EXCLUSIVE REVIEW: The Hold Steady
Tags: Hold SteadyEXCLUSIVE REVIEW: The Hold Steady
Story by David Searle - Photos by Joel Faurote -March 16th @ The Music Mill
When is the last time you saw a really happy band? Most bands these days seem to be deadly serious about their art. Their onstage demeanor seems as if a roadie just died and this face-melting solo will honor his amp-hauling memory. Other bands hop around the stage like they just got their Red Bull wings, but being energetic doesn’t always mean happiness (just ask your local cokehead). But even though you can’t see it on their faces, obviously touring rock musicians must be happy on some level. They sure have a lot to smile about. Some of them are sexy, most of them are ungodly rich, and all of them are rockstars. So why the frowny face, Charlie Brown?That’s why it was a blast to see the Hold Steady having a blast on Friday. From the opening riff to the encore, they had grins on their faces the size of Lake Minnetonka. It was as if they had in-ear monitors feeding them the sound of puppies dancing in a meadow. It was refreshing to see a band drop the cool act and enjoy themselves. “This should be normal,” I thought.
Opening song “Stuck Between Stations” sounded huge, but then again so did every song. The Hold Steady and Wilco share a common trait - they are both a pair of 80’s shades and a cover of “Brown Eyed Girl” away from being a bar band. And yet they both also have the artistic vision and lyrical gravitas to be taken seriously. So they give us an excuse to enjoy the Les Paul guitar riffs and thundering drums. A live recording of this show could get airplay of Q95 with a little payola.
This paragraph is dedicated to the awesome-est sideman ever, Hold Steady keyboardist Franz Nicolay. Words can’t do this guy justice (which sucks for my purposes).
Imagine a guy who looks like the cooler oldest Super Mario Brother, plays the keys with a look on his face like he just ate a really delicious muffin, and drinks straight out of a wine bottle on stage. Every song he played was the emotional climax to him. Here’s to you, Franz.
Frontman Craig Finn drew frequent comparisons between Indianapolis and his hometown of Minneapolis, pointing out that people keep congratulating him on the Colts victory. He also commented that the crowd was the most polite the band has seen on its current tour. I think that has more to do with the atmosphere of the venue rather than the placidity of Indiana music fans. The Music Mill has the interior of a really hip furniture store. Which, coupled with the non-smoking factor, actually presents a decent atmosphere for concerts. Not every show has to be a bleary-eyed, bottle breaking, mosh-pitting war (although a rougher environment might have provided a more suitable context for this particular show).
As another concert-goer put it, every song was an anthem. I was impressed with the band’s ability to stay tight musically as the night played out, fighting off fatigue and the effects of the booze they openly drank onstage. “Southtown Girls” was as close as they got to a ballad, and even that song featured a bit of odd time signature riffing. “Your Little Hoodrat Friend” was drawn out into an instrumental vamp while Finn thanked the audience for coming. Maybe the Music Mill had an effect on him too, because he was the most polite frontman I’d seen in awhile.
As the show was winding down, Finn had one more polite overture to give to the crowd.”There is so much joy in what we do onstage. Thank you, Indianapolis, for sharing that joy with us.”
No, Hold Steady, thank you.
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