Even though his band was one of the unlikeliest performers in its 15-year history, Craig Finn of the Hold Steady offered one of the best summations ever of the Basilica Block Party:
"A whole lotta beer. A whole lotta rock 'n' roll. A little bit of Catholicism. Hell yeah, we'll be there."
Heck yeah, the masses showed up in the end. The second day of the rocking church-benefit saw a bulging crowd of 16,500, about a third more than Friday's attendance.
There were so many people there Saturday -- and so much beer consumption, as Finn hinted -- that the big-draw band Counting Crows could have been the previous night's headliner the Black Crowes, and three-fourths of the crowd probably wouldn't have known the difference.
Seriously, the disconnect between band and audience during Counting Crows' set was uncanny, more due to an inadequate sound system and the widespread fraternizing than to any fault on the Crows' part.
Most of the real musical divinity, however, was on the second stage both nights of the party. That's where hometown alt-country heroes the Jayhawks staged their reunion show Friday, and where the Hold Steady gave what could easily be called one of the most electrifying sets in Basilica history, in terms of audience participation and the band's fiery output.
The Hold Steady's rabid, albeit modest-sized crowd delivered the "who-oh-oh" parts of "Massive Nights" perfectly on cue, and fans clapped along right in time with "Sequestered in Memphis."
There was even a huge raising of plastic beer bottles during the opener, "Constructive Summer," when Finn sang, "Raise a toast to Saint Joe Strummer" (not the kind of saint usually referred to inside the basilica).
