I love Can’t Hardly Wait (I have 26 versions of it in my iTunes, and that’s only because I am too lazy to go cherry pick the song out of the rest of the bootlegs laying around). It’s in the all-time top three Holy Triumvirate of iconic ‘Mats songs (along with Left of the Dial and a song that I usually slot in depending on my mood).

Go read the discussion, you’ll be happy you did.

But first, one more Paul Westerberg solo version. This is from the 2002 solo tour (the one I thought didn’t contain any CHW’s, thanks for the corrections).

…I’ll be home when I’m sleeping….

Here’s Marah

And more from bars across the nation. You have to respect the love in all of them.

Maybe Pete
Johnny Heidt News Experience
Fairmont
Buzz Bomb
The Kickz
Nine Fifty
Porchsleeper
Shock And Awe

But when a sing-along is not expected, or coaxed, or specifically written to, it can be a glorious thing. Just the pure joy of a group of people that are so into the moment and the song that it just happens. No lead singer pointing to his left commanding, “Now just this side over here!”. No, “Come on, Quad Cities….I know you can sing louder than that!”

Paul Westerberg’s songs don’t usually lend themselves to sing-alongs. Or maybe his type of fan doesn’t risk making a local spectacle of themself. But it does happen. Folkery songs like If Only You Were Lonely and Waitress In The Sky can get some shout-along action. The solo 2002 tour also seemed to bring this out. Maybe the informal setting (cozy lamp and couch available) or maybe because quite often Paul needed a little help with the lyrics. (It’s ‘stupid hat and gloves’…subways and bums are in the 2nd verse).

Unfortunately, for my purposes, Can’t Hardly Wait was missing from the setlists on that tour. (did I miss one?) But in 2005, along with His Only Friends, CHW was in the set nightly and usually a cause for a joyous sing-along. And I’m not just talking the chorus, the crowd knows it all. And don’t they just sound damn happy to be there?

I may be slightly sappy or sentimental, but I live for moments like these during a show. A connection between people facilitated by music and words. For 4 minutes, everyone in the room is your best friend.

So sing along with the crowd in Kentucky in 2005.

The result is the one and only (that I know of) live Can’t Hardly Wait with horns. And Paul looks pretty happy about it.

I assume one of the reasons they packed it in after playing the Taste Of Chicago in Grant Park that Fourth Of July weekend in 1991 was that it must have been getting stale for Paul and Tommy. But still, for the very last Can’t Hardly Wait, they cranked out a good ‘un.

The first one here is the base track consisting of Paul Westerberg’s guitar and vocal, Tommy Stinson’s bass, Chris Mars’ drums, and Memphis Slim’s keyboard.

This second mix (released as a 7 inch single with Chris Mars’ Cool Water on the flipside) pulls out all the stops as Dickinson adds various guest stars. The Memphis Horns punctuate each line, Alex Chilton adds a shimmering rhythm guitar soaring over the mix, Dickinson’s teenage son, Luther (later of the North Mississippi All-Stars) adds electric guitar fills. The keyboards from the base track are either removed or buried under this wall of sound. Overall, a very Big Star-ish treatment. Many of these elements are pulled back on the album mix, leaving Westerberg’s guitar and the horns prominent.

Not many of these tracks are available. Left Of The Dial from this session ended up on the major debut Tim, and Nowhere Is My Home found it’s way onto the European greatest hits collection, Boink!. But they also recorded a version of Can’t Hardly Wait. The full band electric version of Can’t Hardly Wait from this session varies very little from the one recorded for Tim later in the year and available on All For Nothing/Nothing For All.

But there was also a more impromptu, demo version recorded less professionally (and commonly known as the ‘airshaft’ version, even though there is little evidence it was actually recorded in an airshaft.) This version shows the song’s strength without hiding behind a guitar hook and the full volume of the Mats. A sign of topnotch songwriting.

Any expert ears want to try to transcribe?

I’m going to try to put together some various live versions in chronological order, starting with the earliest I can find. July 7, 1984 at the Cubby Bear Lounge in Chicago, in the middle of supporting Let It Be, they played this 2nd song of the night following Heyday and prior to a sloppy Light My Fire cover.