Superchunk is a force of nature live. So, upon hearing that bassist Laura Ballance was staying off the road because of hearing issues I worried that the live show would be compromised. Oh, I worried. But, once I heard Jason Narducy (Bob Mould, Telekinesis) would be getting in the van, all fears were put on hold. I've seen that man rock it out live. We should be good.

And good we were.

Out to support their latest record, I Hate Music , Superchunk hit the stage and hit it hard, playing a heathy dose of the new record (people singing along already!) and a great mix of old favs. I had a chance to spin the record a few times before the show, as I had just received the deluxe LP package on Tuesday, and already I was digging it hard. So many great tunes, and for me some of Mac's best lyrics to date. Me & You & Jackie Mittoo and Out of the Sun were great live.

Mac spent about half the show two feet off the ground, Jim Wilbur had a sly smile on his face all night, and the rhythm section of Narducy and Wurster just crushed it all night.

After the show a few of us hung out for one more beer, not quite ready to head out and Mac and Jon Wurster came out and hung by the merch table for a bit. We got some t-shirts and chatted them up a bit, and then a bit more. "I remember Club Detroit in St. Petersburg, it was ALL GLASS. What a weird room!" "You signed my UNC shirt at Washington Square in Miami Beach." "I did?" "Yeah, everyone in the band wrote 'I hate Miami' all over it." "Ha!"

This was the first time I've been to Terminal West. It's got a few bars around the room and out back, a place to grab some food and really good sight lines from the audience onto the stage. It's even got a little balcony where you can look down on the room. Mac asked folks if they were VIP. Lights were great and sound was impeccable all night. Great venue. For about 95% of the show I kept the 24-70mm on the camera and grabbed a little corner spot on stage right. I wanted to make sure I enjoyed the show so I applied the 3-song rule to myself and rocked out most of the night. Such a great show.

Camera gear: Nikon D90, 24-70mm f/2.8, 70-200mm f/2.8

John McNicholas