A statement I've been fond of saying since I've known them. I cannot feel an ounce of empathy for anything they're saying, singing, playing, what have you. It's not that I'm against them. It's just . . . not me. So, I s'pose "hate" is a strong word, but you get what I'm talking about.
Tonight I saw them live by accident (sort of) at the Basilica Block Party and I've got to say . . . I've been converted (again, sort of).
Fresh from basking in the sun and watching Tapes n' Tapes play a great set and putting beer into a post-three mile walk dehydrated body, I was slightly buzzing. The sunset was beautiful, I was with great company, I ate a gyro and "blooming onion", and the weather was perfect. We thought, "Well, either we go to the Counting Crows at the Clusterfuck Stage down the street, or we go to The Hold Steady at a less crowded stage." We opted for the latter . . . and found an oasis of happiness.
The Sun Stage was positioned on the front steps of the Basilica, putting the audience on a beautiful hillside lawn, making vantage points of the stage very clear and unobstructed. Everyone was happy, drunk, dancing.
I always pictured the Steady to be pompous New York hipster pricks, shoegazing their way through ripoff songs splicing Elvis Costello and the Greatful Dead. I was surprised to see frontman Craig Finn prancing around the stage like a weak little happy schoolboy, shaking, sweaty, and never standing still. He was so humble. And happy (a recurring theme?). He seemed genuinely pleased by the crowd, stopping in mid-sentence during a speech to take it all in, which only made the entire crowd more empathetic with the band.
I found empathy at the Basilica. Not religion. But true empathetic happiness. I couldn't stop smiling. I still wouldn't buy The Hold Steady's records, but I was happy to have seen them in person. I can dig them now.
The Hold Steady -- "Constructive Summer"
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