Pad Thai with Craig Finn

Tonight Chad and I got to hear one of our favorite musicians, Craig Finn, talk about his new album at a "listening party" at the Bryant Lake Bowl. It was a real thrill, even though there wasn't a convenient opportunity to take photos or schmooze with Craig. (In other words, we were too shy or polite or Midwestern to do these things, but then again, no one else really seemed to be chatting or taking photos, either.) Only the contest winners got to bowl with Craig. That was both disappointing and a relief (I would have been SOO nervous!)

Craig Finn's new album (release date: September 11)

Some observations/insights/takeaways from the evening:

• It was cool that we were brave enough to sit in the front row, VERY close to the stage, and also a little awkward.
• The whole evening was a little awkward. As Craig said, for him, it was awkward listening to his music in front of other people. Even host Jill Riley (from the Current) said she didn't know what to do with herself. But that awkwardness added to the charm and the intimacy.
• The Bryant Lake Bowl has surprisingly good Pad Thai (and we were carbo-loading!!) Eating that Pad Thai four feet from Craig and Jill, was, you guessed it, awkward. It's hard to be suave while you're eating Pad Thai.
• Jill and I have the same tennis shoes: Brooks Ghost 7 (not the same color).
• Jill had great hair--good color, nice cut. Craig was wearing an awesome western shirt. 
• Craig offered some really cool experiences/incentives on pledgemusic.com, like a chance to go running with him or have drinks. Sadly, these are already sold out, which is probably good for our finances. 
• Both Craig and Jill think it's okay to go to a show alone. Sometimes, they even prefer it. (One of Craig's new songs is about this). Even though I haven't done this very often (maybe only once?) it was very reassuring to hear that other people find it difficult to navigate all the complexities of a concert (do they want to leave early? what if they don't like music as much as I do?) with friends and loved ones. 
• When Craig talked about the death of his mother two years ago, I wanted to run on stage and give him a hug. And I hate to take comfort in other people's pain, but it's also reassuring to know that other people have completely fallen apart when their mother died.

Without going into it song by song (and we only heard about half), I think the new album is going to be awesome. But then again, I think just about every Craig Finn and The Hold Steady endeavor has been awesome. I wish I could explain why his music affects me so much, but I guess I'll leave that to the professional music critics. 

I'm very sad we won't be able to go to Craig Finn's show at First Ave tomorrow night (we'll be making our own music at a Twin Town class) but hopefully he will do a full tour and return to his home of Minneapolis soon. Me and my pad thai will be waiting.