Massive Nights, The Hold Steady’s annual run of shows at their adopted home, the Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg, once again brought a sold-out crowd to multiple joyous peaks on Friday night, December 6th. The third show (of four scheduled) found the band clicking on all cylinders.
2024 has been a busy year for the band. Craig Finn, Tad Kubler, Galen Polivka, Bobby Drake, Franz Nicolay, and Steve Selvidge have toured from Australia to Canada, and that has paid off. The group is in incredibly tight form, playing with added power and zest. Before they arrived, however, the Austin-based Good Looks started the night with their guitar-driven indie rock.
Tyler Jordan (rhythm guitar/lead vocals), Jake Ames (lead guitar), Robert Cherry, (bass guitar), and Phillip Dunne, (drums), were genuinely excited to be opening the show, as Jordan mentioned multiple times. “It It’s Gone” built upon itself with layers of revved-up rock, while “Almost Automatic” had big drums and shimmering psychedelic guitar lines. The short set ended with the upbeat strums and ripping rock guitar of “Vision Boards” as the crowd filled in.
Coming out to the strains of “Lido Shuffle,” The Hold Steady wasted no time, dropping into “Constructive Summer,” with Drake’s drums reaching punk rock levels as the energy erupted. “Barfruit Blues used chugging guitar lines, “Sideways Skull” had gorgeous backup harmonies and hand claps, while “Chips Ahoy!” went over the top. The opening run of these four songs provided a major statement that the band was in top-notch form on this night.
The Horn Steady arrived to augment the rock with soulful lines on the excellent “Spices,” while their brass groove swayed winningly throughout “Banging Camp.” Kluber’s gorgeous solo on “Lord, I’m Discouraged” was a standout moment, as was the crashing power and sing-along charm of “Stuck Between Stations.”
The band mixed longtime favorites, like the show’s theme, “Massive Nights,” and a fantastic, pogoing version of “Your Little Hoodrat Friend,” with rarer songs. The band broke out their live debut of “40 Bucks,” preceded by a birthday gag and featuring pretty piano work from Nicolay, while the slow, dripping “Criminal Fingers” started the encore via touching guitar lines from Selvidge.
The main set wrapped up with the dramatic rendering of “Slapped Actress,” as Finn mellowed things out with poetic lines. The encore concluded with the crowd chanting energy (which never dissipated all night) of “Killer Parties.”
This is the ninth year the band has hosted its Massive Nights year-end celebration, and with the success of shows like Friday Night, The Hold Steady does not seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
