Concert Review: Soul Asylum and Los Lonely Boys at Ribfest, 6/21/08

Soul Asylum and Los Lonely Boys

Better Than: you could imagine

By DANNY ALEXANDER

Photos by LAUREN ALEXANDER

Click photo to view slideshow.

“Karl told us to say hi,” guitarist Dan Murphy announced toward the end of Soul Asylum‘s set, “That guy could kick some ribs.” Of course, Murphy was referring to Karl Mueller, the band’s founding member lost to cancer in 2005.

Despite the oddity of playing to a somewhat sparse crowd (it grew substantially as the band played) on a hot afternoon at a barbeque, lead singer Dave Pirner seemed determined to have fun from the start, prowling the stage and cracking bad jokes inspired by the John Deere display and the irony of playing in the shadow of an arena. By the third song, Pirner

was swinging his hips and dodging invisible bullets (or ribs).