Okay, so I have to admit that I was really not sure what to expect with Bob Mould when I went to see h im last Wednesday night (March 26, 2008) at the Great American Music Hall. I mean, I was really into Husker Du, sort of into Sugar (but not much) and I only heard one song from his solo stuff (Black Sheets of Rain or something like that) and it didn’t move me much (but that was a while back). However, someone recently told me that Bob put on a tremendous live show and that I should go see him. So I did. And, by golly, whoever it was that told me that was 100% right! Bob does put on a great show.
He has a very distinct guitar style and it spills out of every song he plays - be it punk, power pop or a gentle ditty. But for this show he mostly rocked. According to the Great American website, Bob Mould is 47 years old, and he looks it: balding and a bit of a grey beard. But he also looks tough, like he could kick your ass without much effort. He moved around the stage calmly with bursts of fast, unpredictable gyrations. The bass player seemed to only come near him when he wasn’t doing a song, probably out of a heightened sense of self-preservation. Bob was the perfect balance of “friendly” and “menacing.” And that’s just what you’d expect from a punk legend.
Bob Mould played a variety of songs, but he seemed to save the most hard rockin’ ones for the end. I only stayed for the first encore (I’m not actually sure there was a second - but the lights didn’t come back on while I was exiting and the crowd was desperate for more), and that was two super rockin’ tunes. I can only guess that the next one blew the roof off the joint.
The band was solid, good drummer, good bassist and a keyboard player that was not very prominent to my ears. I was standing up near the stage and, even though there were VERY tall people standing in front of me, I could see everyone but the keyboard player (no great loss). The only person worth watching, however, is Bob Mould. If you ever get a chance to see him, I highly recommend that you do.