Songs like “Chips Ahoy!” and “Banging Camp” surged over the crowd as Finn wove back and fourth, adding a new level to his lyrics. Finn is a natural storyteller, able to make his twisted tales spring to life on-stage

If there is anything I can compare a Hold Steady concert to, it’s the death of a massive star. The band is able to push so much energy into the crowd that it burns too fast and too intensely, like the hydrogen atoms at the star’s core. That energy grows at an exponential rate, ultimately culminating into a moment as euphoric as is it is destructive at the end of the show.

The show, which happened Friday at the Turner Hall ballroom, will spoken of by those who attended until the band comes back to town and all the particles at that cosmic event gravitate back toward them.

There is something about the Hold Steady that creates a performance not often experienced, even by veteran concertgoers. They seemed to be five average looking guys with apparently nothing too special about them, but when they took the stage they were transformed into the most gifted of performers. It was reminiscent of the great acts of the ’70s, bands that knew how to use the stage as skillfully as they knew how to use their instruments.

Frontman Criag Finn’s on-stage performance flowed from his unfiltered lyrics about youth, love, drugs, and redemption. His performance was so animated that one would almost think it had been choreographed during the months preceding the tour. This could possibly be guessed, except that it flows from him in the genuine way of a man truly doing something he loves.

Songs like “Chips Ahoy!” and “Banging Camp” surged over the crowd as Finn wove back and fourth, adding a new level to his lyrics. Finn is a natural storyteller, able to make his twisted tales spring to life on-stage, but he is accompanied by equally gifted band members able to each step forth and excite the crowd. Keyboardist Franz Nicolay, bassist Galen Polivka and lead guitarist Tad Kubler all shared the spot light during the performance. The balanced harmony they established was perfect in its simplicity. Each performer shined during every song.

Audience members were treated to a fair mix of songs off the band’s three albums. They also played a song from the upcoming album “Stay Positive.”

The crowd at the show quickly evolved into a jumping and singing-along frenzy, each person trying to push their way closer to the front of the stage. It wasn’t the worst crowd ever, but it seemed Turner Hall security had their hands full.

When the band play a final encore, “You Can Make Him Like You,” the crowd surged forward and the band exploded with a last bit of reserve energy.

The only opening act, the Dynomiters, played a rather short set of short and simple songs, none of them lasting more than two minutes. Each song was sung by a different member of the band, giving each composition a different tone, because of the vocal differences between them.

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