Everything I Know About Community Building I Learned From The Hold Steady

From Staying Positive to having a Unified Scene, how The Hold Steady turns fans into friends.

I’ve just returned from the 10th annual celebration known as Massive Nights: Four days of reveling in the sounds of The Hold Steady.

How I Found The Hold Steady

The Hold Steady came on my radar during the peak of hipster music blogs. I was on the verge of my 30s and sites like Pitchfork provided a map of what was cool. Coming out of a vibrant NYC scene with The Strokes and Interpol, The Hold Steady fit that bill.

From the spoken-word introduction of Almost Killed Me, I felt invigorated, excited, amped to jump into this world of ne’er do-wells, sad sacks and the scenes that might save them. The perfect gnarled Zep guitar tone, shout-singing vocals, rolling pianos (and horns!) the music sounded like a garage band blowing out the amps on the world’s biggest stage. Each album grew my fandom as THS stretched and morphed, exploring more complex themes as its lyrical cast of characters became adults, although never quite responsible ones. Then I started seeing them live. One show turned into two and then, seemingly overnight, dozens. The concerts were a blur of lost earplugs, dancing and hugs - arms raised to the sky and shouting along with every word.

After a few decades the band realized that the grind of touring wasn’t paying off the way they’d hoped. But instead of giving up the rock and roll dream, they re-envisioned the concept entirely.

Redefining the Rock N Roll Dream

The band doesn’t go off on epic tours so much these days. Instead of half the year or more in a tour bus, they spend their days with their families, outside business interests or working on other musical projects. Now when they reconvene, THS brings the world to them in multi-day celebrations in cities like London, Chicago, Atlanta and their home base of Brooklyn. BK’s Massive Nights, and the subsequent Weekenders series, is like a convention, with multiple concerts and related activities that have included pub trivia, bowling and guitar workshops.

2025 was my second time attending Massive Nights and the 10th anniversary of the series. This fanbase is passionate. They love the music - of course - but they also genuinely care about the band members, their success and their happiness. Honestly, the vibe between concertgoer and musician sometimes felt more like co-workers than the typical groupie/hanger-on mentality. The band members shake hands, answer questions and intently listen. There’s a two-way respect that seems far too rare.

How Does The Hold Steady Make Their Magic?

The cool thing about magic is that it’s mysterious. And there’s definitely an element of surprise and delight in what THS does. But there are a couple of specific things that I can point to and I try to bring these same elements into what we do at Neighborhood Comics.

“We Are All”

Lead singer Craig Finn makes it obvious throughout the show that the give-and-take between on and off-stage is the fuel that powers the experience. In the song “Stay Positive”, the line “we couldn’t’ve even done this if it wasn’t for you” gets extended as Craig points to members in the audience, repeating the word “you” over and over again. The chant of “We Are All” at the end-of-show band introductions has become a staple of the concert. Each band member gets a name check and then Craig exhorts that the band isn’t just a few members, it’s a whole scene. I scoured through my personal videos to find that after dozens of shows, I have no footage of the “We Are All” chant. I was far too busy joining in.

Embedding your customers, clients, “fans” into the experiences you create is the single most important thing you can do to build community. Take down the wall between you. Step out from behind the counter. You succeed together.

“So Much Joy”

People ask all the time if it’s fun to work in a comic shop. And the truth is, not always. Work is work. But we sell a different reality - escape, freedom and joy - not that different from rock and roll. The exulting chant that Craig leads during “Killer Parties” with “So Much Joy” getting the biggest pop stays with me long after the band calls it a night.

It isn’t the grind (working on cost spreadsheets or hauling hundred pound boxes around town) that makes the job. It’s the togetherness. The camaraderie. Sharing the things that make us happy. You have to make the joy happen. It doesn’t happen by itself. You have to open the door, host the event and get on stage. Be in the room with people - present and excited.

A Unified Scene

It’s ultimately their community, what The Hold Steady refers to as the Unified Scene, that makes the band special and worth every penny of travel, merch and tickets. The band created the initial experience, the songs on the album, but they allowed the songs to grow and change and be something bigger with the help of their patrons.

Likewise, Neighborhood Comics provides the space, the staff and the inventory. But all of that changes once the customer is introduced into the store. It’s their interactions, questions and enthusiasm that expand the experience into something new, exciting and ever-changing. So while I don’t have the confidence to leap onto the check-out counter and shout “WE ARE ALL NEIGHBORHOOD COMICS", know that’s what is in my heart. And I’m thankful for The Hold Steady for being such amazing role models, setting the standard for healthy community building.