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Craig Finn, frontman for The Hold Steady, once said "irony is certainly not something I want to be accused of,” and after witnessing him perform on the Miller Lite Oasis Saturday night, that accusation is never gonna happen.
Finn – with his four bandmates (two of whom were celebrating a birthday) – ripped through 15 songs during the hour set with energetic earnesty. His endearing nerdy movements were in full force, with an abundance of exaggerated pointing and wide spread arms.
But the heart of the show, per usual, was Finn’s story songs that have dubbed him the modern-day poet laureate of rock.
“Constructive Summer” was both the opening tune and the theme of the show. Lyrics from the song were reflected on the banner hanging from the rafters. The water tower image reminding that we can all climb to the top, not to dominate, rather to find space and fresh air for ourselves and our friends.
We're gonna build something, this summer/We’ll put it back together…With love and trust and friends and hammers/We’re gonna lean this ladder up against the water tower/Climb up to the top, and drink and talk.
The brilliance of the songs is the mix of introspective lyrics and hard driving rock ’n’ roll, reminiscent at times of other Minnesota-born bands like Husker Du and The Replacements. (Finn, who grew up in Minnesota but lives in Brooklyn, identified “Let It Be” by The Replacements as the most formative album of his youth.)
“Party Pit” was a fitting choice for the Summerfest set list and inspired fans to chant along with the line “Gonna walk around and drink some more.” Finn’s sincerity saves it from devolving into a bro banger, and two songs later in “Entitlement Crew” Finn reminds “I like the party favors, but I hate the party people.”
The Hold Steady formed in 2003. They have released nine studio albums, most recently “The Pride Of Progress” in 2023. Finn, who fronted alt-punk outfit Lifter Puller prior to The Hold Steady, has also released five solo albums.
During Saturday night’s set, Finn was friendly, but kept it simple with his audience banter. “How are we doing tonight Summerfest?” He later shared it was The Hold Steady’s third appearance at the Big Gig and that “good things come in threes.” He also repeatedly wished guitarists Tad Kubler and Steve Selvidge a happy birthday and bassist Galen Polivka a “happy homecoming.” Polivka is from Whitefish Bay.
After more than a decade of being a fan, I was thrilled to catch The Hold Steady live. Everything I adore about the albums – the honesty in the storytelling, the tightness of the band – the group personified on stage.
Finn is a master of conveying the darker sides of life, but his final five words of last night’s concert revealed the underlying hope that’s prevalent in all of Finn’s work: “There is so much joy!”
Bring on the customary confetti!
Set List (courtesy of my friend Nora, who traveled from Manhattan to Milwaukee to see The Hold Steady for the 60-something time):
Constructive Summer
The Swish
Party Pit
Sideways Skull
Sequestered in Memphis
Entitlement Crew
Carlos Is Crying
Lord I'm Discouraged
The Weekends
Family Farm
Chips Ahoy!
Stuck Between Stations
Your Little Hoodrat Friend
Southtown Girls
Killer Parties
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
