The Scene: “Joy” isn’t a word that usually ascribed to Bob Mould’s music, but Mould’s set at the Boulder Theater last weekend was joyous and even a little exuberant. Although, to an unknowing bystander that description might seem strange as belied by the Punk dictate that songs should be performed loud, fast, and in continuous succession, those that follow Mould know that he has been enjoying a musical homecoming. All released within the last four years, there is a spare, profound simplicity in his last three albums that suggests Mould has reconciled his much recounted past of substance abuse, family issues, and sexuality, with his present to embrace the sound (Punk, Post-Punk, Indie, whatever term you attach to it) he pioneered in the 80s and 90s with Husker Du, Sugar, and on his own.
Each song on his latest album, Patch the Sky, has the sonic precision of a proverb or pithy quote, all while displaying the trademark touches that make Mould, Mould. The driving, loud, rhythmic guitar. The guitar solos. The catchy melodies. He seems to be aware that he is an icon, especially to those who found solace, inspiration, or acceptance in the raw energy of his music and the 80-90s Punk scene. It was likely these same fans, tending on the male, older, wiser side, that came out to see Mould perform. There was an amusing irony in having Mould perform over the same weekend as CU-Boulder’s graduation in that the atmosphere in Boulder was one of young adult-ish anticipation and uncertainty, which was an era the fans in the Boulder Theater were looking to revisit with Mould – but not necessarily relive. “I don’t think so,” said an older fan dancing with a puffy jacket tied around his waist, in response to another fan’s enthusiastic inquiry of whether there would be some “pit action.” (Spoiler alert: not much pit action.)
Opener: South of France. I’ve always thought Mould’s songwriting structure and melodies could make for great pop songs, if one was inclined to a different type of production and genre. And for that reason South of France was a perfect opener for Mould, despite their markedly not-Punk sound. A Denver band originating in Brooklyn, the six-piece band plays Retro-Pop songs that invoke an updated Indie version of dreamy Pop from the 1950s, especially with the occasional echoing, arpeggiated guitar. In the current line-up for Denver’s Underground Music Showcase (UMS) this summer, South of France played to a decently packed audience. Performing newer songs like “Civilization” and “Kings,” which has a more anthemic, sped-up Pop Beach House (or local band Tennis) feel, the crowd steadily warmed to the band. “Writer’s Block” and “Tribeca” recalled some of the Pop rhythms of Vampire Weekend. By halfway through the set, most of the audience was clapping along with singer and keyboardist Kelly Lueke on “Ghost Driver.”
Bob Mould: Coming on shortly after 9pm, Mould proceeded to efficiently race through 23 songs in a little over an hour and a half, including his encore. The stage set-up was minimal, with only a blown-up version of the cover art of Patch the Sky serving as a backdrop. A few bottles of water were placed off to the side, and two towels on either side of the amps.
Mould, with Jason Narducy on bass, and Jon Wurster on drums, immediately launched into Sugar’s “A Good Idea,” off of the 1992 album Copper Blue, before going right into the more upbeat “Changes.” Mould may be a veteran musician, but his stage blocking exposes his Punk roots. During “Changes,” Mould pivoted from singing to a triangle like stance, leaning into his right front foot, using the back foot as leverage and grinding away on his guitar. It even looked like a small smile appeared on his face, but it was hard to tell from how his glasses started fogging up. Not laying up off the gas, the band then played a set of more harder, Post-Punk sounding songs from Mould’s latest releases, Patch the Sky, Silver Age, and Beauty and Ruin. Narducy and Wurster played off the energy, with Narducy offering up supporting and harmonizing vocals and Wurster expressing every beat through his various facial expressions.
After powering through several more songs such as “The End of Things” and the poppier “I Don’t Know You Anymore,” Mould finally spoke and asked how the audience was doing. Of course, the crowd whooped, and throughout the set, the audience literally bounced along to each song. After slowing down the set for “Voices in My Head” from Patch the Sky, the band gradually transitioned from “Hold On,” the single of Patch the Sky, to the Sugar classic “If I Can’t Change Your Mind,” and then into older Husker Du songs. The audience clearly was waiting for this portion of the set.
Suddenly, as soon as “Something I Learned Today” off Zen Arcade started, mosh-like apparitions appeared. It was more akin to aggressive jumping, but it got the crowd’s juices going and ratcheted up Mould’s playing intensity even more. After a short detour into the droney, almost lyric-less, “Come Around” off the Beaster EP, Mould went right back into Husker Du’s “In A Free Land,” which was a crowd favorite and then fist pumped during “I Apologize.” Finishing up with “Hardly Getting Over it” and “Divide and Conquer,” the band quickly came back out for an encore. After graciously thanking South of France, the set ended with the raucous anthem “Makes No Sense At All,” on which Mould displayed his showmanship by doing a dramatic windmill. Mould and his band thanked the crowd, but Mould eventually stood alone on the stage for an extra minute of two. The gesture recalled Mould stating he had reached a place of “wholeness,” as described in his 2011 memoir, See A Little Light: A Trail of Rage and Melody. As if acknowledging the journey once more, he pounded his chest three times, and then left.
Energy: A+
Musicianship: A
Sound: A
Stage Presence: A
Set/Light Show: B
Overall: A
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