No, The Hold Steady isn’t just playing one night here in Nashville — they’re playing three. That means three straight nights of some of modern rock’s most memorable party jams. Three nights of Franz Nicolay’s exuberant keyboard solos. Three nights of throwing our fists into the air while singing along to frontman Craig Finn’s witty lyrics, which manage to romanticize youth while simultaneously making the idea of doing it all over again sound utterly unbearable (a rare skill in today’s nostalgia-centric, youth-obsessed music industry). What exactly will vary from one night’s set to the next is anyone’s guess — a peek at set lists from the band’s previous three-night stands in Chicago and Seattle doesn’t offer up many patterns or spoilers, except to suggest that we’ll be treated to songs spanning the band’s entire catalog, from 2004’s Almost Killed Me (“The Swish!” “Killer Parties!”) to this year’s Thrashing Thru the Passion. Here in Nashville, The Rock*A*Teens will open Thursday night, Daddy Issues will get things started Friday, and Big Ass Truck will do the honors Saturday. Three-night passes are sold out, but as of press time, single-night tickets were still available for each show. Sept. 5-7 at The Basement East, 917 Woodland St. MEGAN SELING
The Hold Steady’s Constructive Summer Tour
