Bob Mould

Auditorium Shores, Nov. 2

With his set doubling as the final show to feature Sugar’s Copper Blue start-to-finish, Bob Mould was clearly in a good mood. Whether he was relieved that he wouldn’t have to play his most popular album in its entirety anymore, or excited at the crowd of people ready to hang on every eardrum-bruising note, what matters was that Mould was practically bouncing even before the chunky intro of “The Act We Act” kicked off the performance. The alt-rock innovator remained all smiles, blazing through hits (“Changes,” “Helpless,” “If I Can’t Change Your Mind”), and deep cuts (“Fortune Teller,” the 6/8 droning AIDS protest “The Slim”). Uplifting anthem “Man on the Moon” signaled the end of Copper Blue‘s 20th anniversary celebration, but not the end of the show. Mould blasted out both the ultra-catchy “The Descent,” a perfect encapsulation of all his strengths, and the music-loving “Keep Believing” from latest LP Silver Age, the citing of which prompted some of the loudest cheering for the set. Closing on Hüsker Dü’s “New Day Rising,” in this context celebratory rather than apocalyptic, Mould practically reeked of joy and melody.

This article appears in November 2 • 2012.

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Michael Toland started writing about music in 1988 on the Gulf Coast, moved to Austin in early 1991, and has inflicted bylines upon the corporeal and digital pages of Pop Culture Press, The Big Takeover, Blurt, Amplifier, Austin.citysearch, the Austin American Statesman, Goldmine, Sleazegrinder, Rock & Roll Globe, High Bias, FHT Music Notes, and, since 2011, The Austin Chronicle.