Best Rehearsal Ever: Nada Surf At Union Hall

| 11 Nov 2014 | 01:47

If there was ever a rock personality contest, Nada Surf would definitely win. Watching them perform is always such a delight, partially because they just seem to be genuinely having a great time when playing and of course because they write some of the best pop songs of our generation. I could have a running chainsaw lodged up the deepest recesses of my anus, and still enjoy a Nada Surf show. As bad as that internal shredding would feel, that unbelievably good feeling that comes from just watching Nada Surf perform "Inside of Love" would easily cancel it out.

At the start of their set at Union Hall in Park Slope on Friday night, lead singer Matthew Caws announced that the band originally thought of having the show in their living room, but only wanted to play in front of 150 people. This intimate show would act as a send off for the band as they head out for a long tour. The trio was as relaxed as ever, touching all of their bases with a set that perfectly mixed the best songs from their entire catalog. Personal favorite "Killian's Red" was accidentally skipped, when Caws lost track of the set list. Luckily the band returned to it, and it was marvelous. As always "Inside of Love" and it's swaying rhythm was one of the biggest hits of the night, as well as "High Speed Soul," "Blonde on Blonde" and the set closing sing-along "Blankest Year."

Nada Surf

In the middle of Nada Surf's set, the band stopped to thank Jealous Girlfriends for opening. Matthew Caws told the audience that the drummer works at his local coffee shop, and continued to go on and show praise for their excellent performance. And it was excellent. Having seen them three times this year, the band continues to get better with each performance, and is surely one of the best up and coming local bands in our scene. Holly Miranda's sparkling vocals are key element that will end up taking them to bigger places.

Jealous Girlfriends

Photos courtesy of [Jonny-Leather]