The Hold Steady at First Ave, Minneapolis (12/29/10)
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Wednesday night’s Hold Steady gig at First Avenue was an interesting
mashup of the generations, a testament to the group’s massive appeal
(locally, at least). It was the only show I’ve attended in recent
memory where drunk 50somethings could chant along with equally
plastered college kids, to music that is just as relevant to both of
them.
There was no question that the night belonged to Craig Finn, the
group’s exuberant frontman. He was positively beaming during every
minute of the show, literally trembling due to his overwhelming
enthusiasm. This wasn’t nearly the case for the five bandmates he
shared the stage with, but I suspect that most of the crowd was far
too inebriated to take note of their slight indifference.
On stage
Finn plays the part of a manically enthusiastic storyteller, often
delivering a line and then lurching away from the mic to bark an
utterly inaudible response to emphasize what he’s just said, typically
with an exaggerated accompanying gesture.
One of the more lively songs
of the night was “Sequestered In Memphis”, which ended as Finn
frantically paced the length of the stage screaming sans microphone; a
careful read of his lips revealing that he was repeating the song’s
final lyric (“I went there on business! On business! On business!!”)
The audience was remarkably tepid during some of the material from the
band’s latest full-length, Heaven Is Whenever, indicating a band that
is arguably past its prime, but still showing a decent amount of
chutzpah as its members near their forties. These more languid moments
were thankfully brief though, as the lengthy setlist was loaded with
enough older tunes to keep everyone satisfied. Particularly rousing
were Separation Sunday highlights “Your Little Hoodrat Friend” and
“Stevie Nix”, both of which feature lyrics that are peppered with
references to the Twin Cities, which were often met with an uplifted
drink from most in attendance (or simply a raised fist in the case of
those few with X’s on their hands).
The pinnacle of the evening was
certainly when they ripped through the title track from 2008’s Stay
Positive, with its “oh oh oh, oh oh oh” refrain that anyone who wasn’t
completely blotto was undoubtedly shouting along to.
The Hold Steady
make good on their reputation of being a solid live act, but one that
is decidedly welcoming to fans of all ages, making their performance
so agreeable that it fails to be anything extraordinarily noteworthy
(in my opinion anyway). I suppose it’s kind of like going to see the
latest Pixar film – you and your parents can go and undoubtedly both
enjoy it to some extent, but ultimately it’s not anything you haven’t
seen before, just something common that is done by this specific
outfit particularly well. They simply put on a damn fun rock ‘n roll
show, no more, no less.
mashup of the generations, a testament to the group’s massive appeal
(locally, at least). It was the only show I’ve attended in recent
memory where drunk 50somethings could chant along with equally
plastered college kids, to music that is just as relevant to both of
them.
There was no question that the night belonged to Craig Finn, the
group’s exuberant frontman. He was positively beaming during every
minute of the show, literally trembling due to his overwhelming
enthusiasm. This wasn’t nearly the case for the five bandmates he
shared the stage with, but I suspect that most of the crowd was far
too inebriated to take note of their slight indifference.
On stage
Finn plays the part of a manically enthusiastic storyteller, often
delivering a line and then lurching away from the mic to bark an
utterly inaudible response to emphasize what he’s just said, typically
with an exaggerated accompanying gesture.
One of the more lively songs
of the night was “Sequestered In Memphis”, which ended as Finn
frantically paced the length of the stage screaming sans microphone; a
careful read of his lips revealing that he was repeating the song’s
final lyric (“I went there on business! On business! On business!!”)
The audience was remarkably tepid during some of the material from the
band’s latest full-length, Heaven Is Whenever, indicating a band that
is arguably past its prime, but still showing a decent amount of
chutzpah as its members near their forties. These more languid moments
were thankfully brief though, as the lengthy setlist was loaded with
enough older tunes to keep everyone satisfied. Particularly rousing
were Separation Sunday highlights “Your Little Hoodrat Friend” and
“Stevie Nix”, both of which feature lyrics that are peppered with
references to the Twin Cities, which were often met with an uplifted
drink from most in attendance (or simply a raised fist in the case of
those few with X’s on their hands).
The pinnacle of the evening was
certainly when they ripped through the title track from 2008’s Stay
Positive, with its “oh oh oh, oh oh oh” refrain that anyone who wasn’t
completely blotto was undoubtedly shouting along to.
The Hold Steady
make good on their reputation of being a solid live act, but one that
is decidedly welcoming to fans of all ages, making their performance
so agreeable that it fails to be anything extraordinarily noteworthy
(in my opinion anyway). I suppose it’s kind of like going to see the
latest Pixar film – you and your parents can go and undoubtedly both
enjoy it to some extent, but ultimately it’s not anything you haven’t
seen before, just something common that is done by this specific
outfit particularly well. They simply put on a damn fun rock ‘n roll
show, no more, no less.
♥ The Hold Steady – First Ave, Minneapolis (12/29/10) |