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| The Hold Steady from back in the crowd. |
So! Much! Joy!
There's this Onion article from about a year and a half ago called "Man Spends Whole Day Dreading Fun Activity He Signed Up For." It contains great quotes like, "What the hell was I thinking? I have to take the train all the way downtown, stand in line, and then probably talk to people afterwards."
That sums me up pretty well, especially over the last several months. I get all excited when a show gets announced and pounce on tickets; and then, when the day finally arrives, I spend the whole time thinking about how I'm gonna have to find parking, and it's gonna be sold out and super-crowded, and it will be hard to see, etc. All of that stuff was going through my head on Wednesday as I got ready to head up to Jersey City's White Eagle Hall for The Hold Steady. One point in my favor was that Gentleman Jim had volunteered to drive, so the driving and parking stuff wasn't part of the equation. Another was that I wouldn't be shooting the show, so I wouldn't have any stress about arriving early and jockeying for position.
Oh, the other thing about me? Whenever I spend the whole day hemming and hawing about all the negatives associated with attending a sold-out show, I almost always end up having a great time. Wednesday would be the first night of The Hold Steady's "Constructive Summer" mini-tour; and, on this night, the band were celebrating the tenth anniversary of their album Stay Positive.
We got to White Eagle Hall maybe 30 minutes after doors. The Hold Steady fanbase is a rabid one, and the area in front of the stage was already pretty packed out. We just set up somewhere towards the rear, and not once did I worry about the negative impact that this would have on my ability to take pictures (That's a lie. I had my point and shoot like always, and I knew it would be next to useless during the headlining set, which did kinda bug me. But I digress.). I've been to White Eagle Hall several times now, and I'm still impressed with what a beautiful venue it is. Its other great feature is that, even during a sold-out show, it's comfortable. Some venues can feel kind of harrowing when packed to the gills, but there's always some breathing room to be found at White Eagle.
Kevin Devine opened the show at around 8:30. He played solo acoustic for about 45 minutes and was a trooper throughout. He gave the set his all even as the din in the room swelled to a dull roar as more and more people filed inside. It's gotta be a tough gig to be the acoustic opener for a rock band.
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| Kevin Devine |
At about 9:45, The Hold Steady took the stage and launched right into Stay Positive's opening track, "Constructive Summer." Back in the summer of 2013, The Hold Steady opened the Stone Pony Summer Stage with that song. I can't hear it now without thinking about all the emotions that filled me upon hearing it as the first song of our first post-Sandy summer on the Jersey Shore. I'm a pushover that way sometimes.
From there, the band ran through Stay Positive front-to-back including bonus tracks "Ask Her for Adderall," "Two-Handed Handshake," and "Cheyenne Sunrise." Stay Positive is an interesting album for a live show like that in a few spots, I think. Songs like "One for the Cutters" and "Both Crosses" aren't necessarily sing along jams; but, for that reason, they're also relatively rare selections for a live set. Die-hard fans get a chance to hear things they don't hear at every show.
Singer Craig Finn played his usual jittery and jovial emcee. He'd step away from the mic to re-mouth the lyrics he just sang. He'd snap his fingers and spread his arms wide. The crowd sang just about every lyric -- even to those not-necessarily-sing-along jams. Arms were raised aloft. Confetti exploded up from the folks assembled in the front row.
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| The Hold Steady |
Once the band were done with Stay Positive, they rattled off favorites from other records like "The Weekenders," "Stuck Between Stations," and "Your Little Hoodrat Friend." We got the first-ever live rendition of new single, "The Stove & The Toaster." They closed the main set with "How a Resurrection Really Feels."
The final song of the evening was "Killer Parties." As the band vamped the intro, Finn delivered thank yous and farewells. "You know what I'm gonna say... ...cause I always say it. There's..." and the crowd said it with him "SO! MUCH! JOY! in what we do up here." And it's always true. All of The Hold Steady's songs "are sing along songs," and just being a part of it is worth all the hassle of getting myself to a sold-out show.
Our good buddy Scotch LaRock was at the show, standing behind me. At one point early on, as I was singing along, he put his big arm around me and said, "It's good to see you happy."
The Hold Steady continue their tour with sold-out shows tonight, 7/27, at Philadelphia's Union Transfer and tomorrow night, 7/28, at the new Lanes in Asbury Park.
