Basilica Block Party
The Hold Steady: talent on loan from God?
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This year’s Basilica Block Party was all about sacrifice. With the two main stages located 15 minutes apart, and bands worth seeing on both of them, it took a lot of running back and forth to catch as much music as possible. Fortunately, the mostly gorgeous weather and strong showings from both local talent and lofty headliners eased that hardship.
On Friday, Canadian songstress Serena Ryder flaunted her folky, adult-contemporary style—think KT Tunstall but with a Canadian bent—dancing heartily to the appreciation of a growing crowd. Cities 97 mainstay Mat Kearney started his set early, though nobody seemed to mind. The Nashville-based singer-songwriter played through his set with affable energy, and Kearney's backing band provided a warm accompaniment to his smooth tenor.
Friday night’s top story was, of course, The Jayhawks reunion set, headlining the Sun Country stage. Although the band has maintained friendly relations (Gary Louris and Mark Olson collaborated on Ready for the Flood earlier this year), a performance by the full lineup—including Marc Perlman on bass, Tim O’Reagan on drums, and Karen Grotberg on keys—was heavily anticipated by Twin Cities music heads, who have been buzzing about the gig since its announcement. The assembled crowd beamed throughout the set and sung along to every song. A few drops first felt, appropriately enough, during "Settled Down Like Rain" soon turned into a light downpour, complete with a few flashes of lightning in the skies behind the stage—but Olson noted, "At least if we're going to get wet, we won't be alone. We have many friends." Sticking entirely to material recorded before Olson left the band in 1995, the band had plenty of great material to sink its teeth into, and its harmonies were tight on standouts “Waiting for the Sun” and “Two Hearts.” The show’s biggest moment was a rendition of “Blue,” which was backed by the Basilica Choir and marked by soaring harmonies and a lush, soft finish.
Mecida stage headliners The Black Crowes took the stage late on Friday, drawing most of their energy from lead singer Chris Robinson. However out of place the hard-living, hard-rocking band might have seemed at the reverently constructed Basilica, the Crowes delivered a raucous, fan-friendly show that included the hit “Hard to Handle” from their 1990 debut, Shake Your Money Maker (perfect for sponsor Cities 97’s “Music From Then” format).
On Saturday, local indie-rock success story Tapes 'N Tapes provided a nice alternative to Friday’s AOR-heavy lineup. Despite their bouncy energy, propulsive drumming, and powerful guitar work, the band’s asymmetrical rock came off a little random. Frontman Josh Grier, who forestalled a haircut in order to look more like Jesus for the Basilica event, got his biggest response of the night with a remark about the beautiful weather. The band concluded its strong set with fan-favorite and breakout-blog-hit “Insistor.”
Nearby, a Jimmy John’s sandwich-eating contest was underway, with a boater-hatted barker announcing that 21 Jimmy John’s subs had been consumed in just five minutes. As the contestants were Jimmy John’s employees, the title (and large WWE-style championship belts) were awarded to actual sandwich makers in an act of self-reflexive sponsorship. Following the gluttonous antics, Matt Nathanson received a ringing endorsement from Cities 97's Brian Oake, who called Nathanson “the funniest guy to have in-studio,” as well as an excellent singer-songwriter. His smooth, family-friendly style went over well with crowd, and Nathanson was sharp and upbeat between tunes, joking that he wrote “To The Beat Of Our Noisy Heart” about “the existential crisis that is Hannah Montana.”
There was a unique resonance in seeing The Hold Steady perform outdoors in Minneapolis: It was wonderfully surreal to be a block away from Lyndale Avenue as Craig Finn belted out "Southtown Girls" and to be just around the corner from Loring Park—a.k.a. "Penetration Park"—during “Your Little Hoodrat Friend.” In the middle of the passionate set, Finn noted that plenty has changed since he started in the Twin Cities music scene more than 20 years ago, with the exceptions of "Minneapolis’ two greatest houses of worship: the Basilica and First Avenue." The band played classics from older albums, but songs from the recent Stay Positive shined brightest, from the melodic “Lord, I’m Discouraged” to the title track (during which the crowd nailed the key changes on the “whoa-oh-oh-oh”). A four-song encore capped one of the best concerts of the summer.
Across the freeway, Counting Crows played for an estimated 16,000 onlookers, including some geniuses who threw Mardi Gras beads from the VIP section. The band’s set found Adam Duritz and company moving through a medley of their hit "Rain King" and The Beatles' "With a Little Help From My Friends.” After a short civics speech on the importance of engagement, they ended with Woody Guthrie's “This Land Is Your Land,” an American benediction if there ever was one.
Crowd at The Jayhawks
Crowd at The Jayhawks
Gary Louris of The Jayhawks
Mark Olson and Marc Perlman of The Jayhawks
Mark Olson of The Jayhawks
Black Crowes
_jpg_595x1000_q85.jpg "Chris Robinson of Black Crowes")
Chris Robinson of Black Crowes
Craig Finn of The Hold Steady
_jpg_595x1000_q85.jpg "The Hold Steady")
The Hold Steady
The Hold Steady
_jpg_595x1000_q85.jpg "Josh Grier of Tapes N’ Tapes")
Josh Grier of Tapes N’ Tapes
Josh Grier of Tapes N’ Tapes
Erik Appelwick of Tapes N' Tapes
Mat Kearney
Serena Ryder
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