Concert Review: Superchunk (Cat's Cradle)

BY DREW DRAIN

Rosali opening solo for Superchunk ended up feeling like two distinct experiences that complemented each other in a way that made the whole night stronger.

The last time I saw Rosali, she was opening for MJ Lenderman with her full band, and that version of her music had a rich, enveloping quality. The arrangements filled the room, with guitars and rhythm section creating a kind of forward motion that carried you along whether you focused on the details or just let it wash over you. It was the kind of set where the collective sound mattered as much as the individual parts. This time, she stepped onstage alone with a guitar, and the shift was immediate. The songs felt more exposed, but also more grounded. Without a band behind her, every element had more weight. Her voice carried the room in a different way, softer in volume but sharper in presence. You could hear subtle phrasing choices, the way certain lines landed with a bit more emphasis, the pauses that might otherwise get filled in a full arrangement. It turned the set into something more intimate and, in many ways, more absorbing.

That intimacy, though, depends heavily on the audience meeting the artist halfway. For a while, that balance was shaky. There was a pocket of people toward the back who seemed more interested in their own conversation than the performance. It is a familiar problem, especially for opening acts, but it is no less frustrating for that familiarity. When the music is this stripped down, even a small amount of background noise can pull focus in a way that feels disproportionate.

Rosali handled it well. She paused between songs and politely, but clearly, asked the people in the back to quiet down. She had to do it more than once, which says something about the situation, but it also showed her commitment to protecting the space she was trying to create. It is not an easy thing to do without breaking the mood, yet she managed to keep her composure and return to the songs without letting the interruption define the set. It also deserves to be said plainly: moments like that can make or break a performance like this. The audience bought tickets to hear the musicians, not to listen to a handful of loud conversations cutting through the room. Once things settled, the difference was obvious, and her songs were able to land with the attention they required.

Superchunk’s set flipped that atmosphere almost instantly. Where Rosali invited quiet attention, they brought volume, momentum, and a sense of release. From the first song, the energy in the room surged. It was not just loud for the sake of it. It was purposeful, driven, and rooted in a style of indie rock that still feels tied to a specific moment in time.

Watching Superchunk play, it was hard not to be transported back to the '90s, when indie rock really meant both of those words. Bands were not sanding down their edges for wider appeal. They were independent in spirit and unapologetically rock in execution, making music that was loud, melodic, and direct. That ethos still runs through Superchunk’s live show. The guitars are bright and urgent, the rhythms push forward, and the vocals carry that familiar mix of drive and melody.

The set leaned heavily on No Pocky for Kitty, which is approaching its 35th anniversary later this year, and those songs still hit with the same immediacy. They do not feel like artifacts. They feel alive, still capable of generating that same rush they must have when they first landed.

Taken together, the two performances highlighted different sides of what makes live music compelling. Rosali’s set depended on stillness and attention, drawing the audience inward. Superchunk’s set thrived on movement and volume, pushing that same audience outward. The contrast made each one hit harder, and by the end of the night, it felt like both approaches had strengthened the other.

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DREW DRAIN

Andrew (Drew) Drain is originally from Point Pleasant, WV, and he now resides in Chapel Hill, NC with his daughter. Drew works as a financial risk management professional to pay the bills, but his real passion is photography. He started taking photos of his daughter playing soccer as a way to resist the urge to coach her from the sidelines. Time behind the camera developed into a love for photography that he has paired with his love for sports and live music. Follow Drew’s Instagram, @Drew.Drain.Photo or his MaxPreps galleries, to check out more of his work or contact him if you need photos of your favorite athlete or performer.

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