Hold Steady, Virgins, Republic Tigers, Bad Veins Rock Breaking the Band

“Did you guys see any movies today?” It was 8:00 at Friday night’s Breaking the Band show, and three out of four acts had already taken the stage. Donald Cumming, frontman for The Virgins, was curious about his audience. “I’m just trying to understand what this shit is,” he said before they kicked off their set. The audience’s affiliation with the Tribeca Film Festival was mixed. Some were there to see a particular band while others were Festival badgeholders who simply wandered in. But it was clear that the majority of the crowd was there for one reason: The Hold Steady.

By the time the beloved Minnesota natives took the stage, Webster Hall was packed full of Hold Steady fans chanting the group’s whiskey-soaked lyrics, holding beer cups in the air to punctuate guitar riffs. Craig Finn and company put on their signature show, which forces everyone to join the band on its good-times journey. But just as quickly as the show began, it was over, leaving the crowd thirsty for more. A large group of fans near the stage attempted to rally an encore, but their cries fell on deaf ears as the house lights came on and security ushered everyone out the door.

The band’s 30-minute set was just enough to remind me why I can’t wait until the new album drops in June.