Soul Asylum

Many have Soul Asylum filed between the mid-'80s Minneapolis bands the Replacements and Husker Du or know it only for "Runaway Train." Neither perspective cuts it. With more than a quarter-century spent performing together, and having released 11 albums and 18 singles, Soul Asylum can still claim roots as an exciting bar band — one that made the leap to arena rocking with rare ease. At the same time, the group has never stopped asking tough questions: of punk's nihilistic poses; of the nature of the music industry; and, on its latest and one of its greatest, The Silver Lining, of just how to respond to the war, Hurricane Katrina and the death of original bass player Karl Mueller. Such questions set Soul Asylum apart from many great peers, and the raucous energy of its live shows insists that rock still matters. The fact that the band is sharing a double bill with the also-great Los Lonely Boys makes this show can't-miss.