Nada Surf/Rogue Wave

Show: Nada Surf at the Fillmore
Headliner: Nada Surf
Openers: Rogue Wave, Inara George
Location: The Fillmore in San Francisco, CA
Date: Wednesday, February 23, 2006
2006 Show #: 3

I don't really have a good reason why, but this was the first time I've seen a show at the Fillmore. It's a great venue. Large enough for a big crowd, but not so large as to lose intimacy. The place seems classy too. I'm not certain about the quality of the neighborhood, and the 2 cokes I got were quite pricy. Other than that, I like this place.

First up was Inara George, and I got there amidst her set. Presumably halfway through. When we first got in, she was doing some cover that made her sound like a Chan Marshall clone without as good of looks. In the end, she got away from the folksie stuff a bit more, but nothing really to make her stand out. My girlfriend compared her to Regina Spektor, but I don't buy it. She put on a good show, but nothing made me want to instantly become her #1 fan.

Inara George's set ended at 8:43 and Rogue Wave started at 9p. He played a great 45 minute set that was enjoyable all the way around. Zach Rogue started off announcing his Oakland roots and then talked about how excited he was to be playing the Fillmore. Then he just went into the music. The set is somewhat hard to describe in that no one thing stood out too far. Much like the album "Descended Like Vultures," it's just of such consistent good quality that it makes the entire product stand out as great. Definitely worth seeing again. I'll be excited to follow Rogue's progress.

Nada Surf came on at 10:23p, and played a 75 minute main set. I left during the third song of the encore. Not that anything was wrong, simply that they'd hit almost every song of theirs I knew and I was too tired to try staying longer. The only songs they missed were "Popular" and "Blonde on Blonde." Some asshole near me kept yelling out for them to play it, and I wouldn't be surprised if they ended the encore with it. In the stuff I did hear, it was just generally fun and solid all around. It didn't add up to quite the fantastic product that Rogue's set did though. But it was enjoyable to see them play all their poppy hits. And it was really neat to see Zach Rogue join in on guitar for "Do It Again." Good times. I wouldn't rush to see Nada Surf again, but I would be happy to see them on a bill for a show I go to.