I Got Your Classic Rock Right Here
Saw Bob Mould playing with his new band this past Wednesday night at Irving Plaza. It might have been the best of the dozen or so times I've seen Bob, in various groupings and contexts (with Husker Du, solo/acoustic, with Sugar) over the past 20 years or so. The really interesting aspect to me was that the set was so obviously designed to be "crowd-pleasing," and that it succeeded so well at it. Here's a review by Jon Parales in the Times, mostly positive but a bit condescending, methinks. And for the devoted, a link to Mould's blog: I'm not sure what he meant by "a little rough in spots;" Bob's voice sounded better than I've ever heard (a tribute to healthy living, I guess) and the backing band was tight and dynamic. Below is the set list, as I remember it--aside from "See a Little Light" and "Egoveride", pretty much only drawn from the new album, Sugar's "Copper Blue", and Huskers classics (which obviously was the thrill for yours truly--aside from seeing Husker Du play "Could You Be the One" when I was 13, I don't think I've ever heard those songs performed live, full-band).

The Act We Act
A Good Idea
Changes
Circles
Paralyzed
I am Vision, I am Sound
Underneath Days
Hoover Dam
See a Little Light
High Fidelity
Hardly Getting Over It
Could You Be the One
I Apologize
Chartered Trips
Best Thing
Celebrated Summer
--
Egoveride
If I Can't Change Your Mind
--
Helpless
Makes No Sense at All

About eight hours after this show ended, I found myself sitting on a CUF panel talking about low-income working families in New York City, which I'll try to write a bit more about later today in a larger context.

And am currently sitting here listening to the new Broken Social Scene album--lovely and weird, though perhaps not to the extent of "You Forgot It In People"--a high bar, to be sure.