During the band’s initial run in the ‘80s, The Replacements were notorious drunks on stage. They often became so inebriated that it was astonishing that the guys could even stay upright, let alone finish its songs. That wild, youthful ferocity was arresting and contagious, but the Minneapolis power pop band would never have been so revered or influential if there weren’t catchy melodies underneath all the slop. The Replacements put out a string of five groundbreaking albums during that decade—the howling punk rock of Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash, the scrappy country twang of Hootenanny, the genre-bending masterpiece of Let It Be, the rock anthems of Tim and the polished, more mature power pop sound of Pleased To Meet Me—before ultimately dropping off and calling it quits during 1991’s infamous onstage meltdown at Grant Park in Chicago.
Irreconcilable creative differences between remaining founding members Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson made a reunion seem unlikely. But after coming together and recording a benefit EP for former guitarist Slim Dunlap in 2013, Westerberg and Stinson reformed onstage for the first time in 22 years at Riot Fest in Toronto. On Saturday night at The Rave (or as Westerberg referred to it, “This Eagles thing or whatever”) performed its highly-anticipated comeback show in Milwaukee, featuring selections from its impressive, wide-reaching catalog, this time without the drunken chicanery of its past but still with a certain manic (and sometimes sloppy) energy.
But before the reunion commenced, the packed crowd was treated to a particularly spirited set from Milwaukee’s own Midnight Reruns, who were perhaps the perfect local openers for the Replacements. Stinson himself recorded the band’s forthcoming sophomore album, but even without that connection, it’s clear that any Replacements fan would instantly fall for Midnight Reruns’ big guitar hooks and catchy vocal melodies. Sometimes bands can’t find the same energy on a bigger stage that comes easier when playing smaller, more intimate clubs, but Midnight Reruns did not experience that problem. Its songs sounded huge and demanded attention. They were strikingly given 45 minutes and they did not fold under the pressure. It’s hard not to be nervously excited for their promising future.
It was an auspicious sign that The Replacements took the stage to “What’s Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made a Loser Out of Me).” The appropriate and personal selection foreshadowed what would be a wild and momentous evening. The band kicked it in high gear from its early beginnings with a blistering rendition of the opening track from its debut album, “Takin’ a Ride,” and didn’t let go of the wheel, going straight into “Favorite Thing,” “Color Me Impressed” and “Seen Your Video” from there. The frantic pace felt dizzying. The first thing from Stinson’s mouth during a break was a gleeful, “hehehe.”
The usual complaints regarding poor, muddled sound interminably lobbed at the cavernous Eagles Ballroom were unfounded here. The Replacements sounded incredible when they wanted to sound incredible and sounded messy and uncoordinated when they wanted to sound messy and uncoordinated. Near the middle of the set, things began to unravel, but that felt like the point. While the drunken shenanigans are firmly in the bands’ past, that same unpredictable energy remains. Westerberg lit a cigarette to sing the loose ballad “Androgynous” and after drinking from a paper cup, explained, “It’s tea.”
Interspersing the set with a handful of disorderly covers (in typical fashion), including Chuck Berry’s “Maybellene,” The Jackson Five’s “I Want You Back” and Barbie Gaye’s “My Boy Lollipop,” The Replacements tightened up again and closed the initial set with three massive sing-along anthems “Can’t Hardly Wait,” “Bastards of Young,” and “Never Mind.” It was an overwhelming and cathartic moment. The band returned twice for delightful encores, but after 27 songs over an hour and a half, there was little left to give. In the end, it was an absolute joy to simply be a passenger on the Replacements’ supremely fun, wild ride.
