I can’t help but think that if Jack Kerouac were still alive, he would’ve IMMEDIATELY taken the red pen to his legendary phrase (”Boys and girls in America, they have such a sad time together”) after watching The Hold Steady’s performance on Letterman last night. Because whether or not you actually enjoy their songs, there’s simply no denying that there’s any other rock band bringing a higher level of joy and ebuillience to their live performances. Sad time together? More like RAD time together.

which gets me thinking … why don’t more bands smile on stage? Don’t get me wrong, disaffection and despair have inspired their fair share of awesome tracks, but there’s just something that’s so rousing and fresh about a watching a bunch of dudes in their middle 30s flat out WAIL on stage and have a good time doing so. I can see why a lot of people don’t get Craig Finn’s vocal stylings on wax, but after watching this guy live, I CANNOT see how anyone can fail to be inspired by his passionate delivery. Super Best! [via Stereogum, natch]

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