This year’s Springfest concert followed a familiar formula:’ Two parts nostalgia, three parts dancing and one part sold-out. Deviating from tradition, its headliners were chosen as the winners for best on-campus show, edging out mash-up master Girl Talk.
Guster and Jimmy Eat World ‘- both worshiped within emo-alt-pop scenes since the late-’90s ‘- performed for an enthusiastic audience in Matthews Arena April 4. The concert concluded a week-long superhero-themed Springfest organized by the Council for University Programs (CUP), and also featured sets by Philadelphia-based DJ Diplo.
‘It was amazing,’ said Springfest Concert Chair Nani Stoick in a News article published April 6. ‘The bands were really down to earth. Backstage, it was the smoothest Springfest we’ve had.’
Medford natives Guster played first, delivering the upbeat, climactic and jam session-inclined music they’re known and loved for. The band hadn’t toured in about a year and a half ‘- not that audience members could tell. Their 45-minute set blazed through highlights ‘Ruby Falls,’ ‘Amsterdam’ and ‘Satellite,’ eliciting cigarette lighter ‘- and faux-lighter iPhone applications ‘- during ‘Hang On.’ It concluded with 2000’s popular ‘Fa Fa.’ Band members also surprised one of their roadies who was leaving the tour with a cake and gave shout outs to their families and kids.
Jimmy Eat World’s slightly longer set also covered the emotional and musical spectrum, with material reaching highs of ‘Big Casino,’ lows of ‘Hear You Me’ and dating back to the ’90s. The performance lacked several older classics but delivered ‘Crush,’ ‘Lucky Denver Mint,’ ‘Ten’ and ‘Blister’ to balance out ‘Futures,’ ‘Dizzy,’ ‘Let It Happen’ and ‘Always Be,’ culled from later releases. Jimmy Eat World dropped the heart-wrenching ’23’ toward the end of the show, and paired ‘Bleed American’ and ‘A Praise Chorus’ in a nod to their most popular album, also called Bleed American.
Both bands delivered with sincerity and an irony-free need to bring the house down that carried through with each crushing, popping or otherwise rocking song. Jimmy Eat World reigned as the headliner, with its name streaming across the stage’s single flourish:’ a black banner backdrop. Their explosive encore featuring radio-friendly ‘The Middle’ and ‘Sweetness’ closed the concert.

‘- Julie Balise, News Staff