Wasn't so long ago that if you wanted to see a member of the Replacements play live, you had to go see Axl's rag-tag team of Hired Guns 'n' Posers, so last night's appearance by the Replacements on The Tonight Show was a joyous occasion for many.
As one would expect, the days leading up to their performance were filled with speculation: Would they be performing with Keith Richards? What song would they play? Would they find some way to futz the whole thing up?
So when the band launched into "Alex Chilton" with all the bluster and bravado of a band with something to prove, you couldn't help feel that they were trying their best to play it straight. After all, where does the band go once they complete their much-deserved victory lap that includes stadium shows - yes, STADIUM shows - in Forest Hills, NY (birth place of the Ramones) and St. Paul, MN?
Do they recede back into the shadows, or do they consider the prospect of releasing new music?
What we saw last night was not a band merely cashing in their indie cred for a belated paycheck, but a reason for Westerberg and Stinson to finally claim what is rightfully theirs and show the world what they've been missing all these years.