Soul Asylum at Lincoln Park Zoo
As Soul Asylum has come back down to earth over the past decade, they have remained committed to putting on a great rock show time and again regardless of their surroundings. Friday at the zoo was no exception, despite the sparse crowd. Starting promptly at 9pm, the band ripped through an expertly selected hour and a half set list featuring the hits (“Runaway Train”, “Somebody to Shove”, “Black Gold”, “Misery”), rarities (including “See You Later” from 1998’s unfairly overlooked Candy from a Stranger) and a fair selection of songs from their last studio album, 2006’s The Silver Lining. An infectious cover of Wyclef Jean’s “Gone Til November” elicited confusion from some and delight from others. Delight, was, of course, the appropriate response. While Dave Pirner and Dan Murphy have always put forth their best rock effort, earlier incarnations of the band featured competent, yet uninspired drumming from the likes of studio cats Sterling Campbell and Ian Mussington. The addition of Michael Bland in 2006 has reinvigorated the live shows and made the group seem more like, well, a band. As far as Soul Asylum goes, if you like rock music and you are not into this band, you are missing out on one of the better acts of the past 20 years. Deftly walking the line between delivering hits from the mid-90s and continuing to make good new music is a rarity for bands in their situation. And while the studio albums have always been hit or miss, seeing them perform live (especially with Bland and Stinson) is a joy that every fan of the rock should experience at least once. Set list:1. All Is Well2. Bittersweetheart3. See You Later4. Misery5. Lately6. Without a Trace7. Black Gold 8.New World 9. Easy Street10. Oxygen11. Cartoon12. Gone Til November (Wyclef Jean cover)13. Whatcha Need14. Never Really Been15. Runaway Train16. Closer to the Stars17. Just Like Anyone18. Somebody to Shove E1:19. Stand Up and Be Strong