I'm in love, what's that song

I'm pretty happy to be in 2005, but today I'm fixating on 11/20/1987 Beacon Theater NYC and The Replacements. I'm listening to the show on repeat and it's never been more glaring obvious who these guys were and what they did. The live show is stunning, the energy and ability is staggering. I'm not sure of what other act in '87 you'd get manic depression, covers of Johnny Cash, the Stones, and Lesley Gore ("Downtown" and 'I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend"), forgotten lyrics, excuses, improv, a band at the height of its power, and the best version of Bastards of Young I've ever heard (this should have been THE song, the one that Cobain obviously had in mind at the outset of Nirvana).

The guitars and Paul Westerberg's scream FIGHT to see who has more power and rawness. Anybody who can do that and their version of Downtown without any irony should be seen live. Or should've been. Being 11 at the time, I concede that getting to New York to see a band I'd never heard of would've been tough.

Tommy Stinson really was rock and roll. Color me impressed.