Search - Bob Mould: Circle of Friends - Live at the 9:30 Club on DVD

The next best thing to being there

Bearman | Washington, DC United States | 10/12/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I saw this concert and it was easily my favorite show of 2005. There is a great chemistry between Bob and his band: Brendan Canty (drums), Jason Narducy (bass, backing vocals) and Rich Morel (keyboards, backing vocals). It's a great representation of new and older material, with a nice focus on the stellar "Copper Blue" LP by Sugar. I saw a few shows on this tour, and this was by far my favorite. The DVD nicely captures the performance, my only complaint is that it doesn't quite show the energy of the audience. But it's a minor complaint. Any Bob Mould/Husker Du/Sugar fan will love this DVD. Great performance."

Mould's Stellar Set List Shines - Review by Raindog's Rants

Raindog 1972 | New York | 03/25/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"So, late last year Bob Mould released a DVD entitled Circle of Friends - Live at the 9:30 Club. I've stopped buying music dvds for the simple fact that, even if I absolutely love the artist who put out the disc, I'll watch it once or twice and then it gets shelved. But I really wanted to see this concert. Thank god for Netflix. I queued that motherf*cker up and a day later...BAM! Bob Mould in concert. So how is it? Well,...after finishing the disc, I immediately went online to check out Mould live dates and a day later I watched it again. It is a must for any Bob Mould fan.

The songs: All the eras are covered in the show. That's correct. ALL eras. Hüsker Dü material has more than just a foothold in the set list. It is an amazing set list punched up by a great backing band. My favorite Bob Mould record is Sugar's Copper Blue...come to think of it...it is one of my favorite records period. The first time I heard it I was completely floored by the album's cohesiveness -thematically and musically- and its ferocity. It just doesn't let up. The one acoustic track, If I Can't Change Your Mind, is just as fierce. So you can imagine my delight when he opened the set with three tracks from the record. All in all, seven of the ten songs from Copper Blue are in the show. His 2005 record, Body of Song gets the same treatment and holds up well with Mould's older and arguably more popular stuff. If I could have written the set list, it would have been very similar to what they played.

Track listing:
"The Act We Act" (Sugar, Copper Blue)
"A Good Idea" (Sugar, Copper Blue)
"Changes" (Sugar, Copper Blue)
"Circles" (Bob Mould, Body of Song)
"Paralyzed" (Bob Mould, Body of Song)
"I Am Vision, I Am Sound" (Bob Mould, Body of Song)
"Underneath Days" (Bob Mould, Body of Song)
"Hoover Dam" (Sugar, Copper Blue)
"See A Little Light" (Bob Mould, Workbook)
"High Fidelity" (Bob Mould, Body of Song)
"Hardly Getting Over It" (Hüsker Dü, Candy Apple Grey)
"Could You Be The One?" (Hüsker Dü, Warehouse: Songs and Stories)
"I Apologize" (Hüsker Dü, New Day Rising)
"Chartered Trips" (Hüsker Dü, Zen Arcade)
"The Receipt" (Bob Mould, Modulate)
"Best Thing" (Bob Mould, Body of Song)
"Celebrated Summer" (Hüsker Dü, New Day Rising)
"Beating Heart The Prize" (Bob Mould, Body of Song)
"Egoverride" (Bob Mould, Bob Mould)
"If I Can't Change Your Mind" (Sugar, Copper Blue)
"Helpless" (Sugar, Copper Blue)
"Makes No Sense At All" (Hüsker Dü, Flip Your Wig)
"Man On The Moon" (Sugar, Copper Blue)

The band: They are so good, I officially never want to see Bob Mould play acoustic/solo shows again. This is the way his material should be presented- loud and full of energy. I know Mould has aspirations beyond the genre, namely through Blowoff, LoudBomb and his Modulate record. But I can't comment on it becuase I'm not a fan of the genre and don't know squat about it. I don't care for it. That stuff is like a mistress I know only through word-of-mouth but I hope won't take him away from the indie rock Bob I love other than a few nights a month. I'll turn a blind eye. He can have his cake and eat it too as far as I'm concerned. But I digress. Um...Brendan Canty on drums. Brendan Canty. Fugazi. Ok,...moving on... Jason Narducy (bass, backing vocals) has been kicking around the midwest showing up with Robert Pollard now and again. That's pretty much all I knew about him before seeing this show. His harmonies with Mould are a major reason the show is such a success. Usually singing the high end, Narducy sings with a comfort like he's been playing with Mould for twenty years. Rich Morel (keyboards, backing vocals), Bob's collaborator in the mistress genre, is great at the rock thing too. Much of the Sugar stuff had keys throughout and Morel does a great job with the material.

The Bob: It is nice to see Bob look excited to crank it up. I'm serious. This show has ruined me. I never want to see Mould solo/acoustic again. His voice took a few songs to warm up, but by Hoover Dam all is right and Mould is playing with the melody and pushing his voice further and further. Bob sounds revitalized. Renewed. Reinvigorated. Inspired. I'm not worried the show was recorded two years ago. His latest LP, District Line, is teeming with the same passion.

"

These songs don't age.

Randall Sound | Fredericksburg, VA United States | 10/22/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hard to add much to the previous review. The songs are incredible, the performances phenomenal. Moreover, the production of this DVD is probably the best I've ever seen for a concert DVD: multiple, clear angles and great sound. Brendan Canty is an amazing addition to Bob's band. Plenty of songs, both old and new, making for a great setlist. Best $20 I've spent in a while."

Excellent DVD!

rackboy | Chicago, IL | 12/18/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Saw this tour live in Chicago and was eagerly anticipating the DVD. Such a great blend of old and new music. I've seen Bob and Sugar on many occasions and have to say this was my favorite show since Hüsker Dü in 1987. This DVD release absolutely does the live show justice.

The video editing and sound quality are top notch. I was concerned that the sound quality might not hit the mark since the last, newly produced punk concert DVD purchase was "Bad Religion - Live at the Paladium", and even though it is an excellent DVD, their are issues with the audio balance that detract from the overall experience. Not the case here - the audio on "Circle of Friends" is pristine.

The only reason I gave this 5 stars is because I couldn't give it 6. "Circle of Friends" is a MUST HAVE for any Bob/Sugar/Hüsker Dü fan."