Craig Finn of The Hold Steady
What's on your rider?Our rider is pretty standard, I think: beer, snacks, whiskey, etc. We've been doing it long enough that we know what is going to be used and not used.
What would be on your fantasy rider?It would be cool to get tickets to a local sporting event, but soundcheck usually would kill that dream. In the end, the rider is an expense against the show, so you are buying whatever is on there. Thus, the practical part of me wants to keep the rider pretty sparse.
What's the best gig you've been to?The first time I saw The Replacements was my favorite show. It was 1985 at the 7th St Entry in Minneapolis. It was really inspiring to know such a great rock'n'roll band could be from my home town. I have a ton of great shows, though. Others that come to mind are Fugazi, Soul Asylum and Broken Social Scene.
What are your favourite venues?First Avenue in Minneapolis and Bowery Ballroom and Williamsburg Music Hall in NYC. 930 Club in DC is way up there, too. The least enjoyable shows I have done are in amphitheatres, opening for bigger acts. Oftentimes there are a lot of people on the lawn with a bunch of empty seats between them and the stage. It's hard to know where to focus your energy from the stage. In the clubs people are closer and it's a much more intimate experience for everyone.
Who is the most famous person to have shown up at one of your gigs?Joe Strummer. He came and saw my old band Lifter Puller and it pretty much made my year. Or maybe my lifetime. He hung out with us for a while after the show and was a pretty amazing person.
Groupies. Would you?In my experience, groupies are either a fantasy or something that existed in the 1970s before I was in a band. But if we are talking pure fantasy, then, yes, I would – while inhabiting Peter Frampton's body.
How many roadies does it take to change your lightbulbs (ie, how big is your entourage)?Outside the band members, we have a tour manager, a soundman, and a stage tech. So three crew members. It's not a huge crew but we also don't play huge places. It always is sort of embarrassing to see a band with a huge crew in a small club. It smells of delusion and failure.
- In conversation with TONY CLAYTON-LEA.The Hold Steady play Dublin on Thursday
