creativetype Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 I'm running on a couple hours of sleep and a quart of java, so this may be a sketchy recollection ... (My buddy red1996 will have to chime in here when he gets a chance.) The Hold Steady played norman, Oklahoma last night at a place called the Opolis. I'm telling you, this place was tiny. It reminded me of a narrow jiffy-lube garage with a knee-high stage at one end. We got there when doors opened (9:00ish) and were among only a dozen or so others. The stage was maybe 15 ft. wide x 10 ft. deep (picture the band confined to an area the size of a basketball lane). No "yellow shirt" security (none was needed with all the good vibes in the place) and no fence separating the stage (or the bands) from the audience ... After a few Shiner Bocks I moseyed up close to the stage to catch the opening bands. Blitzen Trapper (Portland) and Illinois (Pennsylvania/Detroit) were the openers. Both bands were energetic and entertaining and seemed elated to be touring with The Hold Steady. The singer from Illinois (who rocked a banjo and a microphone made from a old telephone at times) kept saying that they (THS) were great guys to hang around. Tad and Judd joined Illinois with some snare drum support on one song (they brought them up onstage). Tad also assisted one of the guitarists by providing duct tape and general guitar-tech and roadie assistance. Both he and Craig also stood near the stage to catch Illinois in action. You couldn't be anywhere in the room without being "near the stage" ... For The Hold Steady, I was about 6 feet from the center mic, just inches from the splash zone of Craig Finn's spittle and sweat. His Les Paul was dripping wet early on, thanks to some humid Oklahoma air and a lack of circulation in the place. Franz was just to my left, close enough to high-five. He was nattily attired in his black velvet pinstriped jacket and trademark hat, despite the heat. Don't have a set-list, but they started off with Stuck Between Stations and immediately Craig had the audience in the palm of his hands. His frenetic pace kept up all night. The crowd couldn't have been more than 125 people (and that's including the other bands and crew), and the band made it seem like they were playing for their friends. Best moment(s) of the night: A guy brought his 10-year-old son, Curtis, to the show and we made sure he was up front. The kid was barely taller than the monitors, but was bouncin' in the "pit" all night in his new Minnesota Twins Hold Steady t-shirt. During the encore, Craig pointed him out, along with a teenage youth (Sam) in the front row who's been following the band with his dad. Right about that time, Tad dons a goofy straw cowboy hat and attempts a rock'n roll classic: the over the shoulder Eddie Van Halen 360-degree guitar fling! The guitar went about 270 degrees around his head before some strap slack got the better of Tad. He recovered quickly though and kept rockin' ... Then Tad put the hat on Craig, who gave it to Curtis down front. The hat stayed on Curtis' head for a song or two until the owner of said hat (the bassist from Blitzen Trapper) got it back. Seeing the kid sans chapeau, Craig gave the Curtis his own Twins ballcap. The kids' dad was beaming, as was Curtis. For the finale (Killer Parties), the band pulled Sam, his dad and Curtis up on stage. Sam and his pop got to sling Craig and Tad's guitars over their shou, while Curtis bounced to the beat with a smile permanently affixed to his face. Upon exiting the stage, the band hugged their on-stage fans and left to very appreciative applause. Some other song highlights for me: Cattle & the Creeping Things, Positive Jam, You Can Make Him Like You and pretty much everything else. Overall, a ton of fun and a night we won't soon forget. There were a couple young dudes with cameras there, so I'm hoping some pics surface soon. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 6/10/05? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
creativetype Posted June 11, 2007 Author Share Posted June 11, 2007 6/10/05? Fixed it. (The show really took me back ...) That's what sleep deprivation will do to ya. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
creativetype Posted June 11, 2007 Author Share Posted June 11, 2007 The first pics have been posted by another fan ... Hold Steady - Opolis - 6/10/07 Alogn with a setlist, posted by "campfirewood1980" on the Hold Steady message board: Stuck Between StationsCattle and the Creeping ThingsHot Soft LightsYou Little Hoodrat FriendMassive NightsParty PitMilkcrate MoshDon't Let Me ExplodeStevie NixModesto's Not That SweetChips Ahoy!You Can Make Him Like YouSouthtown GirlsCrucifixion CruiseHow A Resurrection Really Feels--Positive JamFirst NightMost People Are DJsKiller Parties Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CommerceComet Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 Sorry I missed this. Thanks for the recap. I couldn't decide between this show or Son Volt in Tulsa and in the end I had to work anyway. Bummer. I'll be in Dallas next week so I'll make up for it by seeing Menomena. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bobfrombob Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 Thanks for the review. For anybody waiting for email from the "fan club", I don't seem to be getting any. I found out just by chance that there's a Montreal show in August (weeee!). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
borracho Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 wow! got nothing to add to Clay's review - he pretty much summed up the night pretty good... it's just a blast to see a band who you feel is on the verge of something big in such a small place... the band was having a blast, the crowd was really into it - i was a little worried since it was a Sunday night show in a college town in summer, but it turned out to be a great night! but having to get up about 4 hours after you get to sleep and go to work is not a good thing... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
creativetype Posted June 12, 2007 Author Share Posted June 12, 2007 Sorry I missed this. Yeah, sorry we missed you, Dash. Craig (red1996, not Finn) and I were wondering if you were there among the crowd. We probably could have approached everyone individually in the place to ask "Are you Dash777 from VC?" since it was such a small turnout. Didn't you say something about buying us a beer? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
street spirit Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 The first pics have been posted by another fan ... Hold Steady - Opolis - 6/10/07 Alogn with a setlist, posted by "campfirewood1980" on the Hold Steady message board: Stuck Between StationsCattle and the Creeping ThingsHot Soft LightsYou Little Hoodrat FriendMassive NightsParty PitMilkcrate MoshDon't Let Me ExplodeStevie NixModesto's Not That SweetChips Ahoy!You Can Make Him Like YouSouthtown GirlsCrucifixion CruiseHow A Resurrection Really Feels--Positive JamFirst NightMost People Are DJsKiller Parties wish they had played these last time they came to Vancouver. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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