by Adam McGrath

A concert can be an amazing educational experience. Friday night at the Theatre of Living Arts on South Street, Bob Mould offered a master class in the art of fast-and-loud guitar rock. Relentlessly barreling through a set that pulled from all eras of his illustrious career, Mould performed with the joy that comes from finally being comfortable with one’s place in the world.

Bob Mould (photo by Adam McGrath)

There can be no question about Mould’s place in rock history. As the frontman of the genre-defining band Hüsker Dü, he epitomized the Midwest hardcore scene of the 1980s and opened the door for the alternative rock movement of the ’90s. Continuing to evolve through his band Sugar and a slew of solo releases, Mould is a rock lifer whose influence has expanded into a sprawling web of pop culture threads. Whether he’s appearing on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast or releasing the extremely candid autobiography, See A Little Light, Mould consistently engages the world in a thoughtful, humble manner.

The focus of Friday’s performance was Mould’s latest album, Beauty & Ruin, released in June on Merge records. Eight of the album’s 12 tracks made the set, including “Little Glass Pill”, “The War”, “Hey Mr. Grey”, and, my favorite, “I Don’t Know You Anymore”. The songs on this album deal with emotions stemming from the passing of Mould’s father, and the band’s passionate performance did them justice. Joining Mould onstage were bassist Jason Narducy and drummer Jon Wurster (Superchunk, The Best Show). The trio pushed and pulled each other like electrons in orbit, all circling a nucleus of melodic noise.

Jon Wurster, Bob Mould (photo by Adam McGrath)

Mould and company capped off the 20-plus song set with a rousing encore of “Something I Learned Today” off the acclaimed Zen Arcade album, followed by the signature mash-up of “Makes No Sense At All” with “Love Is All Around”, the theme song to The Mary Tyler Moore Show. It was a perfectly fun way to wrap up a first-rate show, and I could tell Bob was happy, lingering for a moment to smile and wave to the appreciative audience.

Cymbals Eat Guitars (photo by Lindsey Elgie)

Opening the evening was Cymbals Eat Guitars, a four-piece indie rock outfit from Staten Island, New York. The band’s sound may have been a little lost on the older Hüsker Dü fans, who didn’t seem sure what to make of the mix of shoegaze and alternative. Guitarist and lead singer Joe D’Agostino used his best falsetto on songs from LOSE, Cymbals Eat Guitars’ freshly released third album (Barsuk), and the group overall was tight and energetic. My personal favorite song was the up-tempo “XR”, but the shimmering combination of “Jackson” and “Laramie” highlighted the band’s more atmospheric sound.

Bob Mould and Cymbals Eat Guitars play three nights in New York City this week, so it’s a perfect opportunity to go back to school and earn a few extra credits on your concert transcript.

by Adam McGrath

A concert can be an amazing educational experience. Friday night at the Theatre of Living Arts on South Street, Bob Mould offered a master class in the art of fast-and-loud guitar rock. Relentlessly barreling through a set that pulled from all eras of his illustrious career, Mould performed with the joy that comes from finally being comfortable with one’s place in the world.

Bob Mould (photo by Adam McGrath)

There can be no question about Mould’s place in rock history. As the frontman of the genre-defining band Hüsker Dü, he epitomized the Midwest hardcore scene of the 1980s and opened the door for the alternative rock movement of the ’90s. Continuing to evolve through his band Sugar and a slew of solo releases, Mould is a rock lifer whose influence has expanded into a sprawling web of pop culture threads. Whether he’s appearing on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast or releasing the extremely candid autobiography, See A Little Light, Mould consistently engages the world in a thoughtful, humble manner.

The focus of Friday’s performance was Mould’s latest album, Beauty & Ruin, released in June on Merge records. Eight of the album’s 12 tracks made the set, including “Little Glass Pill”, “The War”, “Hey Mr. Grey”, and, my favorite, “I Don’t Know You Anymore”. The songs on this album deal with emotions stemming from the passing of Mould’s father, and the band’s passionate performance did them justice. Joining Mould onstage were bassist Jason Narducy and drummer Jon Wurster (Superchunk, The Best Show). The trio pushed and pulled each other like electrons in orbit, all circling a nucleus of melodic noise.

Jon Wurster, Bob Mould (photo by Adam McGrath)

Mould and company capped off the 20-plus song set with a rousing encore of “Something I Learned Today” off the acclaimed Zen Arcade album, followed by the signature mash-up of “Makes No Sense At All” with “Love Is All Around”, the theme song to The Mary Tyler Moore Show. It was a perfectly fun way to wrap up a first-rate show, and I could tell Bob was happy, lingering for a moment to smile and wave to the appreciative audience.

Cymbals Eat Guitars (photo by Lindsey Elgie)

Opening the evening was Cymbals Eat Guitars, a four-piece indie rock outfit from Staten Island, New York. The band’s sound may have been a little lost on the older Hüsker Dü fans, who didn’t seem sure what to make of the mix of shoegaze and alternative. Guitarist and lead singer Joe D’Agostino used his best falsetto on songs from LOSE, Cymbals Eat Guitars’ freshly released third album (Barsuk), and the group overall was tight and energetic. My personal favorite song was the up-tempo “XR”, but the shimmering combination of “Jackson” and “Laramie” highlighted the band’s more atmospheric sound.

Bob Mould and Cymbals Eat Guitars play three nights in New York City this week, so it’s a perfect opportunity to go back to school and earn a few extra credits on your concert transcript.