I would have loved to photograph The Hold Steady last night [Shepherds Bush Empire has the best lighting of any London venue] but there's something quite liberating about NOT working a gig. It feels almost rebellious to be jumping about [to Chips Ahoy] minus earplugs and without the weight of a bag full of kit... It was good to be able to enjoy the first three songs without darting around the pit and making sure you've got THE shot of the lead singer gesticulating wildly... good to be with friends and singing along... and taking a couple of snaps on my iPhone of course...
I last saw The Hold Steady in June 2010... and back then it felt like they were still trying to figure out how to operate minus one very key member. This time around they seem to have stopped trying to replace Franz & omit the keyboard parts completely. It's largely successful, after all, Franz is irreplaceable & for the most part the full on wall of guitars works to their advantage. It's only when they get to Stuck Between Stations that you're suddenly aware there's something quite vital missing...
Tellingly, they also don't draw too heavily on Heaven Is Whenever, even though they are officially touring it right now... The Weekenders is a welcome exception but the highlights will always be the big songs with the huge hooks & sing-along choruses like Your Little Hoodrat Friend, Stay Positive & Massive Nights, at which point half the floor becomes a pulsating mass & people are leaning off the balconies & punching the air.
The Hold Steady are still a genuinely exciting prospect live, they clearly love what they do and put on a grand performance every time they play, their audiences worship them, the atmosphere is usually nothing short of joyous & Shepherds Bush Empire is the perfect venue for them. They round things off with the life-affirming Killer Parties & Craig Finns now familiar closing speech about how we are all, The Hold Steady...
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