Bob Mould - F*cking Guitar God

Yeah, I'm an unabashed fanboy when it comes to Bob Mould. Some combination of that huge, fuzzed out guitar and that delivery speaks to me, even when it's something as decidely "unrock" as 2002's Modulate LP. As part of the wife's 40th birthday celebration we decided to head up to Toronto to catch Bob perform a full band electric set. I never saw Husker Du or Sugar live - the only Bob show I've previously seen was an acoustic set. All I can say is Holy fuck. This may have been the loudest, most intense concert I've been to in years. Playing with a full band for the first time in 7 years, Bob opened with the first 3 tracks from Copper Blue before delivering the best tracks from this years Body of Song. The remainder was a mixture of solo, Sugar, and Husker Du tracks. Simply amazing. The opening trio from Copper Blue set the tone, the new songs sounded raw and amazing, especially "I Am Vision, I am Sound" which lost any of it's disco vibe live. "EgoOveride" was a noisy delight. "Hardly Getting Over It" was somber, beautiful and intense. The Husker tracks "Could You Be The One", and "Celebrated Summer" were excellent, but the best ones were a freaked out "Chartered Trips" and a thrashy "I Apologize". Some idiot kept dousing the crowd and stage with beer, which prompted Bob to spit a mouthful of water at the asshole. Classic. Despite that incident Bob and the rest of the band looked to be having a blast. Ellie and I were right upfront which resulted in Elle snagging both the setlist and a drumstick. After the show we talked with Bob and Brendan Canty who were both friendly and gracious. All in all it was an excellent evening.

Setlist - Bob Mould, 10/2/05 @ The Mod Club, Toronto:
The Act We Act
A Good Idea
Changes
Circles
Paralyzed
I Am Vision, I Am Sound
Underneath Days
Hoover Dam
See a Little Light
High Fidelity
Hardly Getting Over It
Could You Be The One
I Apologize
Chartered Trips
The Receipt
Best Thing
Celebrated Summer

Encore #1
Beating Heart The Prize
Ego Overide
If I Can't Change Your Mind

Encore #2
Helpless
Makes No Sense at All