Ottawa ON Canada 7.17.2010 Setlist

[Northern Wish]

Sweet Part of the City
Rock n Roll Problems
Constructive Summer
Multitude of Casualties
Hurricane J
Sequestered in Memphis
Barfruit Blues
Magazines
Barely Breathing
We Can Get Together
You Can Make Him Like You
Southtown Girls
The Weekenders
Chips Ahoy!
Stuck Between Stations
Your Little Hoodrat Friend
Massive Nights
How a Resurrection Really Feels

All told a full 1;25 min set, kind of standard set list, but seeing them 10 minutes from home was fucking epic. From what my friends tell me I think I was rocking the big screens micmicing Craig during RRF.

[Northern Wish]

I got to interview/ speak with Craig post show- review with quotes to come.....

[cre618]

For a short setlist...it sure rocks!

[fairysari]

I got some video of Hurricane J - www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqswQcnI0w0

This show was awesome. Probably the tamest crowd I've ever been in for a ths show, which was kind of nice. The band did a signing after the show and it was fun to get to chat with them a bit.

[Northern Wish]

You were too far in front of me to see the rowdy section. Apparently I was on the big screen for major portions of Hoodrat and Ressurection.

Great to see you, albeit briefly!

[Northern Wish]

OK well I had to write this for another site, and though I am very anxious to have you all pore over my mistakes- here is the very recently completed review. This is for a site filled with folks who have not yet been converted and seem unlikely to do so. Please be kind, but I'd also love to hear any constructive criticism:

Its no secret that I am a fan of The Hold Steady. A huge fan even. I think its fair to say that they are probably my favorite band, and although my level of devotion to the band wanes between releases with each new album- I get a fresh jolt of energy and enthusiasm and once again immerse myself in their tales of rock n roll redemption. I get reacquainted with Gideon and Charlegmagne- learn new things about those old favorite songs, and have little voids in the whole of the storyline filled in and get my ass kicked a little bit more by the best bar band in America. In short a new Hold Steady release and tour for me are nothing short of a rebirth.

With the release of the newest effort Heaven Is Whenever (May 10, 2010 on Vagrant Records)- all of these feelings were conjured up; but all with a new found level of trepidation. You see HiW is the first Hold Steady album since Seperation Sunday without lauded multi instrumentalist Franz Nicolay. Franz recent departure meant that not only would his signature additions on keyboards etc to Hold Steady songs would be absent, but also a whole at the front of the stage would likely be hard to fill without the most raging 'non singer- front man' in history.

In April I did get to see a show with the new lineup in Syracuse, but it was mere 5 or 6 shows into their time with new additions Steve Selvidge (formerly of Lucero) and Dan Neustadt and I don't really think the band had gelled at that point- or had enough time to practice well into the back catalog. Recently I found out I would once again be seeing a 'new' Hold Steady lineup as Neustadt was unavailable and another key player was put in place for the Toronto and Ottawa tour wrap up shows. All of this said, The Hold Steady don't play music requiring hours of studying charts to get a grasp so the transition to THS 3.0 was rather seemless.


The first thing that should be noted is in any Hold Steady discussion there comes a time when it generally it comes down to one point- and most of the time it starts with this one: that Craigs vocal style elicits more love/hate reactions than even Nickelback. Obviously being a fan I love it, but I think it stems more my attention to the content of the lyrics much more than the actual delivery. Never before have I loved rock n roll lyrics more thanthan Mr Finns, not from Bruce or Bob or Robert. If you don't like the delivery- at least do yourself the favor of looking up the words, they'll likely draw you in.

While esposing the Hold Steady to anyone who might listen and hear this same retort- I should say that I have found that in the live setting and from speaking with loads of friends who I have taken to their first (and many subsequent!) HS show; that this particular complaint is softened a great deal when the music is not coming through your home stereo. Live they are a bombastic unit of power, energy and postivity and Finns vocals/ lyrics seem to enhance the sound rather than punctuate it. Sadly for readers of jambands.ca THS are not at all a jamband in the typical sense of the word. I don't think I have ever heard a particular version of any song that was standout because of musical improvisation, or seen anything stretched out beyond say a second go round for a Tad solo. What they do in the vein of the jamband culture is bring together the crowd for an evening of music and revelry; they change up their setlists on a nightly basis; have a whole host of aces up their sleeve when it comes to the vaunted bust out; and even have a dedicated fan base called The Unified Scene that is very similar in many ways to my early experiences with the Phish community.


As the sun blazed down and no big stage announcement came it was easy to miss The Hold Steady taking the stage. Catching the crowd slightly off guard with this inauspicious entrance, The Hold Steady took the stage no less than 10 minutes before their scheduled start time and got straight down to business.

The hot and blustery conditions of a mid July early evening ate up the delicate guitar intro to the set opener Sweet Part of the City- but the song slowly built to power at the first kick drum/ bass note and rolled along warming up the ever attentive crowd. This song has certainly become the opener of choice on this tour- appearing first at over half of the shows- but I think it fits well here and should remain an opener. Its got all the elements of a Black Crowes song (IMO) but with Craigs fantastic lyrics sung/ spoken over top. The crowd was clearly impressed as Craig belted out "We like to play for you" in the final measure and the crowd let out the first cheer- although this one seemed to come from mostly down front. At this point I'd say the crowd numbered near 500 ish, most of whom were crowded up down front and the far reaches of the filled area were about halfway back to the sound tent.

In typical Hold Steady fashion, as they finished the final licks of SPOTC, immediately Tad came wailing in with the guitar intro to Rock n Roll Problems. This is the way the band does it; not much stage banter between tunes just four on the floor rock n roll with no let up on the accelerator. The ubiquitous Constructive Summer followed and then the band slowed it down for a bit of a breather in the form of a slow burning and welcomed fav: 'Multitude of Casualties' (this song contains the line "at least in dying you don't have to deal with new wave for a second time" line referenced in Thursdays review). After two more songs I more than expected to get in the festival setting (the band definitely has a short list of songs it selects when playing to new audiences)- another little oldie: Barfruit Blues. A fantastic number and this one featured some extra fiery guitar work from 'the new guy' Steve. Having viewed the previous nights setlist from Toronto- where they had played this somewhat rare song- I was becoming increasingly surprised that many of the songs had appeared the night before- a true departure from THS style.

As the band continuted to blow through a set filled with high energy songs, I managed to have one of the best times I've ever had at a Steady show. Usually I am crammed in at the front with all of the other crazies, where we spill beer on each other and scream as loudly as possible back at Craig. But here in Ottawa, tonight I was outside with as much space as I needed, while being simultaneously able to walk to within 50 feet of the band and the bands show reached a whole new level for me. As I gazed across the ever increasing crowd what I witnessed werefaces smiling, fists pumping and looks of amazement. Adding to this revelry- I was watching MY band about 10 minutes from home, with my best friends- I truly thought I was in Heaven. The theme of Heaven as concept is a mainstay on the new album and of course the next song that followed was We Can Get Together- featuring the chorus "heaven is whenever, we can get together- lock your bedroom door and listen to your records". A teenage fantasy described with such vagueness and beauty that in that moment I think any audience member can remember a fond time when spinning the black circle was the impetus for such a long burning memory. People were singing along, high fiving and raising their cups- but this was not a typical Hold Steady crowd- this was not my Unified Scene and when I turned around to realize that the crowd had swelled to about double the size as when it had started I felt a strange sense of pride for the boys from Brooklyn. The skins, the punks and the greaser guys were all singing along together the way Craig sang about on "Joke about Jamaica" and I saw that other people were getting this thing, that for better or for worse I just wish more people would understand.

Another run of songs that would have been picked all over PT's Daily Dose (if a Phantasy Hold Steady board existed- bouche?!)
and we were at Your Little Hoodrat Friend. This is one of my favs, and this version certainly did not dissapoint. Despite a fill in guy on keys, one member who has played less than 50 shows with them, the hot as hades sun beating in their faces- The Hold Steady were winning over an entire field of people who were well into their 11th day of live music. The line about "she said: City Center used to be the center of the scene. Now city center's over. No one really goes there. Then we used to drink beneath this railroad bridge. Some nites the bus wouldn't even stop. There were just way too many kids." a small group on the front hand side at the right utterly exploded. We had discussed it before, whether they were aware they were playing in the shadow of a concrete dinosaur described in one of their songs to a tee. Coincidence or not, it was another moment where I just couldn't believe I was seeing this, here in Ottawa.



There were more than a few moments when Craig clearly had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand with his swagger and meth freak antics- but during Massive Nights he stepped forward in front of the monitors for a little more intensity. It was as it always is- a rager culminating with the Woo Ooo Ooh sing along chorus that had many an audience member singing along presumably for the first time ever to a Hold Steady song. The finale of How A Ressurection Really Feels (this is my absolute HS fave) could not have sent me into a further reach of the atmosphere. While Tad really killed the solo and the whole thing wound down to the line "Don't turn me on again, you know I'll probably just get myself all turned all turned on again Don't turn me on again Cause I know I'll probably just go and get all gone again" I thought a little bit to myself about what I'd seen that night, this tour and from this band in general (standing at about a dozen shows over 4 years- and 3 new album releases). I arrived at this during the final stanza that reminded me that every time my devotion has waned and I've gone away for a bit- that they come back with something new and I get a little taste and suddenly I'm on the street corner trying to get money for a new 7"'s and some tickets. Can't wait for the next album- at least this high is legal ;-)




Setlist:

Sweet Part of the City
Rock n Roll Problems
Constructive Summer
Multitude of Casualties
Hurricane J
Sequestered in Memphis
Barfruit Blues
Magazines
Barely Breathing
We Can Get Together
You Can Make Him Like You
Southtown Girls
The Weekenders
Chips Ahoy!
Stuck Between Stations
Your Little Hoodrat Friend
Massive Nights
How a Resurrection Really Feels



Finally after the show I had a unique and exciting opportunity to chat with Craig Finn on their tour bus for a few fleeting minutes. This had all come up not long before the band took the stage, so preparation of some really knockout interview questions was not possible- but I digress:

"The Hold Steady by the #'s:

Band Members? Craig: "5"

Guitars on the Road This Tour? Craig: "24 (including basses)"

Wives on the Road This Tour? Craig: "0- but not because we wouldn't mind wives...."

Preference 10,000 Lakes or 1000 Islands? Craig: "10,000 Lakes- its just more...."

You've got a couple of songs about gambling, so how about you give me some odds. What is the over under on the number of friends you will tell that you shared a bill with Keith Urban today? Craig: "Oh ha ha ha shit I hadn't even thought about that. Hmmmm 9?

Craig if you've ever laid some money down, you know I can't accept a 9. Craig: "Ok then how about a 9.5?"

And would the odds get juiced if I had said Kevin Costner? Craig: "Oh yeah, um, for sure- like maybe an 11.5?!" chuckles as he realizes I may be more drunk than he- "thanks for not bringing me big long answer watch your mouth questions- its the end of the tour. This is good."

Covering for jambands our readers have noted over the years that you occasionally bring out a blue telecaster that sported a yellow dancing bear - are you a fan of the Grateful Dead? Craig: "Well I did see them, let me see maybe three times, but I wouldn't call myself a huge fan. I do like what they did and stood for though."

Why the recent change with the 7 Seconds sticker (he covered up at the tail end of last years Stay Positive tour)? Craig" "Oh, ha ha you noticed? Well I actually had misgivings about that. I wanted to go back to the bear, but the hardcores are harder to deal with than hippies- so I guess 7 Seconds stays."

You wrote a song called "Nassau Coliseum" with your old band Lifter Puller that references a particularly harsh scene at a Dead show (the lyrics reference a long hair selling domestics in the lot getting beat by the cops). Was that an actual experience you had? Craig "Oh yeah man. That was like my sophomore year so like spring 91 maybe. It went down all around us."

One more just for kicks for our readers..... Having lived in hotbeds for the band near Alpine Valley, and the NYC area since 2004- and travelled the country extensively before that have you ever ventured to a Phish concert? Craig: "None. No particular reason why I haven't- but I guess it just hasn't come my way."

Thanks Craig!

[fairysari]

Thanks for posting this, Sean! I laughed at the "more drunk than Craig was" bit at the end. Probably true

[.r.]

...And all those times raging in your apartment, you singing to me those spoken lyrics, my eyes widened and a smile always came over me, cause if it wasn't you it would be Joey if he were over - and he most likely would be.

Cause when those guitars would come out you'd be singing like an old hound dog.

Thank us all for the Hold Steady and thanks for actually giving an interesting quick interview.

[bloodystereos]

Very cool Northernwish ! Interesting and even informative. I think you should *repost the interview portion under its own thread* so everyone can read it. It may get lost in this thread. My only negative thing would be when you talk about the spot where Franz used to be ... he has left a hole , not a whole. But thats just me being anal. Good Job !

[fairysari]

thanks for bumping this thread, it reminded me i have some pictures of this show:








and this one is northernwish and i at the signing after the show:

[spencerm]

Thanks for the review and the pictures. I've been listening to THS for about a year and a half now and this was the first time I've seen them. I was front row but on the other side of the stage and it was a blast. I'm trying to work out plans to go see them in the fall and I can't decide whether to do a quick trip to Montreal or a weekend in Chicago..

Also, I'm still thrilled that they played Barfruit Blues.

[bobfrombob]

Jul 18, 2010 22:38:01 GMT -5 Northern Wish said:

Apparently I was on the big screen for major portions of Hoodrat and Ressurection.

What would Judas do?