Sonic Youth tonight at First Avenue

Every so often, an act breezes through the Main Room that is so elemental, so fundamental to our musical lexicon, that writing up the show feels futile and even a little dirty. What the hell are we plebes supposed to say about a band like Sonic Youth? You could give us a ream of paper and a thousand inkpots, and we'd still be scribbling.

Summarizing their career is pointless. Uninformed? Go to Wikipedia, you lazy rat. We're not even going to link it for you. If you've managed to muster the interest to click on this blog, you either know what you're headed for at tonight's show and are currently clutching your ticket to your breast and counting down the seconds til showtime, or you are just wasting time at work until the whistle blows. In the latter case, we'd hate to undermine your time-wasting by giving you a handy link.

The fact is that Sonic Youth at First Avenue is a night of grand convergence. Few bands have maintained their relevance, their intimacy, their ethics, and their potency for as long as Sonic Youth has, and fewer still are inclined to return to the very venue that defines their live presence for so many Twin Cities music fans.

Expect numerous generations to be represented. Expect to wait a half hour for a drink at the bar. Expect lines snaking around 7th street to get in. Expect bleach-blonde Kim Gordon doppelgangers to populate the streets with "Need 1 ticket" signs. Expect to leave your jaw slack for a couple hours. Expect yourself to be moved to tears, especially if you're old enough to have bought Goo as a first edition.

Sonic Youth is a gateway band-- a band that opened eyes and ears to musical possibilities previously thought too preposterous to entertain. Which is why their return to the Black Box on First and Seventh means so much to so many. Don't miss it.

18+. 8:00 P.M. $30.00. With Awesome Color. First Avenue Main Room, 701 First Avenue North, Minneapolis; 612.338.8388.