It’s been almost 15 years since Guster first started as a band, but one thing is clear: they haven’t lost their sense of humor.
During their recent performance at Bonaroo, the band paired up with “Funny or Die” to create a very memorable scene: herding a pair of elderly couples on stage to rock out with them while they played.
amNewYork caught up with Guster drummer Brian Rosenworcel before their headlining show in Central Park to chat about that viral video and more.
Talk about the viral video at Bonaroo. How did that come about?
It was sprung on us last minute by our friends at “Funny or Die.” They were looking for a band that was going to be able to fit these [old couples] into their stage set. We’re like, “We’re the band. [Laughs] You’ve come to the right place.”
How has the Bonaroo experience changed versus previous years?
The festival has both changed and held to its roots. The main thing for me is where the festival was built on more rootsy, jammy bands … they still have those bands. But there aren’t a lot of people watching them. The twenty-somethings there really wanted to see … all these dudes with laptops. Meanwhile the bands with guitars had much smaller crowds.
Is that something you’re noticing at festivals a lot these days?
There’s definitely some sort of sea change as far as what kids are listening to and what they want. We land in the old guys with guitars category and we still had an awesome crowd and awesome show. But it made me want to delve a little deeper into that electronic world to realize what’s good about it. Mainly they’re into the idea of being on drugs. [Laughs]
What songs off the new record are you guys showcasing on the road these days?
We’ve been opening up our shows with “Long Night,” first song on the record and it’s been going over really well. We can play a lot of them. We’ve got a long enough set that we can blend in a lot of the new album with a lot of old songs so everyone is happy.
If you go: Guster is at Rumsey Playfield at Central Park Monday at 6 p.m., Fifth Avenue and 72nd St., $40
