Frontman Dave Pirner emerged from the left side of the darkened stage, strapped on his vintage blonde Fender Telecaster and got ready to step back into the 1990s.
He was well-outfitted for the journey, wearing a ripped pair of cuffed jeans, beat up white Chuck Taylors
and a dark, open, button down shirt.
The alternative rock express that is Soul Asylum has been rolling for 45 years since its humble beginnings in Minneapolis, MN in 1981. On July 28, the band pulled into Worcester’s Off the Rails marking just the second time they’ve ever played in the city. Originally scheduled as part of
the Off the Rails outdoor shows series, the gig was moved indoors due to the threat of rain.
Veterans of live shows in Boston, Cambridge and Providence throughout the last four decades, the only other time Soul Asylum played in Worcester was December 6, 1988 at the Worcester Academy field house as part of their Hang Time tour cycle.
Pirner and bandmates Ryan Smith (lead guitar), Jeremy Tappero (bass guitar) and Jerry Pentecost (drums) didn’t wait long to make up for lost time, opening the show with a pulse-pounding rendition of “Somebody to Shove,” the first single released from the triple-platinum Grave Dancers Union album from Columbia Records in 1992.
The band continued its nostalgic journey back to the 90s four songs into the 20-track set with the familiar sing-a-long rock cadence of “Misery,” from Let Your Dim Light Shine (1995). This notable track was featured on the soundtrack of Kevin Smith’s 1994 film Clerks. The music of Soul Asylum is also included on the soundtrack of Smith’s Chasing Amy (1997) and Clerks II (2006). A friend of Smith’s, Pirner composed the original score for Chasing Amy.
Despite being an electric, full-band show, Pirner switched to his acoustic Gibson J-200 midway through the set for trademark performances of three classic cuts from Grave Dancers Union including “Leave Without a Trace,” “Black Gold” and the band’s most popular hit, “Runaway
Train,” which won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 1993, the same year they played at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton.
Gen X music fans certainly recall the iconic music video for “Runaway Train” that featured the names and photos of various missing children. The video, which served as a type of public service announcement, proved to be instrumental in eventually reuniting several children with
their families.
In recent years, Soul Asylum has gone back and forth between acoustic shows and electric sets. The band is set to release a new acoustic album on August 28 entitled MPLS Unplugged, a live set performed at the Minneapolis State Theatre on April 20, 2023 in honor of the 30th
anniversary of their appearance on MTV Unplugged in 1993.
Pirner spoke about the difference of playing electric versus acoustic in a July 21 radio interview with Mike Hsu broadcast on 100 FM The Pike.
“There’s definitely a lot more ammo when you’re playing loud. It’s a different kind of motor skill,” explained Pirner. “It’s a different kind of singing–the full band is more fun. It’s just more active. It takes more out of me.”
Despite his age of 62, Pirner still had enough energy at the end of the night to rock through two danceworthy hits from Let Your Dim Light Shine in “Bittersweet Heart” and “Just Like Anyone” to close out the regular portion of the set.
The band came back on stage for encore performances of two guitar driven tracks from the ’90s with renditions of “String of Pearls” and “April Fool” to put a final electric stamp on the evening.
Soul Asylum’s tour stays in New England for its next stop, a show at Wally’s Pub in Hampton, NH, on July 29.
Mike Vigneux is a freelance writer in Worcester with more than 20 years of experience in the fields of municipal government, communications, and public relations. He can be reached at Mikevigs@gmail.com
