The crowd the lights the music

Erik Urycki

Guster performs at the M.A.C.

Fans cheer after Guster’s opening song last night. The band, sponsored by ACPB, opened this week’s Homecoming events. Elizabeth Myers | Daily Kent Stater

Credit: Ron Soltys

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If there was one underlying truth about last night’s Guster show, it was that Guster fans are incredibly loyal.

Girls waving “I love Guster” signs stood shoulder to shoulder with middle-aged couples in the M.A.C. Center, all there to see their favorite band.

Amanda Goldberg, a freshman exploratory major, said she was happy Guster was performing at Kent State.

“I like them because you can listen to their music anytime, and it always fits,” Goldberg said. “I’m also into their eco-friendly attitude.”

The band performed to an enthusiastic crowd, many of which knew the band’s lyrics by heart.

Songs ranging from “What you wish for” to their newest hit single “Satellite” were on the set list, and the crowd responded with resounding applause.

Meredith Watson, junior public relations major, said Guster has a way of bringing listeners in.

“If I am ever feeling down or bad about something, I put in a Guster album,” Watson said.

Watson said she has been following the band since their start in the mid ’90s.

“I have never been to a Guster show that has let me down,” she said.

The concert, which was a part of the Crocs Next Step Campus Tour, also featured singer/songwriter Brett Dennen.

Dennen, who has been compared to Bob Dylan and James Taylor, stirred up excitement by throwing free pairs of Crocs into the audience.

Also adding to the excitement was ABC’s Jake Sasseville, the host of the highly anticipated late-night talk show, “The Edge with Jake Sasseville.”

Sasseville said out of all the universities he has visited, the crowd at Kent State was the best.

“This crowd here is awesome.” Sasseville said. “It’s probably the smallest crowd I have seen, but it is by far the best.”

Contact on-campus entertainment reporter Erik Urycki at [email protected].