Coming off the release of their new album, Thrashing Through Passion, The Hold Steady played three nights in Chicago.  I was able to see their first night at Thalia Hall. It also happened to be the lead singer Craig Finns’s birthday. They played a plethora of hits stemming across all their albums.  Opening the set with “Constructive Summer” got the crowd really going. Craig screaming “Our psalms are sing along songs” could not have been more true this night.

In between songs, Craig talked about his love for the midwest, his connections to Chicago and now excited he was for it to be his birthday.  Blasting through such hits as “Hurricane J”, “Stuck Between Stations”, “Sequestered In Memphis” and many more, The Hold Steady did not disappoint.  With beers in the air, the crowd sang along to almost every word. I personally enjoyed some of their new songs they played. It definitely had an old Hold Steady feel with the return of their piano player Franz Nicolay. Overall, this was a night to remember. I can only imagine the next two nights were just as rowdy and just as loud with sing a longs.

Review and photos by Mike Jahn