Sleater-Kinney Show Off Latest Evolution at Rock Hall Concert

Evolution has been a part of Sleater-Kinney’s history since it formed, and the band’s concert Saturday night outside the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame was a reminder of that.

The Olympia, Washington-hailing band has been through many iterations, from its early days as part of the punky riot grrrl movement to its flirtations in the 2000s with psychedelic hard rock to now tinkering with synthesizers and ballads. And while some things haven’t changed, such as the band’s progressive politics and advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community, it’s good to remember how it has evolved when comparing the current iteration to ones from its past.

The duo of guitarists and lead singers Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker are now working to forge a path as an indie rock institution and determine what that means to them. The 85-minute, 22-song concert—the first in Cleveland since a 2015 show at the House of Blues—shows that they’re mostly succeeding.

To be sure, part of the band’s evolution was necessary, as longtime drummer Janet Weiss departed in 2019. Her thundering percussion left a void and it takes three auxiliary musicians, including current drummer Angie Boylan, to fill it. But the now-quintet proved it can adeptly and powerfully tackle any era of the band’s music, veering from gentle to raucous while always paying special attention to precision.
Tucker and Brownstein also remain forces onstage. The latter constantly bounds about and is airborne while unleashing riffs and solos on her Gibson SG. Tucker’s more stoic, though proved on “Untidy Creature” and show closer “Entertain” that her legendary wail is still intact.

Their guitar work, which sees both members weaving through each other’s playing, also remains impressive.

The duo’s newer songs, including the ones on this year’s “Little Rope,” show them taking a new direction now that they don’t build songs around Weiss’ drumming. The album was represented Saturday by eight songs, and while some are as punky as the band’s output from the 1990s, others are moodier and more atmospheric.

Songs like “Dress Yourself” and encore opener “Say It Like You Mean It” mixed well live with older tunes like “All Hands on the Bad One” and “I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone.”

Tucker noted Saturday that 2024 marked 30 years since Sleater-Kinney came together. Brownstein added that it felt different to see their “life encased in glass” in a Rock Hall exhibit featuring the band’s lyrics and some of Tucker’s clothing.

But Saturday’s concert, which shone a brighter light on music released after the band reformed in 2014, showed that the members were, as Brownstein said, still very much interested in the present. Possibly even the next evolution.

Openers Die Spitz warmed up the crowd with its brand of punk and metal. The Austin, Texas quartet’s songs repeatedly stopped and lurched forward during the 40-minute set. Vocalist/guitarist Ellie Livingston and bassist Kate Halter did most of the heavy lifting performance-wise, though Chloe Andrews and Ava Schrobilgen also showed off their versatility by switching between guitar and drums and taking turns behind the microphone.

Setlist:
1. Hell
2. Needlessly Wild
3. Bury Our Friends
4. The Center Won't Hold
5. Small Finds
6. One More Hour
7. Oh!
8. Start Together
9. Hunt You Down
10. The Future Is Here
11. All Hands on the Bad One
12. Don’t Feel Right
13. Hurry On Home
14. Price Tag
15. Jumpers
16. Dress Yourself
17. Modern Girl
18. Untidy Creature
Encore:
19. Say It Like You Mean It
20. I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone
21. Dig Me Out
22. Entertain

Eric Heisig is a freelance writer in Cleveland. He can be reached at eheisig@gmail.com .

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