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Best set of Coachella hands down! Bob Mould Band, Saturday April 18th, 2:30pm on the Gobi Stage.

April 24th, 2009 Posted by: Dust Devil

Yeah, I know, why am I skipping to Saturday already?

That’s easy. Bob Mould is a god, plain and simple. I had not seen this guy play since the days when Sugar were alive and well, and now I have had the opportunity to see him twice in concert in less than a month. I ranted and raved about how good his Varsity Theatre show was back in March. Honestly, as good as that set was, it pales in comparison to the ball of fury the Bob Mould Band unleashed on the appreciative Gobi Stage Coachella crowd.

My one complaint; what the heck was Coachella thinking putting a LEGEND on so early in the day? Bob Mould is more than deserving of a prime evening slot, especially with some of the artists that received a top billing. But I digress …

I left an explosive show by Cloud Cult a little early so I could head over to the Gobi Stage and secure a good spot up front. I was not as fortunate as I hoped, but I was only about three people back from the front, so I was content.

Unlike the show in Minneapolis on March 30, the whole Bob Mould Band was in tow for this concert, and the acoustic guitar was nowhere to be seen. Nope, this was classic Bob Mould at his best, shredding on the guitar, but doing so as always with such precision and beauty that it is easy to forget how loud he plays!

With a scant 50 minutes to play, the Bob Mould Band utilized their time well and with awesome efficiency. There was no talking between songs, no endless tuning, just an immediate shift into the next tune. The way things commenced set the tone for what, at least in my eyes, was the best set of the weekend.

Sugar is one of my all-time favorite bands, and their debut Copper Blue was a stunning cascade of noise, but done so with a beautiful pop aesthetic. The first three songs from that disc, The Act We Act, A Good Idea and Changes, led off the day’s concert at Coachella. I was in heaven!

A powerful rendering of See a Little Light from his classic solo debut Workbook was next, before unleashing Hoover Dam, yet another Copper Blue track. Two songs were played from his most recent release Life and Times, the title track and I’m Sorry Baby, But You Can’t Stand In My Light Anymore. Outstanding renderings of both tracks, and to be honest I would have loved to hear even more from the new album.

However, Bob Mould is an astute individual, and once the band finished the two new songs, they set out to pulverize the audience for the rest of the show. It was almost as if he was delivering a message to the young-uns at Coachella that weren’t even born yet when Husker Du was in their prime, a message stating “here is what true, intense and well-crafted alternative music sounds like”.

The rest of the set was a pure Sugar and Husker Du affair, absolutely mind-blowing and incredible. A fifth Copper Blue classic, If I Can’t Change Your Mind was played. Makes No Sense at All, Celebrated Summer and I Apologize are a small sample of tracks played from Husker Du’s catalog. Quite simply, the entire show was one intense buzzsaw of an attack, and personally speaking not only the best show of Coachella but the best show I have seen all year. No joke folks, if you were at Coachella and missed this show, you blew it.

As if I was not already blown away, to end the set with a furious rendering of New Day Rising capped off perfectly an incredible performance. Bob was in a frenzy at this point and attacked the song with unbridled fury. What an ending!

A great frontman, a great supporting cast, a great atmosphere equates to a great concert. I love the rest of the band that Bob Mould has assembled, and big props go to Jason Narducy, that guy plays a mean bass!

I was exhausted when this show was over, but in a good way. I had just witnessed greatness and was honored to have been in the crowd. Thank you again to the Bob Mould Band for proving great music is still alive and well.

Next up, we will go back one day to the set from A Place to Bury Strangers Friday evening, easily the loudest set I saw of the weekend! I guess if I had gone on Sunday I would probably be saying that about My Bloody Valentine instead.

Cheers!
The Dust Devil

Filed under: Event Reviews, Cheers and Jeers