KOLARS, a Pioneertown favorite, returned to Pappy and Harriet’s on July 13 to open for Guster.
The members of KOLARS apparently love the desert; Rob Kolar and Lauren Brown have been regulars since the days of former band He’s My Brother She’s My Sister, and they performed at the Joshua Tree Music Festival last October. The fan composition tilted toward Guster, with many fans wearing handmade T-shirts declaring their love for the headliners. I did run into a few Crumbs (Cracker fans), introduced to KOLARS via the annual Cracker/Camper Van Beethoven Campout; these fans made the trip just to see KOLARS.
KOLARS’ can-do attitude and musical energy won over a whole new group of fans. Rob Kolar greeted the crowd: “How is everyone doing? In honor of Guster, we will count down this song backwards, 4321.” On the third attempt, the audiences members’ synapses synced, and they accomplished the complex counting task. The dynamic duo ignited the crowd. Rob Kolar’s voice is perfectly suited for classic rock ’n’ roll and would fit effortlessly in every decade since Elvis first sang in blue suede shoes. “This goes out to our friends who came out tonight,” he said, dedicating “One More Thrill,” inspiring the audience to dance.
“We are coming back in December,” Kolar stated.
Later, as the set came to a close, Kolar asked: “Are you guys excited for Guster?” The audience quickly responded with screams and a new hymn of, “Hey! Hey! Hey!”
Ryan Miller, the lead singer, greeted the patient audience, some of whom started to line up at 6 p.m. “Hi. Hello. This is an unusual David Lynch Valhalla,” which I am sure was acknowledged by both Pappy and Odin looking from above. Miller was very chatty, talking almost manically about the time he first came to Pappy and Harriet’s while staying in Joshua Tree. The story was hard to follow but involved a group of 100 friends dressed as pirates.
I briefly spoke to a super fan, Stephanie Young from Moreno Valley, during the pirate story, asking asked if Guster’s songs were ever played on KROQ the dominant L.A. alternative radio station. She responded, “I don’t know, but I have heard them at the grocery store.”
Guster played fan-favorite “Happier,” from Lost and Gone Forever.
The band’s relaxed and magnetic stage presence had been flawlessly honed over decades of live performance—but I suspect the energy was partially restrained by the stage cramped by a voluminous amount of equipment.
Miller announced: “We are playing our next song. We don’t do the encore thing. What song should we do for the encore? Which song? Now you are just making noise.” Guster then broke out into a cover of “Seagulls! (Stop it Now)” by Bad Lip Reading, a YouTube sensation; “Seagulls!” is an interpretation of some scenes from The Empire Strikes Back. Miller explained to me after show that the band is “obsessed” with Bad Lip Reading.
Miller said, “Thank you. Good night; this is our last song. Thank you everyone!” before the band walked off stage … and back two seconds later. The first encore was the deep cut “X-Ray Eyes.” That was followed by “One Man Wrecking Machine” from 2006’s Ganging Up on the Sun.
Ryan Miller asked, “Wow. We should do an entire cover set!” As a few notes of a Violent Femmes tune were teased, Miller added, “But we need bass.” A few chords of “Blister in the Sun” were played to clown the audience further. Miller asked: “Should we try it?” A sing-along of “Blister In the Sun” took place, and Miller then announced: “OK, this is our last song.” The band played “Terrified,” from Guster’s newest release, Look Alive.
“Thank you so much,” Miller said in farewell. Based on the sold out show and the fan reaction, I suspect the desert will see Guster back very soon.
