Basilica Block Party 2009 Report

When the Basilica Block Party announces its musical lineup each year it generally serves as a good chance to mock and ridicule its main sponsor, Cities 97, for being so out of touch with the wealth of local talent that Minneapolis possesses. This year the festival, now in its 15th year, surprised everyone with a strong and diverse lineup that provided local music fans with some really great bands. On Friday night the group scored a coup by having the classic era Jayhawks reunite for the first time in over a decade while Saturday night was headlined by Tapes ‘n Tapes and the Hold Steady.

First up on Saturday was Tapes ‘n Tapes, playing for what may have been their biggest crowd ever in its hometown. The band played an even mix of material from its debut album The Loon, and its follow up Walk It Off. Not surprisingly, the material from The Loon was the highlight, which is the stronger of the band’s two albums. That being said, highlights of the set included “Hang Them All” from Walk It Off and the one-two punch of “Jacov’s Suite” and “Insistor” from The Loon which the band used to close its set. In addition to playing material from its two albums, the band also debuted a new song that continued Tapes ‘n Tapes’ shifty, Pixies-esqe rock that has brought the band so much attention. Tapes ‘n Tapes seemed a little off, especially singer Josh Grier who seemed to be over-exerting himself, and never really got going during the 45 minute set.

As the sun was setting on the large crowd gathered by the “Church Stage,” the Hold Steady bounced on stage to a rapturous ovation. Before the band began playing, Craig Finn told the story about how the Hold Steady ended up playing the Basilica Block Party, which I am guessing was surprising to even them. Finn said the band was on tour when he got a call that there would be “rock and roll, lots of beer, a warm summer night in Minneapolis and just a little Catholicism,” to which Finn told the organizers, “Hell yes the Hold Steady would be there.” The crowd ate his words up as the band tore into the opening number “Constructive Summer” from Stay Positive.

It seemed especially poignant when Finn sang the lyrics “raise a toast to Saint Joe Strummer, who might have been our only real teacher” in the shadow of a massive Catholic church. The band seemed especially energized by the wild crowd and played a powerful, stirring 95 minute set. Covering every era of the Hold Steady from the set closing “Killer Parties” from its debut, Almost Killed Me, to the title track from Stay Positive, the band’s fourth release. I could name the performance’s highlights, but there honestly were no bad songs played during the set, so it would end up being a list of all of the nearly 20 songs they played. The crowd sang along with virtually every song and seemed to play a perfect foil to the band. All four members behind Finn had smiles from ear to ear throughout the set and sounded amazing as they tore throughout the set. Near the end of the show when Finn did his usual thanking the crowd bit, you could tell that this gig was as transcendent for the band as it was for the audience. As Finn was talking about how much they love playing music, you could hear his voice breaking. When the band exploded behind him, Finn ran around the stage with tears in his eyes yelling to the crowd, who nearly tipped over the barricade that was holding them back while trying to show its appreciation for the band. The band’s set was one of the best I have ever seen from them and I would bet the Basilica Block Party has never seen anything like the Hold Steady before, and may never again.