Recap: The Hold Steady at XPoNential Festival
WHO: The Hold Steady
WHERE: XPoNential
WHEN: July 20th
Words By Alex Ocko
The Hold Steady returned to Camden after having their set come to an unexpected early end due to rain in 2009. They had quite the return! Singer Craig Finn was on his A-Game, with his undeniable energy seeping into every audience member. Opening with “Hornets! Hornets!,” from 2005′s Separation Sunday, the band treated every song as if it was there last. While many bands have fans singing along to every song, no one has fans singing the complicated and poetic stories that Finn writes. The band has really come into their own sound and have become so much more than “the best bar band in the world” as they’ve been known. There were no boring moments in their set. Even when the band slows it down there is always something captivating happening. They played two new songs, “Teeth Dreams” and “Wait a While.” Both songs will make any Hold Steady fan excited for the new album. They ended with “Stay Positive”, leaving everyone smiling and glad that the band got to finish the set that was plagued with rain three years prior.
