Review: The Hold Steady and Right On Dynamite

The Hold Steady and Right On Dynamite
6/15/2009



The start of the workweek is never usually a good thing. However, a sold out show at the Beachland Ballroom on a Monday night can drastically improve your outlook on things. The line was out the door at 7:15 for the Hold Steady and Right On Dynamite. The Hold Steady is on tour to promote ‘A Positive Rage’, the bands new double package that is compromised of a live album and documentary DVD.

The crowd was thick at the start for openers Right On Dynamite from Brooklyn. The three piece are young, attractive, and fresh. Compromised of Daniel Murphy, guitar and vocals, Nicholas Cirillo, bass and vocals, and Jonathan Molina, 25, drums, Right On Dynamite came out and launched right into their set. Murphy and Cirillo shyly addressed the crowd, the group of screaming girls in the front, and mentioned multiple times how happy they were to be on tour with The Hold Steady and to be playing in Cleveland. First time visitors here, they seemed pleased to visit Cleveland and were extremely appreciative to the crowd.

The sound seemed to be a little off, so the vocals were a little muffled even from the front, yet it could not be missed that Murphy and Cirillo blend their voices together nicely. The two play off each others energy while Molina diligently bangs away behind them. Right On Dynamite’s musical interludes were in one word, awesome. Murphy played so hard his fingers were blurring and Cirillo managed to put on his own show on bass and still found time to make it back up to the mike. I think three pieces warrant a certain amount of respect, less people doing the work, yet are still able to pull together huge sound. The sound is not polished, yet it is totally put together. When they played the song, ‘Mantra for the Madness’, (which is HIGHLY infectious and has stayed in my head for days), the crowd erupted, clapping and jumping around toward the end of the solid 45 minute set. It definitely put the final touch on winning over new fans. I picked up a copy of Right On Dynamite’s self titled EP, which I highly recommend.

After the set, the crowd buzz and anticipation for The Hold Steady was almost electric. The packed room was wall to wall people ready to see the headliner. The Hold Steady came out and the place exploded. It seemed like the bar had emptied and no one was moving for the rest of the night. The Hold Steady opened with “Party Pit”, and the crowd started dancing and jumping and didn’t look back. It is obvious that The Hold Steady has a great time doing exactly what they are doing. Lead singer, Craig Finn, is in every sense the charismatic frontman. Jumping around the stage relentlessly, never losing his grin, the guy should teach a class on crowd interaction. Finn’s distinctive voice is one of the many appeals for this band. He referenced a previous show in the tavern at the Beachland years ago, and gave a shout out to all the “old school” people that were there. From the cheers, it was obvious that many people had been. The set list was long, energy high, and the beers were cold. The crowd at the sold out Beachland did not go home disappointed on this Monday night.