The Last Concert I Saw

A couple nights ago I traveled with some friends up to Bozeman to catch the Hold Steady. They first popped up on my radar when a critic I respect named their Separation Sunday as the best record of 2005; later I read an interview with frontman Craig Finn and he named the Replacements as his favorite band-- a kindred spirit! I've enjoyed each of their subsequent releases, especially Boys and Girls in America. So when one of my students mentioned they were coming to Bozeman, I decided to go, and I was not disappointed!

Finn might be the most engaging, ingratiating rock and roll singer I've ever seen, constantly playing with and exhorting the crowd to join in, and in the most unpretentious way imaginable-- you really get the sense that he's having a great time and wants to make sure that so is everyone else in the place. He kind of looks like a cross between the comedians Albert Brooks and Phil Silvers, with glasses and short curly black hair (I think the comparison with those two also fits with some of Finn's more cynical lyrics). He may be the geekiest looking rocker since Buddy Holly, and he has the song-writing chops to stand up to that comparison even when you set aside the physical resemblance. Smart, evidently heartfelt lyrics augmented by plenty of hooks and backed by some of the most compelling riffs you'll hear in modern rock. The show was really outstanding, as Finn had the crowd eating out of his hand from the opening notes, bouncing around the stage leading the handclaps and grinning like a guy who couldn't imagine being in a better place. I don't mean to give short shrift to the rest of the group, who were both tight and playful in their own right. Two Cow Garage, a punkish outfit from Ohio, opened and they were nearly as good, winning over the crowd in short order, even though they knew most were there for the headliners. I don't often make the time to catch a show like this during the school year, but I'm glad I made an exception for these guys.