In Front of Me Now

Nada Surf performing on stage at Great American Hall in San Francisco
Nada Surf at the end of the night's show in San Francisco
Nada Surf performing on stage at Great American Hall in San Francisco

It had been far too many years since the last time I saw Nada Surf play live1 and I’m thankful to finally break that lull on Friday night, seeing the band at the Great American Hall in San Francisco. I got there early enough to secure a good spot up front — and the good fortune to catch a couple minutes to chat with Matthew Caws while waiting to grab a beer.

If you know Nada Surf, it’s likely from their 90s hit Popular, but they’re a band that deserves to be much bigger in the US2 than they perhaps are. At the same time, I’m selfishly glad to be able to see them in more intimate settings rather than huge arenas.

After the show I mentioned to Caws that I was a little surprised they didn’t play more from their latest (excellent) album, Moon Mirror. I would have been quite happy if they performed the entire thing, which, based on his reply wasn’t that unusual, but tells you something about fans of the band. It’s not just about the hits, especially when their catalog is one fantastic song after another3.

Footnotes

  1. My recollection was that the last time I saw the band was (checks notes) The Opera House in Toronto on April 8, 2008 but I was also likely at their 2010 show at Lee’s Palace. The former I believe followed an acoustic performance at Sonic Boom Records. I still have a signed poster from that gig in my archive. ↩
  2. They’ve done something unusual in that they’re probably bigger overseas than in their own country, at least if you look at their touring schedule. ↩
  3. Caws’ songwriting and lyrics are clever, heartfelt, and genuinely empathetic. He taps into something almost transcendent and deeply true that manages to hit me in the feels every time. ↩