Craig Finn, Esmee Paterson- The Cactus Club, October 23, 2015

photo by Will Piper

Craig Finn, who is best known as the front man of the Minneapolis via Brooklyn band, The Hold Steady, is on tour supporting his outstanding 2015 release Faith in the Future.  Accompanied by a bass player, drummer and very skilled guitarist, Craig and his band stopped in MKE at the Cactus Club for a sold-out Friday night show.  Finn shared with the wall-to-wall capacity crowd (making the venue swell at its near 200 person capacity) that the last time he played the infamous Cactus Club was with his Minneapolis-based band Lifter Puller in 2000.  Finn was so proud of this fact that he even played a deep cut, "Mission Viejo," from Lifter Puller's debut 1997 self-titled release (that made even this blogger/hardcore Finn fan do some research to figure out the title).

Earlier this month I had the distinct honor of being in attendance at a house show with Finn, put on by a friend of mine in Wauwatosa.  Talking with Finn, and also listening to his anecdotes  gave me a tremendous insight into his work as a narrative songwriter.  Simply put, this man is a "human-observation-specialist on steroids" and draws a lot of the inspiration for his songs, and his lyrics for The Hold Steady, by focusing on the seemingly mundane ins-and-outs of day-to-day life.

On tunes such as my favorite from Faith in the Future, "Newmeyer's Roof," this becomes apparent as Finn honestly shares his experience being in Brooklyn when 9/11 took place, and how his now significant other was in the Towers and got out because she refused to obey the instructions given to her.  This is a bone chilling tale, one that would raise hackles on any sensitive human being's arms, but with Finn in the driver's seat, he is able to juxtapose the fear with the hope, which, after all is what makes him one of my favorite songwriters.  Never contrived, but refusing to live in a land of doom-and-gloom, Finn's set embodied the spirit and earnestness of his Faith in the Future record, and had his fans clamoring for more after the nearly 90 minute performance.

Opening for Craig Finn was Portland singer-songwriter, Esmee Paterson.  For her set, Esmee, accompanied only by a drummer, put on a solid show.  Her vocal reminded me a lot of cross between Amber Papini of Hospitality and Nikki Lane.  When speaking with Esmee after her set, she shared that she and Nikki Lane are friends and that their mutual admiration of each other comes across in their songwriting.  Good stuff, as both are incredibly talented artists- with Lane going more the country route and Paterson vying for more of a rock vibe in her tunes.

photo by Will Piper

Craig Finn Setlist:
Christine
Maggie
3 Drinks
Jackson
Sandra
No Future
Western Pier
Terrified Eyes
Going to a Show
Sarah
Newmeyer's Roof
Trapper
Mission
Certain
Apollo Bay
Honolulu Blues
I Was Doing Alright