I just saw The Hold Steady at The Mezzanine in San Francisco, and I get the feeling that this may well be the last tour that they are playing venues of this size. These guys are blowing up and soon they will be playing arenas, if not stadiums.
The Mezzanine, located in the SoMa district, holds about 500, tops. It has a large floor area and on the side, you guessed it, a mezzanine (with some seating, a bar and a decent view form the rail if you can find space).
The show started off with support act The Loved Ones. They are a pretty straight-forward punk band from Philly with a decidedly Green Day-ish sound. The lead singer, Dave Hausse, stalked the stage with a ton of energy and sang the original songs with conviction. However, one noticeable thing was the lack of any worthy guitar solos. That is, until Tad Kubler of The Hold Steady came out for a couple of songs and ripped a few smoking solos off. Franz Nicolay also joined the fun.
Craig Finn & Co. came storming out with "Constructive Summer" from the new album Stay Positive. The dichotomy of Finn's dark lyrics and his joyful, grinning expression, were an amusing contradiction. The band was firing on all cylinders, with Kubler's semi-distorted Gibson providing the sound foundation, and Nicolay's swirling organ and piano punctuating over the top. Finn's spoken-wordish singing style goes well with the song's lyrics which veer over into the realm of epic poetry.
The crowd was very enthusiastic, singing along and pumping their fists in the air. Although crowded, the size of the room provided for a relatively intimate experience with the band. This was a rare opportunity to see a rising star in action, before they become too big for their own good. See them now.
The Mezzanine, located in the SoMa district, holds about 500, tops. It has a large floor area and on the side, you guessed it, a mezzanine (with some seating, a bar and a decent view form the rail if you can find space).
The show started off with support act The Loved Ones. They are a pretty straight-forward punk band from Philly with a decidedly Green Day-ish sound. The lead singer, Dave Hausse, stalked the stage with a ton of energy and sang the original songs with conviction. However, one noticeable thing was the lack of any worthy guitar solos. That is, until Tad Kubler of The Hold Steady came out for a couple of songs and ripped a few smoking solos off. Franz Nicolay also joined the fun.
Craig Finn & Co. came storming out with "Constructive Summer" from the new album Stay Positive. The dichotomy of Finn's dark lyrics and his joyful, grinning expression, were an amusing contradiction. The band was firing on all cylinders, with Kubler's semi-distorted Gibson providing the sound foundation, and Nicolay's swirling organ and piano punctuating over the top. Finn's spoken-wordish singing style goes well with the song's lyrics which veer over into the realm of epic poetry.
The crowd was very enthusiastic, singing along and pumping their fists in the air. Although crowded, the size of the room provided for a relatively intimate experience with the band. This was a rare opportunity to see a rising star in action, before they become too big for their own good. See them now.Setlist (according to http://sholtrox.blogspot.com/2008/07/positive-jams.html):
Constructive Summer
Chips Ahoy
Chicago Seemed Tired Last Night
Sequestered In Memphis
Girls Like Status
Massive Nights
Southtown Girls
Lord, I'm Discouraged
Yeah Sapphire
Knuckles
Hot Fries
One For The Cutters
You Can Make Him Like You
Your Little Hoodrat Friend
Crucifiction Cruise
How A Resurrection Really Feels
Slapped Acress
Encore:
Positive Jam
Stuck Between Stations
Most People Are DJs
