XPNFest Recap: The Hold Steady rocked the River Stage on Friday Night

“From the bottom of my heart, thank you for being a part of this.”  Keeping with the theme of the night, The Hold Steady‘s Craig Finn made sure the riled-up River Stage crowd knew just how much it means to the band to still be playing music ten years into their career.  The set was a career-spanner, pulling tracks from 2005’s Separation Sunday, this year’s Teeth Dreams and everything in between.

This was the third time the Brooklyn rockers were on the XPoNential line-up and they clearly brought the fans back with them – the crowd screamed every line of favorite songs like set opener “Constructive Summer” and perennial pleaser “Sequestered in Memphis” back to the stage as Finn gestured and danced all over the place.  Dueling guitars solos and relentless energy are hallmarks of a Hold Steady live show and the band didn’t disappoint, ripping into every note as the sun set behind them.  Finn, the consummate frontman, threw “I Hope This Whole Thing Didn’t Frighten You” out to two fans he met tonight, both under twelve years old.  The set was as cathartic for the audience as it was for the band and, as Finn declared before playing the first song, we were a “unified scene.”  Check out photos and the full setlist below.

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The Hold Steady | photo by Noah Silvestry | www.silvestography.com

Setlist:

Constructive Summer
Hot Soft Light
I Hope This Whole Thing Didn’t Frighten You
Sequestered in Memphis
You Can Make Him Like You
Spinners
The Ambassador
THe Weekenders
Your Little Hoodrat Friend
Chips Ahoy!
Stuck Between Stations
Southtown Girls