Bob Mould and Cymbals Eat Guitars at Bowery Ballroom (September 11, 2014)
Last night indie rock hero Bob Mould rocked Bowery Ballroom for the second night in a row (he’ll also play Music Hall of Williamsburg this Saturday). The show was a part of his tour in support of newly released album Beauty & Ruin.
Support came from the terrific Cymbals Eat Guitars, who I somehow tragically haven’t seen live since they played the Siren Music Festival back in 2010. They played tracks off their awesome new album Lose, which is out now and should be in all of your collections. Live, they brought their epic sprawling widescreen sound to full fruition live, getting a much appreciated response from the older crowd. It was obviously a somewhat abbreviated set than I would have hoped, but the band sounded great. They know to shred, but also how to create a unique and smart atmosphere that combines the best of a frantic guitar sound and a dreamy world of their own.
It was my first time seeing Bob Mould live, but he had me impressed. At 53-years-old the famed musician is no stranger to the world of indie rock. His work with band such as Hüsker Dü and Sugar has influenced many who came after, setting the stage and then some. Even at his age the man rocked with the stamina of a man much younger, moving fluidly around the stage and jumping up and down with the grace of a true rockstar.
His band featured Jason Narducy on bass and Jon Wurster behind the drum-kit, bringing both his solo work (such as his very great new single “I Don’t Know You Anymore”) as well as classic favorites from Hüsker Dü to life in a big, big way. As expected, the crowd featured lots of older fans, mainly males also in their mid-50s. Some may be quick call Mould dad rock, but dad rock doesn’t quick rock this hard. He had all the sharp dressed men in horn-rimmed glasses rocking harder than a lot of kids in their 20s who I see frequent shows, jumping up and down like kids. It was great.
Mould has still got it. I obviously never got a chance to see Hüsker Dü play live, but seeing Mould play their songs and his own will certainly do.
Photos of both Bob Mould and Cymbals Eat Guitars can be found below.
Bob Mould:
