The Hold Steady - Stay Positive Album and Summer Tour

The Blot just can’t get enough of the Brooklyn, NY by way of Minneapolis-Saint Paul band The Hold Steady. There is just something about Craig Finn’s voice and lyrics that allows the band, at least to me, to really stand out from the rest of indie rock nation. From the first day I heard Boys and Girls in America, the band’s 2006 album, I was hooked. I’ve been waiting patiently for the band’s latest album, Stay Positive, to hit store shelves, and thankfully I don’t have much longer to wait. The Hold Steady’s fourth album will be released on July 15th on Vagrant, and the very next day the band will head out on a three months summer tour in support of the album. Stay Positive’s first single, “Sequestered In Memphis,” is available now on Itunes.


What ticks me off is that while The Hold Steady is coming to Texas, they’re skipping over Houston! People always tell me that Houston is considered out of the way for many band when they are trying to formalize their travel schedule, but if you have time to hit El Paso, Dallas and Austin on your way to Mississippi, then you gotta fit in the H. This was one of two tours I really wanted to see this summer and I’ve now come to find out neither tours are coming to Houston (even though both are playing shows in Texas). I'd almost rather they weren't coming to the Lone Star State at all. At least Pearl Jam is staying on the east coast. I’ll unveil the other band/tour tomorrow, but until then you can check out The Hold Steady's 2008 sumer tour dates below.


The Hold Steady
The 2008 Stay Positive Summer Tour
May 16 - Brighton, England - The Old Market
June 08 - San Diego, CA - FM 94/9 Miller Lite Independence Jam
June 27 - Baltimore, MD - Ram's Head Live
June 28 - Philadelphia, PA - Festival Pier
June 29 - Brooklyn, NY - McCarren Park Pool
July 06 - London, England - 02 Wireless Festival - Sandisk Stage
July 08 - Liverpool, England - Liverpool Echo Arena
July 10 - Leeds, England - The Irish Centre
July 11 - Newcastle, England - Carling Academy 2
July 12 - Kinross, Scotland - T in the Park Festival
July 17 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
July 18 - Pontiac, MI - Crofoot Ballroom
July 19 - Chicago, IL - Pitchfork Music Festival
July 21 - Madison, WI - Majestic Theatre
July 22 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
July 23 - Fargo, ND - Fargo Theatre
July 26 - Seattle, WA - Capitol Hill Block Party
July 27 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
July 29 - San Francisco, CA – Mezzanine
July 30 - Los Angeles, CA – Avalon
Aug 02 - Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre
Aug 03 - El Paso, TX - Club 101
Aug 05 - Dallas, TX - Palladium Ballroom
Aug 06 - Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa
Aug 08 - Oxford, MS - Proud Larry's
Aug 09 - Athens, GA - 40 Watt
Aug 10 - Charleston, SC - The Pourhouse
Aug 12 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
Aug 13 - Norfolk, VA - The Norva