There's Always Other Scenes

The Hold Steady
First Avenue
July 4, 2010

Kind of unbelievable that I hadn’t gotten around to seeing the hold steady live. i was a distant fan of lifter puller back in the day (much moreso nowadays...ah the perils of skittish youth) but got on board with THS right off the bat. However, weddings, birthdays and funerals always seemed to get in the way of the live show. Ya, I know, i should have tried harder. Is what is, but determined i was to see them this time around.
And they were lots of fun, playing lots of favorites (not really a fan of the new album, but those songs didn’t sound that out of place) with a very punky and pointed attack live (because of the extra traveling guitar? the live stuff i’d heard before never sounded so supercharged). I did miss franz’s keyboards and back up vocals some (on chips ahoy and stuck between stations for sure) but it was all good (i probably should say we stood upstairs by the box entrance, so i was a bit removed from the mayhem, which is maybe why i didn’t get as much religion from the show as i’d hoped).
Mostly the show seemed like the craig finn show and no complaints here. i was never one of the CF vocal detractors and his sing speak style (even his singing) have only improved over the years, to allow the band to churn it up behind him and feel comfortable that he can move the song along, however he needs to do it. You’d think the awkward pee wee hermanisms would get tedious, but he always charms his way through it, making me smile more than a few times and his dance “moves”. Incidentally, we went to see my friend's cousin's boyfriend's band (The Blind Shake, who are really a lot of fun live, btw) at a wedding "dance" at the turf a couple weeks later. Craig sat at the table next to us for a bit.....i refrained from blathering all over him---course, i should maybe have bought him a beer. btw, maybe it was the jeans, but no ass. none whatsoever)
Not really surprised that the show didn’t save my life, cos i wasn’t really falling anyway (or i've already fallen?), but it was a fun Fourth of July to spend with my sweetie.
(the whigs opened. my mind is not changed about them at all)