Waving A Sign That Made No Sense

Superchunk @ Radio City Music Hall 3/8/2011

Learned To Surf / Crossed Wires / Detroit Has A Skyline / Seed Toss / My Gap Feels Weird / Like A Fool / Hello Hawk / Digging For Something / Slack Motherfucker

Superchunk “Like A Fool”

I went to this show on fairly show notice; someone got sick blah blah blah. I mainly accepted a ticket because I wanted to see Wild Flag and because the venue happens to be directly across the street from where I work these days. Wild Flag were good and interesting, but I don’t want to write anything about them until I hear their album. I left after Superchunk finished their set, about a half hour before Bright Eyes took the stage. (You might remember that I’m not a fan of Conor Oberst.)

Anyway, Superchunk. I’ve always liked Superchunk but never really connected with them. I feel a little weird about that — they belong to a cohort of 90s indie bands that I love, and their drummer happens to be one of the two funniest men on earth. I wasn’t sure what to expect from seeing this show, but I figured I’d have fun and it’d be low pressure and I had no obligation to writing about it.

Well, I was right about the fun. They’re a sharp band, and very energetic. Mac McCaughan is particularly impressive — it seemed like he was hopping up and down for most of the set, and never seemed to flub a note or get winded while he sang. Superchunk has very straightforward songs — I think I’ve mistaken this no-frills aesthetic for them being a bit bland and basic in the past — but their charm comes in how they deliver their tunes with great force and precision. This is a band that could easily coast on being pleasant, but they really go for the extra oomph.

Lucky for me, the band only played songs I knew in their brief 40 minute set. I generally prefer seeing live music when I know the material, that’s just how I’m wired. That said, the song that really hit me was “Like A Fool,” an oldie I only kinda half-remembered and probably had not listened to on purpose in ten years. It’s a huge, majestic number, and very well-suited to a big, classy room like Radio City. The chords felt right in that moment, I spent a lot of the song with my eyes closed just appreciating the strumming and the way the music hits this crest that feels both melancholy and exhilarating.

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