he has any feeling left in them at this point. The crowd was very into the show, and there were quite a few Guster fans there, dancing down by the stage. I'd just like to say to the hardcore Guster music fans out there, annoyed by the large number of John Mayer fans that were at the shows they attended and reviewed- what is the big deal if the music is reaching a larger number of people now than before? A friend of a friend of mine told me that he saw John Mayer in Arizona last year and there were only 20 people who showed up. The point of an artist signing with a major label is so that their music will reach a wider, broader audience, which is the whole reason an artist performs in the first place. When Guster is on a bill with someone like John Mayer, who signed with a major label, is getting a lot of radio play right now, and is performing on the late night talk show circuit, etc... well, duh. Your audience is going to include all kinds of people from all walks of life, including the annoying teenybopper demographic. But look at what that kind of opportunity can do for a band like Guster- I'd never even heard of them before that show, and I now appreciate their music. Can't we all just get along? :-) Guster ROCKS. Enough said.