Hold Steady Frontman Talks Touring, Teeth and Kiefer Sutherland

Posted on Apr 10th 2009 4:00PM by Dan Reilly
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After the release of 2006's 'Boys and Girls in America,' the Hold Steady hit the road for one of their most memorable and, at the time, longest tours. As the band's new documentary DVD and live album package, 'A Positive Rage,' shows, that time was extremely memorable for the band, both on and off the stage. "It was a really good tour, really good spirits," frontman Craig Finn tells Spinner. "It took a long time to go through all the footage but it ended up being something that turned out pretty cool."

One of the moments that didn't make the documentary's final cut but is mentioned in the album's liner notes is an appearance by actor Kiefer Sutherland at the band's L.A. show at the Troubadour. "We had Sean Na Na opening for us and he may have come to see them," Finn says. "The Troubadour has Plexiglas backstage so you can see out over the room and during our set, he kept banging his head on it. He almost knocked himself out but my friend was dealing with it and he eventually went away. It was a pretty wild scene."

As the documentary shows, things certainly changed for the band along the way. "We went over to England for the first time and we thought we'd be starting over," Finn says. "The audiences caught up pretty quickly and we started playing bigger venues. It was a mind-blowing experience for all of us." The band's modest expectations were later certainly exceeded, with packed gigs at Minneapolis' famed First Avenue -- Finn's favorite venue -- and Chicago's Metro, where the live album was recorded.

Finn has also learned a thing about performing along the way. "It's embarrassing, but I've bashed my teeth on my microphone and knocked them out five times," he says. "Now, I put a foam thing over it like a windscreen for protection." The band has also relaxed a bit as well, cutting down on their onstage antics. "Not everyone in the band drinks anymore so the DVD shows a different era as far as our partying," Finn says. "There's less beer onstage, so there's less spilling too."

The band is currently on the road for the next few months, with both a headlining tour and supporting Dave Matthews Band. As for all of this, Finn promises good things. "In the last six months, we've started playing looser and more fun to a point I like," he says. "It's certainly the best job I've ever had, so I get myself pretty excited."

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