Concert Review: Bob Mould (Cat's Cradle)

BY MARK DOLEJS

High energy... That’s the best way to describe Bob Mould’s Solo Electric 2024 Tour show at the Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro on Monday night! Man, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a dude like this go nonstop for 90 minutes with song after song, all by himself on stage.

The best part for me was seeing him go back to his roots from when he first started out in the punk band Hüsker Dü, back in 1979. Whirling around the stage with his guitar, between lyrics, I was reminded of the swirling motion of a mosh pit.

But, even though Mould brought a fantastic show filled with sweltering guitar playing and his engaging smile, this was a seated show. Not your run-of-the-mill punk show, this crowd was filled with older folks similar in age to this icon who just turned 64 last week.

The crowd sang along with Mould on each song, and even seated, they had nothing short of loud cheers after each of the 22 songs shared during this night.

Mould opened the night with “The War,” followed by “Flip Your Wig” and “I Apologize.” All throughout his set, Mould mixed it up with songs from his long career, including solo material and songs done by both of his bands, Hüsker Dü and Sugar.

At one point, Mould took a few minutes to catch his breath and share stories with the lucky folks in attendance. He reminisced about his band sleeping on the back porch of Dead Kennedys lead singer, Jello Biafra. He also talked about realizing he was a homosexual at the age of 12, and what it was like to live in San Francisco in the 1980s with the prevalence of AIDS, and the fact that he married his husband, also in San Francisco, last year.

He finished up his storytelling while expressing his gratitude to the crowd for coming out to share the night with him. He then exclaimed, “this one goes out to all of those who say, shut up and play,” and broke into “Too Far Down.”

The night was rounded out with "The Ocean," a new song, “See a Little Light,” and “Makes No Sense At All.” I’ve never seen Bob Mould live before, but I still have my Hüsker Dü cassettes from back in the day. I am blessed to have seen him in person and see the pure joy that he seems to still have in sharing his music.

Opening the night was former Sugar bandmate David Barbe, who shared a set of nine songs, including “Portuguese Door,” “My Shiny Bird” and “Silver-White Flash.” Barbe mentioned that he had not been back to the Cat’s Cradle since 1994, when he and Mould were in Sugar.

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MARK DOLEJS

Photography is an avenue that Mark Dolejs uses to learn about the people and places that cross his path. After more than 30 years as a photojournalist, Mark enjoys concert, macro, and roadside photography. Follow Mark on Instagram at @solidrockpix.

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