Sleater-Kinney, Crystal Ballroom, 8-12-06

I accidentally came across a pretty quality recording of Sleater-Kinney's final show, from last August. How did I not find this before now? They've been one of my favorites since All Hands on the Bad One came out, so since 2000 I believe. Each album has been so awe-inspiring, so far beyond anything I was expecting -- you hear people get nostalgic about how listening to the Stones, the Who, the Zep, etc. brings back vivid memories of their youth that nothing else does; when I am old enough to be one of those people, I will get nostalgic about Sleater-Kinney.

Part of it's that they were one of the first great bands I listened to that didn't come from either a friend or a parent. I found them on my own, on the once-awesome Audiogalaxy, and didn't really know many other fans. (They have a very high love-or-hate factor -- I've never met anyone who was ambivalent about them.) So I didn't come to them through someone else, and that builds a sense of connection, or ownership. Not of the band per se, but of the personal experience of listening to them. I can think of plenty of other artists who I like as much, musically, but few that have such emotional value for me.

Which is not to say they're a crappy band that I only like because I liked them when I had no taste: I'm looking over the tracklist for the bootleg, and the names of some of the most incredible rock songs ever recorded jump out: Jumpers, One Beat, Night Light, Entertain, Sympathy, Words and Guitar, You're No Rock and Roll Fun, Not What You Want, Dig Me Out, Turn It On... Each one of their albums had at least three or four of the top-level, A+, gold-star, 'instant classic' kinds of songs. The first time I heard each one of their albums, all I could think was "holy crap". Each album was like an epiphany that someone else came up with and gave you.

I never got to see them live. They were a West Coast band, and whenever they were touring out here, something couldn't work out: the timing, my finances, me learning about the show before seeing the review in the Phoenix... (Yes, for seven years I consistently failed to see my favorite band in concert. I'm not what you'd call a good planner about these things.) I've only listened to a few highlights, but the sound quality is very good -- none of the tape hiss or dropped vocals that made me pretty bored of bootlegs a long time ago. There was no way I could have gotten out to Portland to see their final show, so this was a nice thing to find.