Massive nights

Saturday night, Craig Finn and his band of merry men rode into town and rocked the Crocodile (wicked.) Midway through their tour, The Hold Steady were in full form, rocking far beyond their unassuming stature. Finn, who looks more likely to get your accounting done then to 'go to 11,' was all over the place, gesticulating wildly with every lyrical gem he spewed forth - I seriously thought he he might to lose a limb during "Swish."

Playlist: The Hold Steady - Setlist Oct 21, 2006 (picture of setlist from righton)

They played nearly ever song (save "Citrus") from their masterpiece Boys and Girls in America, and littered the set with plenty of Minneapolis asides (The Hold Steady is a Brooklyn band, but Finn is from Minneapolis area and writes almost exclusively about it) particularly an ominous prediction (albeit, with some uneasiness) that the Vikings would take the Seahawks in the next day's contest (which proved to be far too correct.) Seattle has a strong Minneapolis connection, with a lot of transplants in the area - including one in my party - so it probably felt a bit like a hometown show. Finn even ran off a list of old Minnesota friends who were in attendance, of which there were plenty.

Of course the band is more then Finn, and I can't ignore the greatest mustache in indie rock, Franz Nicolay, who worked the keys and sang spot-on back-up vocals. But the show, in a way, belongs to the big rock fretwork of Tad Kubler, who even pulled out a double-neck gibson to end the night with an extended "Killer Parties."

Opening act was Sean Na Na, which sees Sean Tillman (Har Mar Superstar) reviving his old power pop/indie rock band in support of The Hold Steady. They did a great job of playfully provoking the audience, introducing songs with "check this shit out," and "make some noise if you think Sean Na Na is AWESOME!" After the shows, Tillman had some fun discreetly dropping his pants while talking to fans.

More:
righton has a ton of great photos from the show.

Previously:
Sometimes the painkillers make the pain even worse ("Chips Ahoy" video)
Two go Boss: The suddenly fashionable Springsteen (Hold Steady's Boys and Girls in America)

tags: playlist, music, hold steady, sean na na, live music, concert review, indie rock, brooklyn, seattle, minneapolis, rhapsody