Son Volt - First Ave. - Minneapolis, MN - 12/19/1998
SV turned in another great set, closing out a 2 nite stand at First Ave.
This was (I think) their 13th performance here in Mpls since June 95. The
boys rocked their asses off again although the highs and lows from Friday
nite were smoothed out a bit. This was a more "solid" performance IMO. They
dropped "Chickamagua" and "I Gotta Right" and added "No More Parades"
(absolutely beautiful) and "Live Free." "Live Free," near the end of the
nite, was the first "new" song of the weekend (they didn't play it in Oct.
either). So, for all you setlistologists, by my figurin' this year SV played
67 songs in Mpls, with only 26 different titles! Static set lists? Hell,
they're carved in granite!
Still, I'm not complaining, although I imagine a certain familiarity would
set in if you had to tour with these guys. It's sorta funny that a minor
ripple in the set list (a weird cover, a UT song, or a semi-forgotten Trace
track) can cause excitement within the ranks of the faithful. On the second
nite, when it became obvious we weren't gonna hear any big surprises, I
concentrated on some of the intricacies within the songs. SV is a pretty
well-oiled machine. They've really spent a lot of time on arrangements,
which are often rather complex, revealing cool little details with repeated
exposure. As anyone who has seen them knows, they concentrate on the music
instead of any - and I mean any - kind of stage show. This is definitely a
band who lets the music do the talking. Jay smiled a few times (news flash!)
and during (I think) "Picking Up the Signal" he actually got so carried away
he performed one of those dip-your-shoulder rock-star moves! This actually
caused a few chuckles amongst us hard-cores positioned behind the
soundboard. The big rockers ("Signal," "Drown," "Route," "Straightface,"
"Last Time Around") are really quite powerful - it's sheer joy to hear Jay
and Dave B. work their magic with that twin electric guitar/twangy thing
that they have perfected.
Well, back to holiday chores. I enjoyed the last two nites and probably
coulda "endured" a couple more "granite" set lists. Now, if they only would
of dug up "Still Be Around." Or "This is Where I Belong." Or...
For fellow obsessives, I've posted all 3 Mpls 1998 SV set lists below.
1998 First Ave. Son Volt shows
10-8-98 12-18-98 12-19-98
1. Medicine Hat 1. Flow 1. Blind Hope
2. Tear Stained Eye 2. Caryatid Easy 2. Medicine Hat
3. Flow 3. Right on Through 3. Flow
4. Blind Hope 4. Picking Up the Signal 4. Caryatid Easy
5. Hanging Blue Side 5. Medicine Hat 5. Tear Stained Eye
6. Creosote 6. Tear Stained Eye 6. Hanging Blue Side
7. Strands 7. Blind Hope 7. Creosote
8. Back in Your World 8. Hanging Blue Side 8. Back in Your World
9. 10 Second News 9. Creosote 9. No More Parades
10. No More Parades 10. Back in Your World 10. 10 Second News
11. Cemetery Savior 11. 10 Second News 11. Driving the View
12. Route 12. Driving the View 12. Cemetery Savior
13. Drown 13. Cemetery Savior 13. Strands
14. Windfall 14. Question 14. Right on Through
15. Right on Through 15. Drown 15. Picking Up the Signal
16. Picking Up the Signal 16. Route 16. Drown
17. Driving the View 17. Straightface 17. Straightface
18. Question 18. Dead Man's Clothes 18. Windfall
19. Caryatid Easy 19. Windfall 19. Dead Man's Clothes
20. Last Time Around 20. Strands 20. Question
21. I Gotta Right 21. Last Time Around 21. Live Free
22. Chickamagua 22. Route
23. I Gotta Right 23. Last Time Around
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