As mentioned in our preview, we weren't sure what to expect from Friday's show, having lost Franz Nicolay, The Hold Steady's enigmatic keyboardist. We can happily report that it doesn't seem to have slowed the band down one bit. Craig Finn and Tad Kubler brought in the crowd with their playful and down-to-earth attitude and kept them there with easily accessible lyrics of teenaged angst. By the middle of their set, the Showbox was packed with fans young and old (and the very young, as evidenced by a tween boy right up front). The Hold Steady has to know by now, they'll always be welcomed back to Seattle with open arms. more ›

The Hold Steady dates back farther than many fans may realize. Their popularity exploded a few years ago with the release of Boys and Girls in America; however, having been around the block with them before, their sophomore album wasn't much of a surprise. more ›

Everyone's got an internal editor, right? He stands around and prevents you from saying things that are out of character for you. He's kind of a wet blanket sometimes, but usually you're glad he's there. Everyone's internal editor is different, though, and different people's editors let different stuff through the filter. When we walked into the Crocodile on Saturday night the guy on stage was saying something like "Some people are into shit, some people are into piss, some people are into hanging from the rafters and jacking off." He was in the mold of the aging punk guy who'd long ago slapped his internal editor into submission, obviously. When the second band Sean Na Na was berating the audience for not cheering loud enough for a "make some noise if you think Sean Na Na is fucking awesome" call, we noticed his internal editor asleep on a stool next to him on the stage. more ›