Who ya gonna call? Tim Kasher! Laura hides behind Mac, as if she knows something bad is going to happen... "Enjoy the show! Enjoy the show or I'll drag all of you down to Hell using my demonic powers!"

But first, the opening acts. Up first was California foursome Rilo Kiley, who have recently signed on with one of Seattle's most successful new independent labels, Barsuk Records (home of Death Cab for Cutie, among others). These three boys and one girl pushed out some of the most punchy, hook laden pop I've heard from a new band in a long time. Practically every review I've read of their debut, Take Offs & Landings (which, unfortunately, I haven't actually heard for myself yet) says something to the effect of "if you look up indie-pop in the dictionary, you might just find these guys' picture staring back at you". Since I haven't heard the record, I can't really add my comments, but as far as their live performance goes, I'd say that Rilo Kiley is much more distinctive than the generic indie rock that I was expecting. The centerpiece of the band is singer/guitarist/keyboard player Jenny Lewis, who has a pure, girlish voice reminiscent of a less twee, more gutsy Juliana Hatfield, but with a very appealing country-esque hitch. Her strong vocals and smart lyrics made the band instantly accessible -- the fine guitar work of Blake Sennett and the precise, swinging, heavy-hitting drummer were merely icing on the cake. And, if that weren't enough, they played a Crowded House cover! Crowded House remain one of my favorite '80s bands, and they pulled out a great, upbeat, rather rockin' (compared to the original, anyway) rendition of "Don't Dream it's Over". Props!

Up next, Tim Kasher's The Good Life. Kasher, the singer/songwriter/guitarist for post-hardcore heroes Cursive, keeps The Good Life around for when he's feeling a bit more contemplative and navel-gazing than the hessian rock of Cursive will allow. Although I must admit to being more partial to Cursive, especially in a live setting, The Good Life surprised and delighted this evening. Resplendent in a vintage Ghostbusters tee shirt and a full beard, Kasher and his band were full of energy, playing lots of great new songs, as well as some choice cuts from their debut CD, Novena on a Nocturn. The last time I saw The Good Life, Kasher didn't seem too terribly invested in what he was doing, but tonight, he had energy to spare, and watching him pour his heart and soul into singing his introspective songs was invigorating.

Then -- the act that everyone (myself included) had really been waiting for -- Superchunk! My favorite band! How can you go wrong? This marks the fourth time I've seen the band. Of the other three times, two shows were good, but left me with the feeling that the band was having an off night, and one was simply one of the top five best shows I've ever seen. When everything comes together for them, there's simply no band out there better equipped to provide two hours worth of pogo-worthy anthemic rock music than Superchunk. However, tonight, they seemed more interested in fiddling with their keyboards and acoustic guitars than with bringing the rock. The set started off pretty strongly, with the inevitable opener ("Late-Century Dream", the keyboard-driven opening track to their latest album) segueing nicely into "Art Class", one of the more rockin' tracks on the new record, and then backtracking slightly for renditions of "Silverleaf and Snowy Tears" and "Iron On" (both highlights of 1995’s Here’s Where the Strings Come In). Up next was "Out on the Wing", my favorite track from the new disc. So far, so good. Then why, oh why, did they have to bust out the acoustic guitars? As Mac and Jim reached for the acoustics, a palpable sense of dread washed over me. Now, once again, it's not like I have anything against their acoustic stuff -- in fact, the sparkling acoustic version of "Throwing Things" from the Incidental Music compilation stands as one of my favorite 'Chunk tracks of all time. However, when I go see Superchunk live, I go to see rock music, goddammit!

To be fair, the first two acoustic songs they played were decent -- although "Low Branches" certainly lost a lot of its bite, "Phone Sex" soared, mainly due to the contributions of touring guitarist/keyboardist Annie Hayden (current Merge recording artist, and ex- of the great Spent). However, when the band broke into an acoustic rendition of the old chestnut "Cool" (with the generation defining line "There’s nothing new/Everything's borrowed, everything's used/There's nothing new/But we know it's cool/And we're cooler than you/and you know it's true") I realized that all was not well with my heroes. "Cool" is not a song to plunk away at on an acoustic guitar. Perhaps at an in-store performance -- but in a big club where everyone's there to see some action, the move struck me as pretty fucking weak.

Although the set did pick up a bit after this point, with the band laying into "For Tension" (which was, sadly the only song from On The Mouth that was played this evening) and a welcome, if slightly sloppy rendition of "Her Royal Fisticuffs" (from the limited edition The Laughter Guns EP), it was too little too late. By the time the set ended with the turgid, moog-heavy "What Do You Look Forward To" and "Drool Collection" (which also collectively round out Here's to Shutting Up), I was practically nodding off. Of course I had high hopes for the encore, which only partially delivered. Once the band came back on stage, I tried to send subliminal mindwaves to Mac that would convince him that, at this point, it would be a really great idea to pick up his electric guitar and launch into...oh..."Untied", or "European Medicine", or any other of their countless amazing songs -- but to no avail -- he sat down at the keyboard once again, while the band started up a very interesting, if totally unexpected, cover of Nick Cave's "Love Letter", where Annie Hayden once again asserted herself with some lovely backing vocals. Then came "Rainy Streets", yet another song from that damned new record, and then another kooky, random cover -- Elvis Costello’s "Lipstick Vogue" this time. Then, as if on cue, Mac finally picked up his trusty Marauder, and the band trounced through two old chestnuts, "Throwing Things" and the inevitable "Slack Motherfucker".

Maybe this will feel like petty quibbling from an über-fan, but the fact that Superchunk closed their show with those particular songs, as energetic as they were, rankled me even more. Although, as I mentioned before, "Throwing Things" is one of my favorite Superchunk songs (and favorite songs, period), it's nothing if not a live staple. And "Slack Motherfucker" -- of all the songs that they've ever written, it would seem that this one in particular would be the one that they would be sick of playing. But no, they trotted it out, and it seemed like they only did so because they felt obliged to. I would have been so much happier had they played something just a bit more obscure, considering how heavily songs from the new album featured in the setlist (they played eight of the ten songs on Here's to Shutting Up). These two songs felt more like a handout to greedy fans clamoring for some older stuff rather than more carefully picked selections from their generous back catalog.

I guess that in the end, it's unfair for me to slam on Superchunk for wanting to realign its identity slightly. The fact is that they have been churning out album after album of hyper pop-punk for the past ten years, and I'm sure that at this point, they're looking to expand their horizons a bit and branch out into different arenas. They certainly have the skills to do so, and had this been my first introduction to the band, my judgement probably wouldn't be nearly as harsh as it is now. However, I still have glorious memories of that night not even two years ago, where the band was on fire for two hours straight, playing a great mix of the old and the new, and delivering each and every song with the passion and intensity that I've come to expect from them. In my mind, that night will stand as my definitive Superchunk live experience, which unfortunately, if things continue on the same track as they appear to be going, may never be repeated.

Article and photos by Jeremy Schneyer.