As I was reading Sterogum today, I came across the video below and, more surprisingly, text from a “Bonnablog” written by John Roderick of the Long Winters, another “the” band I really like, regarding Hold Steady’s performance at Bonnaroo, which has been universally praised across the interweb.
Apparently, Roderick thought that the Hold Steady, while fun, were completely derivative and “full of shit.” Well, duh! What, you think that Hold Steady is supposed to be some groundbreaking band? There is a reason they are the best bar band in America. Bar bands aren’t supposed to make The Wall or single-handedly invent a new genre of music. It’s not as if the Long Winters are exactly experimental fusion for that matter. While Hold Steady may be Springsteen/Costello-ish in nature, they are one of the few bands that actually plays loud, unapologetic rock music in a business seemingly driven by music that tries hard to defy classification.
I like all kinds of music, but in the music world today if you really want to get your rocks off on some great rock and roll, it’s not easy to find. There are only a handful of bands making what was readily available 20 years ago and that’s sad. The bands that do make the kind of unabashed, hard rockin’ stuff that many of us used listen to while driving around with our windows open just to annoy the neighbors are often belittled by indie hipsters more concerned with dour introspection than having a beer and a damn good time.
Having said all that, I did watch most of the Hold Steady set video posted on the web and I’ll be the first to admit they didn’t blow me away as I expected. They were certainly a breath of fresh air and singer Craig Finn seems to channel a slightly-less-palsy-stricken version of Joe Cocker (in body only) to entertaining ends, but I couldn’t help wonder if the “damn they rock!” response to their set was greater than “damn, they are good.”
We are so bereft (that word really doesn’t belong in a post about rock music, but whatever) of great rock bands, anyone that plays loud and does it stripped down with capable musicians has men cutting their hair into mullets and pulling their 80’s 3/4-length AC/DC tees out of storage and women flashing the stage from their boyfriend’s shoulders and crowd surfing no matter what the groper-to-participant ratio may be in the crowd below.
Are we so starved for loud guitars and pounding low end that we’ll accept any drunken, sweaty performance? I saw a live Bad Company video the other day on cable featuring Neal Schon and Slash on guitars. The band was killer, the guitar players obviously smokin’ and Paul Rogers was as good as ever. The difference between them and Hold Steady? Bad Company actually had memorable songs with discernable melodies outside the occasional vocal gymnastic.
As much as I love Hold Steady, they still pale in comparison to some of the greats they clearly emulate. Nothing wrong with that of course. They aren’t the “greats” for nothing - and it isn’t as if Bad Company would even be in my top 20. I just get the feeling we’ve set the bar so low for so long that we’re blown away even when what we are seeing isn’t close to the level of extraordinary.