The Hold Steady @ Northsix
January 18th, 2007 - by John
The members of The Hold Steady live in Prospect Heights Brooklyn (though, as one might gather from their lyrics four of the five members have lived in Minneapolis) so it was a bit of a hometown show last night at Northsix in Williamsburg. Boys and Girls in America was one of my favorite records of 2006 so I was excited to see the band play those songs live.
The evening did not begin well. The opening band Looker took the stage at 10pm (doors were at 8pm) and plowed through a forgettable half hour set that somehow seemed much longer. Enough said.
Photo by jenyk (not from last night)
The Hold Steady took the stage a little after 11pm opening with “Positive Jam” the first track from the debut record Almost Killed Me followed quickly by the opening number from their new record “Stuck Between Stations”. The band seemed in high spirits- reminiscing with the crowd about their first show ever (at Northsix) back in January of ‘03. The sold out crowd reciprocated the positive feelings. I can honestly say I had never been to show in Williamsburg with more clapping and exuberant singing along.
The set was high energy and featured most of the new album. Singer Craig Finn introduced “Hot Soft Light” with a story about his favorite television show: Cops. Speaking of hot, it was very hot in Northsix; leading Finn to share a favorite saying of his friend’s father. He described the venue as hot “as a French whore house.” Apparently this phrase can be used to describe almost anything; try it, I think it could really catch on. “Chips Ahoy!” and “Massive Night” had the crowd signing along in full force. “Southtown Girls” and “You Can Make Him Like You” were also excellent. There was also a lot of love for the older material including “Cattle and the Creeping Things” and “How A Resurrection Really Feels”. One thing that struck me about the performance was how much fun the band seemed to be having. It certainly translated to the audience who seemed to be having an equally good time.
The band’s encore included “First Night”, “Same Kooks” and the finale “Killer Parties” during which the band grabbed just about as many folks as would fit and pulled them up on the stage. Certainly a fun evening; check these guys out when they come to your town.
September 13th, 2011 at 8:27 pm
You are one hundred% on the money! Most people I see view issues within the brief run and try to take each opportunity to promote or hype themselves instead of building credibility by way of helping others achieve their goals.