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| Bob Mould |
Love Is All Around
Last night, I headed up to Brooklyn Steel for the first time. It was another trip into the city to see Bob Mould; and, once again, Gentleman Jim Norton was my date for the night. Evening carpools and BQE traffic meant that we got through the metal detectors and into the performance space only a few minutes before openers and #FOCDMs, Titus Andronicus, began their set. I was kinda kicking myself when we got inside for not bothering to request a photo pass, but I totally enjoyed the show without worrying about having to "work."
Titus Andronicus have always impressed me with their opening sets. The band definitely know how to put together an all-killer-no-filler abbreviated setlist. Last night, they opened with a couple of new songs (...or were those Blazin' Lazers covers?) before laying into the TMLT one-two punch of "Fired Up" / "Dimed Out." They played "A More Perfect Union" for "anyone here who's familiar with Titus Andronicus" and dedicated a clearly emotional rendition of "Fear and Loathing in Mahwah, NJ" to Mark Fletcher, a close friend and supporter of the entire Shea Stadium community who passed away earlier in the week.
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| Titus Andronicus |
At 9:15, Bob Mould and his band took the stage. Mould's Strat generates as big a wall of sound as I've ever heard from a single guitar, and the rhythm section of Jason Narducy (bass) and Jon Wurster (drums) is maybe the best in the biz. They kicked things off with "The War" from 2014's Beauty & Ruin; and, from there, played something like 30 songs covering everything from Mould's latest, the excellent Sunshine Rock, to Sugar and, of course, Hüsker Dü.
Hüsker Dü's "I Apologize" came early in the set and triggered some wild moshing among the folks up front. From the 3 or 4 other Mould shows I've been to in recent years, I don't recall a similar level of crowd participation. Things got really wild later in the set during "Something I Learned Today," and Mould just fed off of the enthusiasm.
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| Bob Mould |
Mould has been churning out modern classics on Merge Records since 2012's Silver Age; and songs like "The Descent," "Hey Mr. Gray," "I Don't Know You Anymore," "Sunshine Rock," "Sunny Love Song," and "What Do You Want Me to Do" generated just as much fervor among the crowd as "See A Little Light" or "If I Can't Change Your Mind."
The first encore was all Hüsker Dü, kicked off by a poignant, solo rendition of Grant Hart's "Never Talking to You Again." What seemed like the planned part of the evening ended with "Love Is All Around," "Flip Your Wig," and "Makes No Sense at All." But the crowd was able to coax a second encore from Mould, who seemed moved by the enthusiasm. The band completed their full, seven-song encore with "What Do You Want Me to Do," "Black Confetti," and "Celebrated Summer."
Bob Mould continues to amaze. Any act would have achieved nearly legendary status based on just Mould's output since 2012. But, for Bob Mould, those 4 records (Silver Age, Beauty & Ruin, Patch the Sky, and now Sunshine Rock) are just the continuation of a 40-year career that has defined alternative rock more than just about any other.
At various moments throughout the evening, I could hear people shouting, "Thank you, Bob Mould!" from the crowd. Personally, every time Mould came out from behind the mic and stood at the edge of the stage, I could feel a huge grin sweep across my face. I could sense that Mould felt the love from everybody in the room, and that made everything that much more special.
Sunshine Rock is out now on Merge, and you should definitely check it out.
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