The Dream Syndicate at Turf Club (October 4, 2026)
The Dream Syndicate brought their jangly alt rock to Turf Club in Saint Paul and helped the crowd forget the outside world for a while and even transported them back in time with a play through of 1984’s Medicine Show.
- Where I’ll Stand
- Filter Me Through You
- Out of My Head
- Black Light
- 80 West
- Like Mary
- How Did I Find Myself Here
- Glide— Medicine Show —
- Still Holding On to You
- Bullet With My Name on It
- Daddy’s Girl
- Burn
- The Medicine Show
- Armed With an Empty Gun
- Merrittville
- John Coltrane Stereo Blues— Encore —
- That’s What You Always Say
- Tell Me When It’s Over
After a long weekend of some very fun local and hyper-local bands as part of the inaugural Midway Music & Arts Fest, I traded out the last day of local for the promise of a sun-soaked jangle of Californian alt rock at Turf Club, with seasoned rockers The Dream Syndicate in town. The band first formed in Los Angeles in 1981 and had an initial run as an alt band in the vein of Velvet Underground with some Bruce Springsteen influences. They called it quits in 1989 and have long been considered an influential band (Kurt Cobain called them a major influence). Band leader Steve Wynn re-formed the band with original drummer Dennis Duck for a reunion in 2012 with some of the so-named Paisley Underground (defined by a psychedelia influenced in Southern California in the 1980’s) including The Bangles and Rain Parade. A funny thing that: it led to more shows and they have been at it ever since, with four new albums, equaling their 80’s output, including 2022’s (commercially) underrated Ultraviolet Battle Hymns and True Confessions. The sound has evolved since that original 80’s run as well, and they have leaned into those longer instrumentals and expanding the bands and subgenres they are interested in. We last saw singer and guitarist Steve Wynn as part of his other project, supergroup The Baseball Project over at Fine Line in September 2025, and were looking forward to his original band.
The quartet (guitar/vocals, guitar/vocals, bass/vocals, and drums) started with Where I’ll Stand and was a solid intro to their aesthetic, with Wynn’s lead vocals supported by the guitars and drums. Filter Me Through You had the repeated chorus and also let Wynn roll with a solid guitar solo and some fabulous bass work from Mark Walton. We started to get into some longer instrumental sections on Out of My Head, and the driving drums from Dennis Duck let all that guitar work fly. The first break had Wynn explain the evening’s set up with a joked “we’re the opener for Dream Syndicate” before talking through the two sets: the first with newer material and the second set a full run through (though not in order) of 1984’s Medicine Show, with an amusing “we’ll transport you and make you forty years younger, but the problem is when you leave, you’ll be forty years older again”. Back to music, guitarist Jason Victor got some great solo work on Black Light and with dual backing vocals behind Wynn, this was an excellent number. Wynn was an effective front man, but all of the band members sent out the cool vibes and The Dream Syndicate had the crowd right where they wanted them. Like Mary had Victor with a steel guitar effect and the song’s small addition of distortion was a nice layer to the music. The title track from How Did I Find Myself Here? was the first of the marathon numbers with multiple bites at the apple for Victor and serious dual guitar work with Wynn as they both laid into it, and a super sped up end had the whole band locked in. Finishing the opening set with Glide, the modern arrangement of The Dream Syndicate had been a perfect opener for the 80’s version of The Dream Syndicate.
After the break, the band jumped right into Still Holding Onto You, the opening track of Medicine Show, and it let Wynn play the wistful ex-lover. The 1984 album has all the pieces you’d want from the band, with the snarling guitar work, hefty drums and Wynn’s lyrical stories from a much younger self. Bullet With My Name On It was a slow burn and had such great bass riffs to augment the guitar solos and The Dream Syndicate was in a controlled jam session mode. Burn was top notch and Wynn had such solid control of tempo and dynamics, with great non-verbal comm that brought the band along the vision. As promised in the first set, Wynn told the story of the album, locked away for three decades before several years of legal proceedings finally got the band the rights back. They’ve re-released it on Wynn’s Down There label, and it was clear how happy they were to be at this moment. The title track was a banger, with the darker guitar and bass off-setting Wynn’s vocals. Armed With an Empty Gun was all distortion at the front end and Duck’s drum work was pummeling. John Coltrane Stereo Blues was a jangle filled guitar intro and the dystopic lyrics were a perfect landing point for the band. The briefest of breaks had them back for the encore and That’s What You Always Say was sulky and rocking all at the same time and Wynn’s late guitar solo somehow captured both of those themes. Tell Me When It’s Over was the best way to close and The Dream Syndicate had made the crowd forget the outside world and just enjoy some great live music for an evening.
