Last night, the Hold Steady, one of the greatest live bands on the planet, made their triumphant return to the Brooklyn Bowl, the venue that’s become their unofficial home base. The Hold Steady played pandemic-era livestreamed shows at the Brooklyn Bowl, and they’ve played other shows elsewhere since shows started happening, but last night was their true return. It was also the first night of their four-night Massive Nights stand at the venue. And it featured some cool surprises.

Earlier this year, the Hold Steady released an excellent album called Open Door Policy, but last night’s show wasn’t dedicated to that. Instead, the Hold Steady played Boys And Girls In America, their classic 2006 album, front-to-back. They also played a few other songs, and one of those songs was an unexpected cover: “A Long December,” the 1996 hit from the Counting Crows. The band made it sound like a Hold Steady song — something that’s less far-fetched than you might think — and the crowd turned it into a triumphant singalong.

Speaking of ’90s alt-rock radio conquerors, Soul Asylum frontman Dave Pirner, who guested on Boys And Girls In America, was not in the building last night. Instead, the Hold Steady had a pretty cool replacement. Former Sopranos star and noted indie rock fan Michael Imperioli leads a band called Zopa, and they opened the show. Later on, Imperioli returned to the stage to sing the Pirner parts from “Chillout Tent” with the Hold Steady. Gladie’s Augusta Koch also joined the Hold Steady on that same song, singing the parts that the Reputation’s Elizabeth Elmore sang on the record. Below, check out the performances of “A Long December” and “Chillout Tent” from last night.

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Check out our 2018 interview with Michael Imperioli here.