The Hold Steady and Art Brut Almost Killed Me

The decision to go see the Hold Steady and Art Brut play at the Metro on Halloween was an impossibly easy one – here at NU, there isn’t much to do on campus if you’re not in a frat and or a girl. So instead of half-assing a costume and cradling a warm can of Natty Ice at Phi Beta Douchebag, I decided to catch a ride in my friend’s car and see two of the best live bands currently playing today.

Before the show, I saw Art Brut frontman Eddie Argos walking around the Metro with his (I presume) girlfriend, decked out in full Elvis costume. As I waved at him (he waved back!) I seemed to be the only one who recognized him, as he strolled past several other concertgoers. I wasn’t sure whether or not it was really him until Art Brut came out to play donned in full costumes, with guitarist Jasper Future dressed up as a Roman centurion, drummer Mikey (From the Block) as a something-or-other (Argos quipped that he saw his silvery costume in the store and said without knowing what it was, “I want to be THAT for Halloween!”), bassist Freddy Feedback as…herself, other guitarist Ian Catskillkin as a spooky skeleton and Argos as (you guessed it) Elvis.

As expected, they started playing AC/DC’s “Back in Black” before segueing into their best song, “Formed A Band,” with a projector displaying some of the song’s lyrics behind them. Argos likes to fill each song up with little leg kicks, microphone twirls, and intense facial expressions – he’s like a fatter version of The Hives’ Pelle Almqvist, who can pull all of that off without looking winded.

Art Brut’s live act is predictable by now – Argos used the same monologue before introducing “Good Weekend” as he did the last two times I saw them play, and with only two albums under their belt (together clocking in at barely over an hour), it’s easy to guess what they’re going to play. However (and most importantly), this does not mean they are boring and easy to figure out – each song is a party, and the band is into audience interaction. What this means is, why ruin a good thing? Art Brut is a must-see band at this point.

As for must-see – talk about the Hold Steady, who has got to be the most anthemic indie band of our generation. They came out decked out in full Mexican western gear, ala “Once Upon a Time in the West” and “The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly”. As they launched into the opening chords of “Stuck Between Stations,” the crowd went wild and started jumping up and down while pumping their fists, and the Metro turned into a giant sing-along. And you have to remember, the Hold Steady are supposed to cater to hipsters, who never like to show emotion. But here we were at the Metro with a sold-out crowd chanting the lyrics along to every song. Art Brut has better theatrics, but the Hold Steady just mean more to their fans.

They played every song off last year’s outstanding Boys and Girls in America, a CD full of Randy Newman speak-song with lyrics that combine Bruce Springsteen’s bombast with the youth-voice of The Replacements, epic songs that talk about going to school dances or buying weed for your girlfriend. Frontman Craig Finn worked his way through as many beers as he could, sputtering and twitching across the stage, sometimes barely playing his guitar but always throwing his entire voice into each song.

If Finn had a more palatable voice, the Hold Steady would be a shoo-in to become this generation’s Replacements (which means they’d be recognized by the mainstream a half decade after their prime, which they’ve probably yet to hit) – as they are now, the Hold Steady are the band that means most to their fans in the indie scene, which in an arena full of posturing isn’t that difficult to accomplish.

Track List:
Art Brut
1. Formed A Band
2. Pump Up the Volume
3. Bad Weekend
4. I Will Survive (not a cover!)
5. 18,000 Lira
6. Saint Pauli
7. Modern Art
8. Rusted Guns of Milan
9. My Little Brother
10. Post Soothing Out
11. Emily Kane
12. Nag Nag Nag Nag
13. Direct Hit
14. Good Weekend

The Hold Steady
1. Stuck Between Stations
2. The Swish
3. Chips Ahoy!
4. Hot Soft Light
5. Massive Nights
6. Party Pit
7. Adderall (new song)
8. Barfruit Blues
9. Modesto Is Not That Sweet
10. Same Kooks
11. Chillout Tent
12. You Gotta Dance (With Who You Came With)
13. Lord, I'm Discouraged (new song)
14. You Can Make Him Like You
15. Your Little Hoodrat Friend
16. Southtown Girls

Encore
17. Citrus
18. First Night
19. Girls Like Status
20. Killer Parties