Craig Finn shook my hand

Craig Finn, the lead singer of The Hold Steady, is an unlikely rock star. He wears coke bottle glasses, with big plastic frames, denim shirts - like an Ivy league professor out for a beer. He makes obscure references to John Berryman, Minneapolis, and Kerouac. He talks about Catholicism all the live-long day - and when he is not talking about heading to the 5:30 folk mass, he's talking about being born again (and he is excentuating this with a series of quirky hand gestures a la Gord Downey). Of course, he is doing this through a persona - Holly - Hallelujah (or some omniscient narrator). She's a "hood rat". She tattoos "Jesus lived and died for all your sins" and "Damn right I'll rise again" on her body with some home made kit.

When Finn is not talking about Christianity he's talking about getting high. He thanked the crowd in advance for who ever smoked him up after the show last night. Yet his drug antics - which he claims are all in line with Catholic moderation (I'm tempted to believe him) - seem a bit like some sort of Eucharistic celebration. His most Catholic record was Separation Sunday. I'm expecting Vatican III from him on the next one? Papa Finn? Perhaps. More like the laity taking on the social realm, for the sake of the social realm. I think of him as a bit like Rebelais.

He came down from the Showplace theatre stage (cold, cold Buffalo), visibly exhausted, and shook hands with his little hood rat friends. I was one of them, and proud of it. His band mates are a tad eccentric. There is a bit stylistic difference - we have Finn, his lead guitarist and his drummer, all who seem to appreciate normalcy in fashion. Then we have the piano man, drinking a bottle of wine, dressed in a three piece suit, with a french earwax stiled mustache, and a beret. He likes to do this crazy genuflecting thing with his hands at times, which looks a bit funny beside Finn who is doing this flapping clapping thing - the band can't dance - but they can make me dance. Then we have the bassist, who really goes to town, God-love him. He was dressed like Popeye last night - sailor's cap, red and white striped shirt. He would stand at the edge of the stage and flip out dollar bills to the audience. He repeated that at the end of the show with Camel cigarettes. But listen to the base line to Massive Nights before you judge him.

Great show for Finn and the gang.

The Hold Steady - Massive Nights
Live show in Tallahassee