There really are few events as glorious and cathartic as a Sleater-Kinney concert. I recently attended a Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band show, and that was close. (Oddly enough, I probably would’ve never paid to see The Boss if not for Sleater-Kinney covering “This Promised Land” in the early 00s). From my first show, when my boss at the time convinced me to go with him to see them on The Hot Rock tour in 1999, the power and dynamics of that show became a permanent part of my life. That’s when they became “my band,” and for the last 25 years, this band has been the primary thing that has helped me navigate my life. And just over 300 months later, here I am, 44 years old, seeing my favorite band again, and nothing could be better.
Palehound opened the show, and I will admit that, despite the name being one of much internet chatter, many years of best-of-year ranking albums, and sold-out shows on their own, this was my very first exposure to the sonic glory that is Palehound. El Kemper and company made a thunderous noise, with country and folk-tinged melodies buried beneath overdriven guitars. The closest comparison I could think of would be if Built To Spill decided they needed to get really loud.
We got an unexpected treat after reassembling my face, which was meltdown clean off by Palehound. Someone wearing all black walked on stage and grabbed a mic. Being that it was Trans Day of Visibility, I was expecting someone from a local trans rights organization, or possibly Headcount, to talk to us about what we can do to help make the world safer for our trans earthmates. Instead? 10 minutes of some really excellent stand-up from Rachel Dispenza, Sleater-Kinney’s merch manager, on this tour. In addition to helping me fulfill my lifelong dream of owning a vintage denim jacket with a giant Sleater-Kinney patch sewn on that seems to fit my very weird body shape perfectly. (I’m both muscled and fat, and it distributes very weirdly) they are the first comics I’ve ever experienced to do a full set from the perspective of a non-binary person. There were so many amazing anecdotes, and her delivery was dry and friendly- the kind where the punchlines are never coming from where you expect them. I’d LOVE to see Dispenza got to show off their skills in a proper comedy club.
And now it’s time for the big event. On this tour, the great Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein were front and center, while in a line in the back, we had the extraordinary Angie Boylan on drums, possibly the only drummer on Earth that could suitably replace Janet Weiss, former St Vincent member Toko Yasuda on keyboards, and the newest musician to join the fold, former TEEN leader Teeny Lieberson on guitar and keys. (BTW: TEEN was fantastic. Go listen to them now, and then come back to this review)
Sleater-Kinney opened their set with the 1-2 punch of Little Rope album openers “Hell” and “Needlessly Wild,” awash in red lights and full of dark thunder. Corin Tucker’s voice has never sounded stronger, and the band is as tight as usual. Staying in acid rock mode, they played “Bury Your Friends,” the 2014 comeback single that was hidden inside the first pressing of the Start Together box set. I might add that I distinctly remember crying when I first put that 45 on my turntable.
I could do a song-by-song analysis of the set, and I might do that at some point in time, but I will not test your patience, the loyal reader. Instead, I’ll point out what was interesting and different about this set vs the other 20-some-odd times I’ve seen them… The biggest difference was that, in the past, the setlist tended to be an even mix of Carrie and Corin on lead vocals. Tonight, Corin was clearly the “lead singer” of the band. Of the 23 songs played, “All Hands On The Bad One,” “Hurry On Home,” “A New Wave,” “Modern Girl,” and “Entertain” were the only Carrie songs of the set.
This new sort of “defined roles” in the band kept bringing to mind one of the few bands I’d like to travel back in time to have seen- MC5. Carrie shreds and moves much like Wayne Kramer and Corin clearly out-wailed Rob Tyner in 1967. The show was a potent and big experience that was equal parts religious and political. The ultimate catharsis of the night came with the main set closer, “Untidy Creature,” possibly the strongest song on the exceptionally strong Little Rope. Halfway through the song, Corin came down to the barrier and immersed herself in the crowd to finish the song. I got to hear that voice- my all time favorite singer- removed from the PA and right in front of me.
It was a nearly perfect night of music. The crowd, the set, and the performance were all magic. The sole letdown of the night? The rarely played “Slow Song” was written on the setlist and was not played. I WAS GUTTED! This means I will see them at least another 25 times to ensure I finally hear it live.
