Guster has always had a slightly kooky, fun brand to their live shows and the current “We Also Have Eras” tour—which stopped at Revolution Hall in Portland, OR this week—proved that the band not only embraces that reputation, but maybe thrives on it. The show was an absolute delight that was part concert, part theater performance, with the band re-enacting pivotal moments in the band’s history while progressing chronologically through each of their records. 

The night opened with just Ryan Miller and Adam Gardner on stage as an acoustic guitar duo, joking that they decided to write songs together because they couldn’t find any common ground on covers they both knew. After starting with “Parachute” from their 1996 debut album of the same name, percussionist Brian Rosenworcel stumbled onto the stage to help bring some rhythm to “Happy Frappy.” A few selections from Goldfly, the moody “Demons” and “Airport Song” followed before transitioning into material from their breakout album, 1999’s Lost and Gone Forever.

“Barrel of a Gun” was an inflection point in the show, with the energy picking up and the crowd truly shouting out the countdown within the song’s chorus. One of the best skits came next, with Adam questioning Brian’s commitment to playing drums with his hands after discovering a pair of drumsticks on the tour bus before Ryan jumps in to wildly suggest the band also consider having someone play bass, like pretty much every other band in the world. Former bandmate “Joe” Pisapia is introduced, who is just current band member Luke Reynolds with a big name tag that says Joe, before the band plays “Diane” and deems it the best performance of the tour.

Selections from Ganging Up on the Sun like “The Captain” and “Satellite” were big hits with the crowd, which set up a hilarious interstitial explaining how the band was forced to make Easy Wonderful with an “evil producer” who didn’t share their vision for the record. Selections from the most recent Guster albums like Evermotion, Look Alive, and 2024’s Ooh La La kept the show moving along with skits about touring friend (and emcee for the night) Dave Butler, COVID, and a moment with Miller wandering around within the crowd.

The only time the band broke out of chronological sequence was during the encore or “Dumpster Set,” dipping back into Lost and Gone Forever for “Happier” and then closing the night with the anthemic “Amsterdam” from 2003’s Keep It Together record. The tour is winding down and only has a few stops left, but is absolutely worth catching if it happens to be in a city near you. And if not, look for Guster this summer as they’ll be once again touring across the country with Barenaked Ladies.