Pedal to Floor, Non-Stop Roar: At 55, Bob Mould Continues to Far Exceed the Speed Limit -- Chicago Concert Review

Concert Review

Bob Mould w/ band

w/ opening act J. Robbins

Metro, Chicago

May 6, 2016

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Before Friday night, there were 10 rock artists I'd seen live in concert at least 10 times. 

Appropriately, Bob Mould now makes that list "go to 11."

I wasn't cognizant enough of Hüsker Dü in real time to have seen Mould with his groundbreaking 1980s power trio, but have seen him perform in several incarnations beginning in 1994 with his second trio, Sugar.

I have seen him alone with an acoustic guitar, solo with an electric guitar, acoustically paired with another guitarist, with a 4-piece band (incidentally with subsequent 2-time Tony Award winner Michael Cerveris on guitar) and, as again on Friday at Metro, with Evanston's Jason Narducy on bass and drummer Jon Wurster rounding out yet another power trio.

Mould has been enjoyable in all forms, but there is nothing--and no one--like him in a full-tilt, band-backed frenzy.

And at the age of 55, he shows no signs of slowing down, as evidenced by a blistering 80-minute set in which there were virtually no pauses between songs, about a dozen total words spoken and only the initial part of Hüsker Dü's "Hardly Getting Over It" late in the show to slightly quell the deafening blast.

While Mould looks to be in better physical shape now than in his 20s, it's interesting to note that 18 years ago, at the age of 37, he claimed the  Last Dog and Pony Show tour--the one with Cerveris on-board--was to be his last with an electric band, at the breakneck pace for which he's always been known.

There are too many matters of real concern to even raise an eyebrow at rock stars reneging on the their retirements and such, and I'm quite glad that the Minneapolis native essentially decided in 2005 that "this is what I do, and love, so why not do it, at least sometimes."

A free, outdoor, summertime gig at Millennium Park in 2014 with the same trio was likewise balls-to-the-wall phenomenal, but this Metro show--which I wasn't even planning to attend until friends who were couldn't use their tickets--was particularly fun as it followed a solo electric evening with Bob Mould just last October at Evanston's SPACE.

Though there he also played Hüsker Dü, Sugar and solo chestnuts, the focus of that show was trying out new material before putting it on an upcoming album. 

As I wrote then, songs like "The End of Things," "Hold On," "Lucifer and God" and "Black Confetti" held up well against past glories, so it was cool to note they made it onto his terrific new Patch the Sky record, from which the first two songs cited and others made Friday's setlist.

Truthfully, I only started familiarizing myself with Patch the Sky a week before the show, so it's to the credit of his adept songwriting--though also an elemental hard-charging-guitar-driven similarity across much of his material--that new songs like the two mentioned above, plus "You Say You," "Losing Time" and others came across as delectably as four tunes from Sugar's wondrous Copper Blue and several Hüsker Dü gems like "I Apologize," "Celebrated Summer," "Hate Paper Doll" and the closing "Makes No Sense at All." (See Bob Mould's Chicago full setlist here at Setlist.fm)

In fact, I wish more of the new album was included, as "Lucifer and God" and "Pray for Rain" are among my favorites that weren't showcased at Metro.

But while the same can be said about numerous great songs from across Mould's illustrious career--heck, 2012's Silver Age and 2014's Beauty & Ruin are filled with thunderous wonders of which few could be culled, let alone the rest of the solo and band catalogs--the obvious skill, effort and fury he, Narducy and Wurster put into their time onstage makes setlist selections almost immaterial.

Everything sounds great.

And if I didn't hear "Helpless" or "Chartered Trips" or "Egøverride" or "Your Favorite Thing" this time, not only might I next time, but I was delighted that Mould (re)introduced me to a couple Hüsker Dü gems I'd long since forgetten: "Could You Be the One?" and "In a Free Land."

Perhaps one day Bob Mould will truly decide it's time for him to slow down. Even that won't be a tragedy, as his career can already be called legendary and his songwriting craft shines even more in a solo setting.

But if you love loud 'n fast rock 'n roll and have never seen Mould and his companions at full speed, you definitely should while you still can.

At 55, he remains--in my own words--a tour de force of nature.

Though there are a lot of rock artists I love, and love to see live again and again, Bob Mould stands as one I consider singular.

There is no one else quite like him, or who delivers shows with such sheer horsepower.

So here's hoping--to quote one of his very best songs, Sugar's "If I Can't Change Your Mind," which thrilled on Friday--he'll "stay that way until."

Tour de Force of Nature: Bob Mould Makes the Most of His Time--and Mine--at Millennium Park -- Chicago Concert Review

Concert Review

Bob Mould (with band)

w/ opening act Split Single

Pritzker Pavilion
at Millennium Park, Chicago

June 23, 2014

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To hear that Bob Mould was on stage for 80 minutes at Millennium Park Monday night might sound about right--especially as it was a free show that included a warm-up band and Pritzker Pavilion concerts invariably end before 9 PM--but perhaps not astonishing.

Yet here's the thing: somewhat akin to shopping in a country with a rather favorable exchange rate or weighing yourself on the moon, 80 minutes of Bob Mould in full-band mode is equivalent to at least two hours of almost anyone else.

To begin with, the man whose first recorded output was called Land Speed Record--with Husker Dü in early 1982--at 53 continues to play like an express train in top gear.

Mould's 80 minutes included 23 full songs (setlist here), most delivered without a pause between them. This has long been Mould's wont--though I regrettably never saw Husker Dü--possibly derived from a precedent set by the Ramones, and though he did offer gracious thanks, introduced his bandmates and said that he'd be playing "old songs, new songs and really new songs," I'd estimate about 79 of the 80 minutes were at full-tilt (besides the brief stage patter, there was a feedback-drenched half-minute between the main set and encore).

Usually when you hear the sound of a jackhammer, you expect it to stop. At least momentarily. With Bob Mould in full-band mode--accompanied here by bassist Jason Narducy and drummer Jon Wurster--it never does.

Reflecting the title of Mould's terrific new album, Beauty and Ruin, the effect is simultaneously brilliant and brutal. 

Funny thing is, though I was largely obvious to Husker Dü until well after the trio's glorious run ended in 1987, I caught onto Mould in his Sugar  days and--after seeing that trio in 1994--attended a Bob Mould + band gig on a 1998 tour dubbed "The Last Dog and Pony Show."

Just 37 at the time, Mould felt he was getting too old to continue delivering the blistering rage blowouts that had been his forte since his teens.

While he explored electronic music, wrote professional wrestling scripts and continued to perform solo acoustic and/or electric shows, by 2005 he reintroduced full-band, full-bore Bob.

And the world continues to be better off for it, so long as the fitter-than-ever Mould can handle the heat as he continues to bring it.

Opening with a trio of songs that began Sugar's wonderful 1992 Copper Blue album--"The Act We Act," "A Good Idea" and "Changes"--Mould, Narducy (who opened the show with his own band, Split Single) and Wurster (a wonderful drummer who was in Superchunk) were outstanding from the word go.

That the trio then blazed through 7 new songs--two from 2012's Silver Age and five from Beauty and Ruin--without a dip in power or quality is a testament to Mould's gifts and consistency as a songwriter.

These truths became even more self-evident as the rest of the show seamlessly mixed great songs from Sugar ("Helpless," "If I Can't Change Your Mind"), Husker Dü ("Hardly Getting Over It," "Chartered Trips," "Flip Your Wig" and the closing "Makes No Sense At All"), Mould's solo past ("Keep Believing," "Egøverride") and his present ("Tomorrow Morning," "Hey Mr. Grey").

Though Mould frequently covers the same sonic landscape, which he himself has acknowledged--at a stellar solo electric show in Schaumburg in January, after a blazing opening riff he wryly offered, "That could be any of about 14 songs"--it was with admiration that I turned to my friend Al (one of two at the show with me, along with those of other names) after "Tomorrow Morning" and said of the song off an album released just this month, "That could just as easily have been "Celebrated Summer"" (from Husker Dü 1985 New Day Rising).

While Mould and his band were terrific throughout, the combination of playing in sunlight to a seated crowd initially conspired to make me feel that the show didn't seem quite like the howler it would at a hot, dank and sweaty Metro or Riv. But not only was I a lot more comfortable, by the end of the 80 minutes, Mould had made Pritzker Pavilion feel like a packed club (he was sweating through his shirt even if I wasn't).

While Split Single's 45-minute opening set was enjoyable, it felt more solid than spectacular, causing me to wish they would cede the stage to the headliner a bit sooner. But again, Mould's blistering 80 minutes--even if 30 less than at his January solo gig--made me feel in no way cheated.

Split Single, the night's opening band, with Evanston's Jason Narducy on vocals

Even if I didn't pay a dime.

(Between the value of last Monday's superlative Richard Thompson gig and Mould, I feel like I owe Millennium Park about $100.)

Having noticed that most of the crowd, at least those devoted enough to arrive early for prime pavilion seats, were roughly in Mould's own demographic--or, like me, approaching it--I felt acute chagrin for younger rock fans who likely don't know or care about Bob Mould.

For I'm not sure how much longer he can play concerts that feel as if his face is on fire, and I really don't know if similar music--born from punk rock anarchy blended with melodic pop sensibilities and a bruising lyricism both incisive and insightful--will ever regenerate itself, let alone give rise to acts with a similar stage aesthetic.

So although, tritely stated, Bob Mould has been doing largely the same thing for 35 years--his solo gigs are only slightly less vehement, but to me, a tad less sublime for it--there really is no one who does the same thing any better.

He is a force of nature, and especially to his loyal and avid fan base, a national treasure.

And it doesn't get much better than hearing great music, for free, in a spectacular setting, on a beautiful night, in the company of good friends.

"Flip your wig," indeed.

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Thanks to the City of Chicago and Millennium Park for two straight phenomenal concerts. Though I'm not as familiar with any other acts in this summer's Downtown Sound series, I'm inspired to come down for more shows. Perhaps on July 21 for The Both, which includes Aimee Mann and Ted Leo.

Here is a YouTube clip posted by theblackandbluepress of Bob Mould & band performing "If I Can't Change Your Mind" on Monday night: