Whiskey…water towers…shitty, dead-end mill jobs…infinity symbols with secret plus-signs inside…surprise musical guest appearances by Iggy Pop…
Nope, I’m not talking about Twin Peaks: The Return (for ONCE). I’m talking about the first, like, sixty seconds of The Hold Steady’s 2008 Kerouac-crazed, bar-punk shark-jumper Stay Positive.
If you were one of those people (I was, I’ll cop to it) who got weirdly swept-up in that strange brand of heart-on-sleeve, Springsteen-sized, anthems-can-change-the-world brand indie rock that blew through town in the mid-aughts, it’s probably hard to believe that it’s been TEN YEARS since that record first made you feel…uh…whatever silly, youthful shit it made you feel.
Alas, it’s true. You’re not so young anymore. And The Hold Steady are VERY not so young anymore.
But hey, that doesn’t mean you and the good old Hold Steady can’t find a trustworthy babysitter and throw a few mildly-paced parties this summer to help commemorate the 10th anniversary of Stay Positive, does it? Hell HECK no!
To that end, the band has just announced a small series of shows that they’re collectively billing as “Constructive Summer.” The tour will kick-off with a special Stay Positive anniversary show at White Eagle Hall in Jersey City before ambling on to close-by Philadelphia, PA and back to Asbury Park, NJ. After that, it’s a nice, slow, comfy catamaran boat ride over to San Francisco and Toronto for extended weekends both of those cities. For complete information (re. things like “multi-show passes” and special “soundcheck/happy hour tickets”) and to purchase tickets, you can visit theholdsteady.net on your next work break.
P.S: the Hold Steady “boys” will also be announcing details of a “Deluxe 10th Anniversary Edition” of Stay Positive soon. So, don’t touch that dial, or whatever the Deejays say on those college rock Sirius Radio stations you listen to when your kids aren’t in the car with you.
“Constructive Summer” (in bed by 11 p.m.) tour:
07.25.18 - Jersey City, NJ - White Eagle Hall
07.26-27.18 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
07.28.18 - Asbury Park, NJ - Asbury Lanes
08.02-03.18 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
08.04.18 - San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop
09.12-15.18 - Toronto, ON - Horseshoe Tavern
More about: The Hold Steady
