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This was the first time I’d seen Bob Mould play a full solo set (not counting last year’s World Cafe Live Free at Noon show, where he only played for half an hour, for example) since 1997 and like that show, it was good in spots and great in others. During the first half of his set (the acoustic portion), the show dragged in spots despite the mostly stellar song selection, where he combined songs from his 1989 solo debut Workbook (“Brasilia Crossed with Trenton,” “Wishing Well,” “Poison Years” and of course, “See a Little Light”) with a SUGAR tune (“Hoover Dam”). Afterward, he did several new songs (including the title track of his just-about-to-be released new album Life and Times and the new single “I’m Sorry Baby, But You Can’t Stand In My Light Any More”) and those fared considerably better.
The show really gained strength, however, when he switched to his trusted electric guitar. The song selection in this portion of the set tended to veer towards his more familiar, heavier material and songs like “Circles” (from 2005’s terrific Body of Song) and “The Silence Between Us” (from last year’s District Line) sounded great in this format! More over, the inclusion of HUSKER DU material (particularly “I Apologize,” “Celebrated Summer” and of course “Makes No Sense at All”) at the end of the main set and in the encore (which also included Sugar’s “If I Can’t Change Your Mind”) was an added bonus as well!
The only downside to his set, other than the relatively short time (about 80 minutes) were the obnoxious frat boy types drunkenly hooting and hollering (for “Celebrated Summer”, of all songs; who knew that song had such a cult following amongst overgrown frat types). That comes with the territory at the North Star, though, as for whatever reason it tends to attract some obnoxious audience members who talk over the performers (as occurred during the quieter portion of Mould’s set).
Opener Andrew Lipke played a nice, mellow set of singer-songwritery stuff that honestly didn’t do much for me. He said one of the songs was a GRATEFUL DEAD cover, but I have no idea what song it was.
