ICM: The Hold Steady

The Hold Steady

This has been one of the most talked about sets from the weekend. Much to my chagrin, I only caught six songs because I was in the middle of an interview. From what I did see, it’s no surprise that the Minneapolis-based bar rockers’ performance has received high acclaim. The short stint I caught featured some of the band’s most balls-out fare, such as Boys in Girls in America’s “Hot Soft Light,” “Chips Ahoy,” “Stuck Between Stations,” and “Southtown Girls,” as well as Seperation Sunday’s “Hornets, Hornets,” and “Lil’ Hoodrat Friend,” with spastic front man Craig Finn inciting the well-buzzed crowd to chant “Yankees Suck” during the latter. The inebriated roar following that exclamation was unlike any I heard the entire time I was in Manchester. From what I can gather, the Hold Steady’s act screamed with the same drunken intensity.