Bob Mould, Cymbals Eat Guitars - September 5, 2014 - TLA, Philadelphia, PA

One of the most influential and iconic musicians from the underground punk scene, Bob Mould, was in downtown Philadelphia at the TLA on a warm September night. Originally the lead singer/guitarist of the extremely loud and fast Minneapolis punk band Hüsker Dü, Mould formed a new band a few years later under the name Sugar after the split of the powerhouse trio. Today, Mould is touring under his own name as a part of a trio of Mould, bassist Jason Narducy, and Superchunk's drummer Jon Wurster.

Opening was Cymbals Eat Guitars, an indie band from Staten Island, NY. Their performance was average and although their energy was strong there was not much to get excited about. However, I loved the song "Warning" that they performed in the middle of the set.

Bob Mould came to the stage to the delight of the crowd and the first riff of Hüsker Dü's Flip Your Wig exploded from Mould's guitar. The energy was incomparable to other acts that I have seen. Mould's glasses fogged up as he constantly ran back and forth from the drum kit and the microphone whenever he had the chance between lyrics. Narducy, one of the most underrated bassists, did the same on the opposite side of the stage. Wurster was pounding away on the drums in the background. The setlist was perfectly constructed as songs from all stages of Mould's career were played. Starting and ending with the crowd pleasing Hüsker Dü, which is what Mould is known for the most. It was truly amazing how much better the Hüsker Dü songs sounded live. It was night and day from the poorly produced albums from the 80s. I wish they would remaster those albums but because they haven't I would never get tired of seeing Bob Mould perform them live over and over again. He also played a number of songs from Sugar and eight songs from his new album Beauty and Ruin. This was one of my favorite concerts and I can't wait for Bob Mould to come back around.

Setlist:

1.  Flip Your Wig (Hüsker Dü song)
2.  Hate Paper Doll (Hüsker Dü song)
3.  Changes (Sugar song)
4.  Star Machine
5.  The Descent
6.  Little Glass Pill
7.  I Don't Know You Anymore
8.  Sinners and Their Repentances
9.  Kid with Crooked Face
10. Nemeses Are Laughing
11. The War
12. Hardly Getting Over It (Hüsker Dü song)
13. Helpless (Sugar song)
14. Keep Believing
15. Come Around (Sugar song)
16. Hoover Dam (Sugar song)
17. Tomorrow Morning
18. If I Can't Change Your Mind (Sugar song)
19. Hey Mr. Grey
20. Chartered Trips (Hüsker Dü song)
21. Fix It

Encore:
22. In a Free Land (Hüsker Dü song)
23. Something Learned Today (Hüsker Dü)
24. Makes No Sense at All (Hüsker Dü song)
25. Love Is All Around (Sonny Curtis cover)