The Hold Steady roll call

Shit. My friend bailed on me and I just didn't have the energy to make the trip by myself. Oh well, next time I guess. I figured this would be a good show though…..they just sound like they'd translate well live.

How crowded was it? I drove by the club at about 8:30 and there was a line, but was thinking maybe it was just the initial crowd of folks waiting for the doors to open.

It was pretty full. Looked close to a sellout.

Originally posted by Chaz, Lover of all Beings:
Shit. My friend bailed on me and I just didn't have the energy to make the trip by myself. Oh well, next time I guess. I figured this would be a good show though…..they just sound like they'd translate well live.

How crowded was it? I drove by the club at about 8:30 and there was a line, but was thinking maybe it was just the initial crowd of folks waiting for the doors to open.

I got there about 10.10 - no line….still had to present money, id or ticket about 12 times to 12 different sullen youths to gain admittance

Am I the only one who thought the band with the Weird Al lookalike singer were dreadful?

Originally posted by Chip Chanko:
It was pretty full. Looked close to a sellout.

Originally posted by Chaz, Lover of all Beings:
Shit. My friend bailed on me and I just didn't have the energy to make the trip by myself. Oh well, next time I guess. I figured this would be a good show though…..they just sound like they'd translate well live.

How crowded was it? I drove by the club at about 8:30 and there was a line, but was thinking maybe it was just the initial crowd of folks waiting for the doors to open.

Originally posted by brennser:
Am I the only one who thought the band with the Weird Al lookalike singer were dreadful?

I was thinking Frank Zappa. Not great, but strangely intriguing.

The Hold Steady were very good, my first time to see them. Interesting vocal stylings. Good energy. Similar to the Wrens last year, I think, in terms of being a slightly older band that really appreciates going out there every time. I thought I might get tired of the not-quite-singing style of the lead guy, but it wasn't a problem.

This show was great…wish I'd caught their Backstage shows, but tonight I had great sight lines and room to bounce, so it's all good.

When they played the backstage they weren't the Hold Steady, but were the now legendary Minneapolis band Lifter Puller. I used to sneak into their shows at the Triple Rock and First Avenue when I was still in High School.

Fans of the Hold Steady should definately try and track down some of their stuff. Same type of sound and storying telling, just with different characters. I still wonder whatever happened to Nightclub Dwight at the end of Fiestas and Fiascos.

Originally posted by attache:
When they played the backstage they weren't the Hold Steady, but were the now legendary Minneapolis band Lifter Puller. I used to sneak into their shows at the Triple Rock and First Avenue when I was still in High School.

they played the backstage as The Hold Steady

um, i had a pretty good time. there were some bumps early on where craig just flat out forgot lyrics in two different songs. it was the first show of the tour and he's got more lyrics than anyone so it's sort of understandable. my main problem w/the show was that i don't think he should be playing guitar, he should just focus on singing. his vocals/lyrics are clearly the defining feature of the band, what makes them great. yes, they are a damn rockin' bar band, but that works as a complement to his vocals. so when he's focused on playing guitar – which was only half time, granted, the rest of the time he just wore it as a decoration – it threw off his timing, he'd come in late on lines, deliver them sort of … not so great. not that i need it to sound exactly like the album, but it shouldn't sound WORSE than the album. that said, i went w/a friend who had never really heard them and he said it didn't bother him and he enjoyed it a lot.

the songs from the first album sounded a lot better, perhaps because they played them later in the set once they started rolling. and once i started getting drunker. "the swish"/"killer parties" medley was spot on. but yeah, it was a good time, if not a total revelation.

and man, this band would definitely break rhett's "non-sexiness scale." and combined with swearing at motorists (who i thought i liked back in '99 or so, but they certainly sucked last nite) … wow. i wasn't thinking weird al or frank zappa, i was thinking more oates. as in, hall and. but zappa seems more accurate in retrospect.

Originally posted by brennser:
Am I the only one who thought the band with the Weird Al lookalike singer were dreadful?

You are NOT alone…and way too loud.

swearing at motorists are fairly popular in the gbv fan crowd, although I am not a fan, I heard they put on decent live shows, I guess that may not be true, they may only be popular in the gbv crowd because at one time they had a former gbv member in the band

Anyone catch the Plastic Constellations? I've heard good things about their albums, but haven't gotten around to buying any.

Originally posted by amnesiac:
Anyone catch the Plastic Constellations? I've heard good things about their albums, but haven't gotten around to buying any.

I think that's the Frank Zappa/Weird Al band we've been mostly dissing.

My question –who's from Tampa?? Ybor City is in one song off each album that I've caught so far.

Rod Marinelli used to be from Tampa. Now he's from suburban Minneapolis.

Originally posted by amnesiac:
Anyone catch the Plastic Constellations? I've heard good things about their albums, but haven't gotten around to buying any.

They were the first opening band. I only caught a song or two, but it seemed to me that they were just a heavy college/alt rock band. Definitely not the best thing going on the Twin Cities right now.

Originally posted by attache:

Originally posted by amnesiac:
Anyone catch the Plastic Constellations? I've heard good things about their albums, but haven't gotten around to buying any.

They were the first opening band. I only caught a song or two, but it seemed to me that they were just a heavy college/alt rock band. Definitely not the best thing going on the Twin Cities right now.

Oh, well it was just Pitchfork giving their albums favorable reviews, so I wasn't quite sure what to make of that.

I thought the show was pretty solid. I like it when I know only half of the songs played and the ones I don't know still sound really good. And the Springsteen epic-tune thing definitely sounded good after a bit of partying. Solid year so far with Pollard and Hold Steady in the same week. 2006 is looking up.

Originally posted by amnesiac:
Oh, well it was just Pitchfork giving their albums favorable reviews, so I wasn't quite sure what to make of that.

Pitchfork is MAMMON !

Originally posted by attache:

Originally posted by amnesiac:
Anyone catch the Plastic Constellations? I've heard good things about their albums, but haven't gotten around to buying any.

They were the first opening band. I only caught a song or two, but it seemed to me that they were just a heavy college/alt rock band. Definitely not the best thing going on the Twin Cities right now.

I saw Plastic Constellations at CMJ and completely agree with the heavy college/alt rock band label. I didn't find them that exciting.