Sebadoh reunites with original line-up

The 400 Bar in Minneapolis was host to a nostalgic indie rock reunion Monday night, marking the first time the original line-up of Sebadoh has toured together in 14 years.

The opening act, The Bent Mustache, started the show at 9 p.m. with their energetic three-piece brand of indie power-rock and off-key, ranting vocals.

The crowd of around 50 people doubled by the time the next act, award-winning Aussie rockers You Am I stomped and strutted around the stage in prestigious suits and vests, pleasing an anxious audience with their blend of OKGo-sounding anthems and Robert Pollard-esque vocals.

But the tension that had been building for the reunion of lo-fi's godfathers finally bubbled over as the original trio of Sebadoh took the stage as the echoing announcement came through the speakers while chills came over the audience with, "Ladies and gentlemen, say hello...to Sebadoh."

The Massachusetts trio set up their instruments with smiles and a humble swagger; Eric Gaffney in tight, grey pin-striped pants and a polyester leisure coat as he tuned his sticker-covered, heavily-distorted acoustic guitar, Lou Barlow in worn jeans and a blue sweater, while throwing the strap of his bass over his head, as a slender, long-haired Jason Loewenstein got comfortable behind the drum set sporting a fan-friendly, bright orange "Husker Du" T-shirt.

The initial instrument combination set the opening framework for a few early Sebadoh songs with Gaffney singing and playing his noise eruption guitar.

"We're gonna be doing a lot of switching around tonight," Gaffney said before the trio played musical chairs and changed roles.

A more acknowledged lineup of Sebadoh was seen next with Loewenstein on bass, Barlow on guitar and Gaffney behind his glimmering black and grey drums.

The band continued to tear through songs from their entire library, though staying focused on Gaffney-era songs the reunion is celebrating.

Between songs that spanned from 40 seconds to three or four minutes under the gleaming red spotlights, Barlow was quick to joke and converse with the grateful crowd that had grown to around 200.

"We've played some good shows in Minneapolis and some really bad ones," Barlow admitted to the audience.

The multi-talented band members switched instrument roles frequently throughout the show, sharing vocal responsibilities; Loewenstein for his "Bakesale" and "Harmacy"-era songs, Gaffney his songs leading up to his post-"Bubble and Scrape" departure and Barlow's vocals on songs spanning the entire Sebadoh timeline.

"I never realized this song was in G until we got back together," Barlow said early in the show. "We never had tuners before."

Ecstatic fans were left wowed by the performance as well.

"The show was awesome," said audience member Troy Berry, 22, of Minneapolis. "It's amazing to see these guys sound so good after all the time they spent apart."

Along with being an important and satisfying show, it was also a lengthy one, performing for nearly two hours.

The band ended their multi-song encore properly with the fitting, "Gimme Indie Rock."