(photo from The Hold Stead live in Cincinnati 2007)
In advance of The Hold Steady’s first live album, A Positive Rage, I had the opportunity to talk with lead singer Craig Finn about what to expect from their forthcoming effort, how their tours with Counting Crows and Dave Matthews Band came about, and what he thinks about rocking arenas and stadiums this coming Summer.

ENS: Thanks for joining me Craig. I know the forthcoming live album is The Hold Steady’s first, and starts with some footage from your first shows in London, England, and culminates with a homecoming show of sorts at First Avenue in Minneapolis. What else can be expected on A Positive Rage?

Finn: Well, it’s from the Boys and Girls in America Tour, and it was recorded at a time when things started to go really well for us. It doesn’t have a huge story-arc for anything, but it certainly catches the band at a very unique time in its life. We’re starting to play some big rooms, and people are excited to see us, many for the first time. So it’s really about a maturing band coming into their own.

ENS: And I know you’ve got some tour dates lined up in support of that, along with some dates with a few bigger bands. How did the tours with the Counting Crows and Dave Matthews Band come about?

Finn: We were looking to do some different things. We’ve had some crossover with some of those bands’ fans in the festival circuit, like at Bonnaroo, and they always seemed pretty receptive to what we were doing. I’m impressed by really how musical it is, in that the fans are really there for the music and not really the scene. We did Langerado and we’re doing Mountain Jam later on in May as well, which are both jam-band heavy festivals, and they really end up being just a lot of fun.

ENS: So, it was a conscious choice to diversify your fan base?

Finn: Well, that’s part of what we wanted to do when we started this band. We would rather be more inclusive than exclusive, both with our music and who we play for and with. Ultimately, it’s a lot of people that like having a good time at a show. And the bar certainly doesn’t hurt.

ENS: Speaking of bars, since you guys are so used to playing back room bars, how are you going to adjust to playing arenas and amphitheaters?

Finn: It’s really fun to play in arenas. We did that once when we played with the Counting Crows last year, and I remember thinking just how fun it was. Sound check was especially interesting. I remember looking at Tad [Kubler, lead guitarist] and saying, “Wow, we’re REALLY loud.” (chuckles)

ENS: Well, I’m looking forward to seeing how crowds react, especially here in Cincinnati, on your stop for the Dave tour.

Finn: Yeah, that’s at Riverbend right? How many does that hold?

ENS: About 20,000.

Finn: Oh wow. That will be pretty great. Hopefully people show up early to catch us. We’re really looking forward to it. We’ve been through Cincinnati a couple of times and always do pretty well there. It’s a pretty cool town.

ENS: We certainly think so. Thanks a bunch for talking with us. Best of luck on the tour.

Finn: Thanks a lot. See you in June!