I missed Soul Asylum's
really early days, but I still got into them pretty early. I fell in love with them as soon as I heard
Made to Be Broken. I was lucky to grow up in a town that had a really good music scene and two good college radio stations, so I was exposed to a lot of great alternative music. Still, I had somehow missed
Say What You Will… when it came out – or maybe I had heard some of it on the college radio stations but it just didn't catch my attention because, even though I like that record, their sound at that time was pretty generic punk (other than "Stranger"). But after hearing "Tied to the Tracks," I had to investigate further so I bought the album and it just blew me away. I remember being a little surprised that I liked the album so much because at that time, I hated anything country and the album had those country touches mixed in some of the songs. Noone was doing that at that time. But I loved the hybrid quality of the music, which fused punk with country and featured songs that were total adrenaline rushes like "Tied to the Tracks," "Whoa!" and "Growing Pain" alongside material like "Never Really Been," which is just a masterpiece of songwriting. I also think that "Ain't That Tough" is one of their best and most underrated songs.
When
While You Were Out came out later that same year, it felt like the biggest gift. "Closer to the Stars" in particular just knocked me out and it remains my favorite SA song to this day. I think it's some measure of how good the song is that all the versions they've done of it are great – from the early punk version to the slower acoustic/electric hybrid version they do today.
I managed to get to see a lot of club shows when I was in high school and college (thanks to a combination of all-ages shows and a fake I.D.) but somehow I missed Soul Asylum when they were playing Boston around that time (including an all ages show they played with Husker Du, which still hurts to think about). The first time I got to see them was actually during a trip to London a couple of years later. I was so excited that they were playing while I was there and I went with a friend. My friend liked the band, but wasn't quite as into them as I was, but the show blew him away. I remember him remarking, "Wow! They are definitely a live band!" Meanwhile, I went into the show
expecting to enjoy it and they
still blew away my expectations. I remember thinking it was the best show I had ever seen. (As a side note, I also remember being really surprised by what they looked like when they first came out. For some reason – probably because they were from Minneapolis – I had pictured Dave looking like Bob Mould, and he was younger and skinnier than I imagined, plus I was surprised by his long hair. It was still straight and un-dreadlocked at that time, which allowed for maximum hair swinging.)
I've seen them many times since, and they are still the best live band I've ever seen. Although their music has changed a lot along the way, I like all phases of Soul Asylum. And while there's definitely a part of me that would love to go back in time and see a SA show in 1988 or 1990 to experience some of that raw energy again, the set that they play now – i.e., the full set when they mix in stuff like "Closer to the Stars" and "Never Really Been" and throw in a fun cover - is pretty spectacular because it has the best of all eras (except that they really should put "Veil of Tears" back in the set or throw in something else from
Horse like "Nice Guys Don’t Get Paid" or "Easy Street"

).
I hope they continue to play for a very long time and I hope I am lucky enough to continue to see them.