It had been about a year since the Hold Steady had come through the District. By some standards, that isn’t too long. However, in the last two years, keyboardist Franz Nicolay had departed to follow his solo ambitions and the band had released the tepid Heaven Is Whenever. The show still sold out, but the vibe was more one of cautious enthusiasm. The faithfully converted still crowded the barrier, but the remainder of the crowd seemed quieter, as if maintaining a cautious optimism rather than excitedly talking up something that might disappoint.

Thankfully, the lack of keys was the only apparent difference. Singer Craig Finn still came on with a beatific smile and a jittery bounce that combined the energies of a kid in a candy store and an evangelical preacher. If the task at hand for Finn was to renew the audience’s faith in the band, he was certainly up to the challenge.

Finn started by preaching to the choir, as they began with primarily deeper cuts like “Hurricane J” and “The Cattle and the Creeping Things”. Only the diehard fans knew to yell out lines like “guys go for looks, girls go for status.” However, Hold Steady lyrics, while complex and rushed, often come with easy sing-a-long choruses. Therefore, as songs like “Chips Ahoy!” and “Sequestered in Memphis” entered the setlist, more of the floor started pumping their fists and singing along.

Suddenly, the set started to really fulfill its promise. Finn dropped his guitar and jumped around the stage in a giddy frenzy during Boys and Girls in America standout, “Massive Nights”. Then, their openers, The Donkeys, came out to join them, but ended up stage diving over the audience. Finn practically took to his knees to lead the crowd, no longer cautious, in a rousing rendition of “Stay Positive”. When Finn finally finished with his standard farewell address where he told us “we are all The Hold Steady,” it finally felt true.

[Ed. note: Originally, this review stated that the Hold Steady had not been to D.C. in the last two years. The review should have read that it had been “about a year,” and has been updated. We regret the error.]