Changes

I like to think that I'm not stuck in the past. I listen to plenty of new music by new artists. But you wouldn't know it by the concerts I've been attending: Matthew Sweet, Mark Lanegan, Iron Maiden. And Monday night, I saw Bob Mould at the Paradise, playing Sugar's Copper Blue in its entirety. (Not to mention my next two shows, Afghan Whigs and Sloan.)

The last time I saw Mould was in the late '90s at the old Avalon, playing acoustic, and before that, a ferocious set with Sugar at the Orpheum in 1994. He looked a lot different then, pudgier with a full head of hair. Now Mould looks like he could be the comptroller of a corporation, bald with glasses and a beard. But at the same time, he's now lean and mean and he brought that approach to the 'Dise show.


Right from the start, Mould and his ace band (Jon Wurster of Superchunk on drums and Jason Narducy on bass) ripped into Copper Blue, attacking the songs with a ferocity not heard on the album. Mould didn't say a word until the album was through, bouncing around the stage and rocking out with abandon. "Hoover Dam" was especially transformed in this setting, the synths and acoustic guitar replaced by electric riffing. The sold-out club fed off the energy coming from the stage.

Even though he kept the stage banter to a minimum, Mould seemed to be in a good mood, smiling often and clearly enjoying the adulation. After the Copper Blue songs were done, the band kicked into songs from the excellent new album Silver Age, including the title track, "The Descent," "Star Machine" and "Round the City Square." But the place really went nuts when Mould dug back into the Husker Du catalog with "I Apologize," "Chartered Trips" and "Celebrated Summer," with a cover of Cheap Trick's "Downed" squeezed in.

After a decade of exploring new sounds like electronica, it was great to see Mould kicking ass again. Such blasts from the past are a welcome thing, indeed.