The Posies homecoming show at the Showbox Saturday night provided an insightful look into the scope of the career of these local power pop icons.
The concert marked the band’s conclusion to winter its tour behind Blood/Candy, its first record in five years, and hearing the new material weaved into a set with Posies classics showcased the very best the Posies have to offer while proving there’s still plenty of relevant musical life left in the partnership between Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow.
The set list hit just about all the highs in the Posies career with songs like “Please Return It,” “Solar Sister,” “Flavor of the Month” and other Posies standards in the mix. At one point the band reached all the way back to 1990’s Dear 23 with “Golden Blunders” making an appearance early, which was a nice touch. But the show wasn’t a big nostalgia fest (Stringfellow wouldn’t have it that way).
Earlier this year the Posies debuted Blood/Candy at the Crocodile before getting on a plane and heading to Spain to record the album. That show had a bit of an anticipatory vibe with lots of nostalgia thrown in since Frosting on the Beater was played in full. Friday’s show had more of a celebratory feel and the band played much more loose than its previous Crocodile set. Throughout the evening it was clear Auer, Stringfellow and drummer Darius Minwalla and bassist Matt Harris were having a good time. There were plenty of scissor kicks, guitar jumps and lots of witty banter between songs and at one point prior to “Enewetak” Stringfellow told off a heckler who demanded the he stop talking and play music.
Several of the new songs, such as “Licenses to Hide,” are so distinctly different than the rest of the band’s catalog that they made for a refreshing change of pace. The set started with “Plastic Paperbacks” off Blood/Candy which let everyone know they weren’t in for a greatest hits affair. The song fits well with the traditional pop-songwriting mold of the Posies as do “So Caroline,” “For the Ashes” and many of the other Blood/Candy tracks. “Licenses to Hide,” which is perhaps the most un-Posies Posies song ever recorded played well with the crowd as well, although the vocal mix could have been turned up a bit so guest vocalist Star Anna could have been heard better. Still, it was great to see respected local scene vets Auer and Stringfellow greet Star Anna and welcome her onto the stage.
Brendan Benson was also on the bill and played an hourlong set prior to the Posies. His hard-rocking performance nearly outshined the evening’s headliners and he definitely silenced any critics in the crowd who thought he wouldn’t fare well outside of his role as a Raconteur. (Side note: Benson’s Raconteurs bandmates in the Greenhorns were also in town Saturday night playing at the Crocodile) Both Auer and Stringfellow played as members of Benson’s band, called the Bent Sons, along with drummer Brad Pemberton (full disclosure: Pemberton is the uncle of Guerrilla Candy contributor Brittney Bush Bollay). High-quality recordings of Benson’s set were made available on USB flash drives after the show for $20.
Plastic Paperbacks
Flavor of the Month
Please Return It
Sad to be Aware
Licenses to Hide w/Star Anna
So Caroline
Golden Blunders
Solar Sister
The Glitter Prize
For the Ashes
Enewetak
Throwaway
She’s Coming Down Again
Dream All Day
ENCORE
Terrorized
Definite Door
Burn and Shine
You’re the Beautiful One
And for fun here’s a photo of me with Ken Stringfellow taken in 2005 outside of the Showbox after I spotted him at an Ice Cube concert:
