Finally popped my THS cherry

[tuskenraider]

Pretty sure you've heard this one before, but I attended my first Hold Steady gig last night.

Now I know what you guys have been going on about! I've only really been listening to THS for just over 18 months, BAGIA and Stay Positive were bought almost by accident a few years ago when I went out looking for new music, bought them in a two for one deal and they lived in my CD rack for a while. My wife went into hospital and I blindly lifted them in a pile of CD's for the car to distract me on the 60 mile round trip. After then I consumed the rest of the albums at a rate of knots, and now any time I pick the guitar up, it's most likely a THS song i'll try to figure out.

But, last night, that was something else.

I wasn't really planning to go, an 8 month old daughter seems to have her hands firmly around my wallet, but then a month ago my brother in law bought me the tickets. So my wife and me drove in to Glasgow, got a bite to eat, luckily checked Twitter to see they would be onstage earlier than I thought, and headed over just as the So So Glos took to the stage (loved their energy)

When THS took to the stage, well, I went straight into "fanboy" mode and got right into it (in my subdued, lack of self-confidence kind of way) clapping along, singing and punching the air. I took great delight seeing two guys in Unified Scene t-shirts (sorry, I didn't catch the numbers but you must know who you were ) But most of all, it was like a greatest hits of every song I enjoy the most when i'm singing along in the car. I've seen live video of the band before, but Craig's energy almost shocked me, and as a band they are as tight as a drum.

I'll be honest, I made excuses not to go. Having not been to a gig in 3 years and not really having gone out to anything other than weddings and funerals in about 2, I've been somewhat of a self-enforced hermit for some time, and taking that step back out was all to easy to argue against. But I'm glad I did, and I hope it won't be my last.

Today, I feel like I've be accepted into a very cool gang  

[dealwiththedealers]

I think I speak for everyone when I say that the first THS gig is truly something special.

Welcome to the Scene!

[muzzleofbees]

Nice read! It's good to see the euro scene gather more members!

[delboydrums]

Fantastic!

[wealdstone]

Like the man say's 'You gotta get back out there'

[robs]

Great stuff, that was some set list for your "First Night"

[Eric]

Amen.

[tuskenraider]

Oct 17, 2014 4:24:53 GMT -5 robs said:

Great stuff, that was some set list for your "First Night"

I genuinely don't think we could have asked for a better set-list

[tanner]

Tusken, that took me back to when I saw them for the first time at the Borderline in London many years ago. I still remember it like yeaterday, it hit me in the face like a punch. I saw them in Portsmouth last Sunday and they still deliver. Words cannot decsribe it.

[kayfaberaven]

That sounds like a great way to see THS for the first time. The first time I saw them I was just getting familiar with their catalogue, so it was a great show, but I didn't yet fully appreciate the band or the songs. Of course they blew me away, but in a new discovery kind of way. I will admit that I've gone back and reviewed the setlist and tried to retcon my memories.