By Lisa DiCarlucci
On Friday night, April 11, hundreds of people, teenagers and middle-aged alike, lined up outside of Terminal 5 on West 56th St. to see the rare occurrence that is a Nada Surf and Superdrag concert.
Both bands have been around since the 90s, but their catchy songs have a tendency to go under the radar. However, it’s fair to say that anyone and everyone residing in the tri-state area that has been a consistent fan was in attendance.
Superdrag, the lesser known of the two, was the first to play but onstage was not the first place they were seen. Upon entering the venue, band members could be spotted personally running their own merchandise table and mingling with the fans. If an audience member didn’t know who they were looking for, their unassuming appearances could have fooled one into thinking they were just some overaged fans. But what they lack in appearance they certainly make up for in talent and showmanship.
Superdrag formed back in 1992 and has never exactly reached any height of fame.
Most people are surprised when first listening to their music that they are not strange or unusual sounding and could actually be considered catchy.
Their set was electric in a typical power-pop/alternative sense. The packed venue was completely energetic through each song and the audience nearly forgot how claustrophobic they felt because they were too busy dancing and singing along. The sight of these awkward forty-somethings (especially the bassist with the huge afro and sweet dance moves) still rocking out after all this time created a vibe of pure enjoyment and happiness amongst the crowd.
But Nada Surf followed and was clearly the crowd favorite. Bassist Daniel Lorca opened up with, “This night is already perfect and we still haven’t even played yet!” From there, they jumped into a set of mostly new songs off their recent album, “Lucky.” While the CD is not exactly their best effort, it was still highly anticipated and has been well received.
The highlights of Nada Surf’s set were the old favorites. The entire crowd was screaming the words with passion and excitement to songs like “Popular,” which is, fittingly, their most popular and well-known song. Singer and guitarist Matthew Caws introduced it as “the song that, contrary to popular belief, we still actually enjoy playing.” How could they not? The entire crowd stood in unison, hands in the air, reaching out as if to touch them.
Overall, the Nada Surf and Superdrag show was really positive and exciting. The intimacy of the Terminal 5 venue and the thrill of being with a large group of people who knew all of the words to the same obscure songs that you do made for an experience worth remembering and was more than worth the price of the ticket.
Nada Surf and openers Superdrag played to fans young and old alike on April 11 at Terminal 5, bringing back ’90s nostalgia with old favorites. (musicmedia.ign.com)
(www.superdrag.com)