The Hold Steady on Fuel TV’s “The Daily Habit”
Photos: Tim Griffin
On March 26, The Hold Steady played an intimate gig before a live studio audience for a taping of Fuel TV’s “The Daily Habit”. For those of you unfamiliar with Fuel TV or the “Daily Habit“, I can tell you that Fuel TV is the world’s (?) “only 24/7 action sports lifestyle network” and the “Daily Habit” is a half-hour daily talk show which features “action sports celebrities, musicians, comedy, and cutting-edge new products”. In NYC, Fuel TV broadcasts on Time Warner Cable channel 456.
After doing some schmoozing, designing my own custom silk screened t-shirt, and imbibing more than a few Veev cocktails, I was sated and slightly lubricated by the time the Hold Steady took the stage for their “extended” set at the Bathhouse studios on Thursday night. Tim was there to get the photos, and my cohort and Hold Steady superfan Anders was there to review the set. Despite his grousing, Anders actually enjoyed the show, here’s what he had to say about it:
The band performed admirably well, considering the industry party atmosphere, questionable mixing, and sound being way too loud for the speakers. Audience members unfamiliar with the songs probably had a hard time catching more than a fraction of the Craig Finn‘s clever lyrics, and the volume served to muddy Tad Kubler‘s exceptional guitar. The sound did improve a fair bit toward the back of the room; the bathroom line was probably the best place to listen from, though with a floor-level stage, the band was entirely hidden at 20 feet away. One can only hope the mixing board is clean; otherwise, it’s hard to see how they will get this performance to air. Sure, this all sounds like some serious whining, but the fact remains: The Hold Steady could play in a padded box, to a confused nursing home audience, and they’d still rock. Plus, it’s kind of cool to be able to see the show that’s ten feet away from you from multiple angles (complete with swooping snl-musical-guest style camera!) on monitors around the room.
Set List
1. Constructive Summer
2. Stay Positive
3. Sequestered in Memphis
4. Cattle and the Creeping Things
5. The Swish
6. Magazines
7. Your Little Hoodrat Friend
8. Stuck Between Stations
9. Slapped Actress
For my money, i thought it was too in there loud too, but as far as I’m concerned, free food, free drinks and The Hold Steady = Good Times. This episode of the “The Daily Habit” is part of a special New York theme week that will air in early April on Fuel TV. Other musical guests for New York week included Busta Rhymes and Amazing Baby.
The Hold Steady next play NYC on Monday, March 30 at The Fillmore at Irving Plaza (a smaller venue than normal for them). More pictures from the “Daily Habit” taping after the jump.
