Today is Bob Mould’s birthday — he’s turning 50 — and while it might be expected that we’d celebrate the occasion with something by the seminal Hüsker Dü, or even a track off his stellar early solo albums Workbook or Black Sheets of Rain, we’re going with his early ’90s power trio Sugar instead.
Without diminishing the Hüskers’ role in the ’80s underground, Sugar’s 1992 debut — Copper Blue, with its churning guitars and keen pop melodies — is arguably Mould’s finest moment. So here’s a live performance of that album’s “Helpless,” broadcast on the BBC’s “The Late Show” as part of a grunge-era special called “No Nirvana” in 1993.
Oh, and as long as we’re on the subject of Mould, he’s got a new U.S. solo tour set to open Tuesday in Minneapolis, with 13 dates more running through Dec. 4 in Portland, Ore.
See Bob Mould’s tour dates after the jump…
Bob Mould tour dates:
Oct. 19: The Dakota, Minneapolis, MN
Oct. 20: Shank Hall, Milwaukee, WI
Oct. 22: Old Town School of Music, Chicago, IL
Oct. 23: Montrose Room, Rosemont IL
Nov. 4: City Winery, New York, NY
Nov. 5: City Winery, New York, NY
Nov. 6: Rock Shop, Brooklyn, NY
Nov. 8: The Met, Providence, RI
Nov. 9: Iron Horse, Northampton, MA
Nov. 10: Sellersville Theater, Sellersville, PA
Nov. 19: Swedish American Hall, San Francisco, CA
Nov. 20: Bootleg Theaterm Los Angeles, CA
Dec. 3: Triple Door, Seattle, WA
Dec. 4: Mississippi Studios, Portland, OR
wow. Really off key on this great song.