I had never seen Soul Asylum live before, so the lineup changes didn’t really make a big difference for me (casino acts do that all the time). With ex-Prince players Michael Bland and Tommy Barbarella sitting in with Pirner, how can you go wrong?

Dave had what Colleen called “stage presence,” but I thought he was just being a rock star dick. It was fun to see close up, though, as we stood about three deep from the stage. Security had their hands full all night – tossing multiple drunks out and dealing with some weird shit. Still don’t get people who stand that close and talk through a whole set, but I’ve given up on hoping that will ever change.

The hook to this show was playing Grave Dancer’s Union in its entirety, but that didn’t start until after a midnight break. The three biggest hits are also the first three on the album, so we listened to those from the back of the club and left for the now standard post-concert visit to the Depot (scrambled eggs and tater tots may be my favorite new food of the year). I would’ve liked to hear Without A Trace, but it was just getting too late.

Openers Dead Man Winter and the Honeydogs were both great and well worth showing up early. So many local music connections in those two bands, but I’m especially fond of the whole Trampled By Turtles sound. We even saw the fiddle dude walk through the Depot later, but we didn’t talk to him.

The Strib sent Jon instead of Chris, so take their review with a grain of salt. Here is the reported set list:

• Gravity
• Into the Light
• The Streets
• By the Way
• Pipe Dream
• Take Manhattan
• Leave This Town
• Oxygen
• Lately
• Can’t Ever Tell
• I Will Still Be Laughing
• Misery
• Just Like Anyone
• Made To Be Broken
• Intermission
• Somebody To Shove
• Black Gold
• Runaway Train
• Keep it Up
• Homesick
• Get an Out
• New World
• April Fool
• Without a Trace
• Growing Into You
• 99%
• The Sun Maid

Next concert: the Wilson Brothers.