From the unusually frigid outdoor gig at a renowned local brewery to the two abnormally packed shows in the city's best-known small rock club, the Hold Steady had the most Minneapolitan weekend ever for a band not actually from Minneapolis.
The New York-based rockers made up for a four-year lull between Twin Cities gigs by settling in for two days and three performances — ones that will probably be remembered by their fans for years to come.
First came a Saturday night headlining set at Surly Brewing's answer to beer-tent Bavarian parties, SurlyFest, where the 40-degree weather did nothing to temper the rowdiness. On the contrary, there was a flannel-warm, Minnesota-proud vibe reminiscent of the Hold Steady's last show in town in 2014, opening for the Replacements at Midway Stadium under similarly unseasonable weather.
On Sunday, the band moved over to the 250-person 7th St. Entry for the first time in its 15-year history, where it played two back-to-back, elbow-to-elbow concerts starting with an all-ages matinee set. The nighttime show was so packed, fans were loath to push their way to the bar for another drink once the show started; which is really saying something in the case of a Hold Steady crowd.
There was a big difference between the two settings. Otherwise, the band did not mix up its set lists a whole lot aside from song order.
Edina-reared frontman Craig Finn even offered some of the same stage banter, talking about how people from all over the world recognize the symbolism in his songs' many geographic references — from Lyndale Avenue and I-494 to City Center and Southtown Mall — even if they don't know their exact locations.
"But you guys are in a very perfect position to understand what I'm saying," he added Saturday night.
The SurlyFest show kicked off perfectly with "Stuck Between Stations," which referenced the nearby Mississippi River and University of Minnesota.
