Sunday, July 27, 2008
The Hold Steady at Crystal Ballroom 7.27.08
I filled my headphones with the first three Hold Steady recordings shortly before I saw them in a too-short early afternoon set at Sasquatch 2007. I missed their November swing through Portland, but encouraged by separate groups of friends I went to their performance at the Crystal in support of their new album, Stay Positive.
The Hold Steady's front man is Craig Finn, nerdy, a bit round and balding with glasses. His stage presence is rather dervish-like and seems like he is in the midst of some kind of purgative exorcism at times, particular when be is blurting out a rash of polysyallabic lyrics. Seldom could you say Finn is singing, in a traditional way, except sometimes on the slower tunes and chorus sing alongs. His energy and presence dominate the scene when The Hold Steady performs, although Franz Nicolay, the little mustached man on keyboards acts as a kind of visual counterpoint to Finn's energy. His appearance is disarming. One would expect him to be playing organ at a pizza restaurant.
The lyrics are what is central to The Hold Steady when on listens to their albums. They are full of arresting imagery and can be dense and intense. In the first albums, Finn creates a Nelson Algren, John Rechy, Hubert Selby kind of world of backstreets and religiosity. The latest two are more varied song cycles, but there is still a thematic signficance that makes them feel not just like collections of songs for download, but well-ordered experiences with forethought and architecture that were the hallmark of albums, back in the day when one purchased 12 inch platters that required a turntable and stylus.
Old school classic rock is very present in The Hold Steady. There are hooks and dramatic keyboard flourishes and lead guitar solos before the last chorus. You can't help but think Springsteen when you hear this, but it is more of the Springsteen of the pre-Born to Run era, than Born in the USA, especially when talk of women is concerned. The fourth song on Stay Positive is Lord I'm Discouraged, where a lover in waltz tempo bemoans the object of his affection as "coming up with excuses and half-truths and fortified wine" And one could envision a lost tape from Asbury Park sessions with a song that had a chorus like:
Magazines and daddy issues
I know you're pretty pissed
I hope you'll still let me kiss you
I'm glad I saw The Hold Steady this time through, even though the dead sound of the ballroom absorbed the more subtle aspects of the lyrics that Finn delivered. But going to a rock concert is more about getting impressed with the band's intent and impact, especially when the classic rock sounding anthems are driving the first third of the crowd standing in front into a frenzy, as in the opening number of the show (also the first track on the newly released Stay Positive) called Constructive Summer:
Raise a toast to St Joe Strummer
Think he might've been our only decent teacher
Getting older only makes it harder to remember
We are our only saviours
We're gonna build something this summer
Certainly The Hold Steady is building on their fan base this summer with a stand out album and high energy shows executed with both intensity and a sense of purpose.
posted by well-executed buffet at 11:00 PM
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