Quick! What living person best embodies the spirit of rock and roll?
Keith Richards springs immediately to mind. Joan Jett and Patti Smith are solid answers too. If you said Dave Grohl, consider yourself summarily booted from the chat.
However, the best answer might just be Tommy Stinson.
Stinson is a rock-and-roll lifer who started before his teens, thanks to his older brother Bob, who drafted him as bassist for a fledgling Twin Cities band. In short order, that band spray painted its name across the walls of rock history as The Replacements. Stinson has built an eclectic musical résumé in the decades since, playing bass for Guns N’ Roses and Soul Asylum, fronting his own bands like Bash & Pop and Perfect, and releasing solo material that blends punk, Americana and power pop.
Now 58, Stinson is still bashing guitars and popping off like a living, breathing personification of rock and roll.
He’ll bring his lifetime of musical experience to Ames Wednesday for an intimate performance at London Underground, a Main Street pub known for hosting small-scale shows where patrons get up close and personal with musicians. The pub will adjust some of its usual day-of-show procedures for Stinson, but central Iowa music fans can rest assured they’ll receive an undiluted dose of his trademark infectious energy and underdog charm inside London Underground’s cozy environs.
“I’m continuing a process that I’ve been able to do and gotten away with for a long time,” Stinson chuckled during a phone interview from a recent tour stop in Aberdeen, South Dakota. “I enjoy what I do. I like the process — playing shows, making records, writing songs. I’m one of the few lucky old-school ding-dongs from the '80s who’s still able to do it.”
Asked if he’s ever considered doing anything besides rock music, he answered with a rhetorical question: “What else would I do?”
Stinson boiled his longevity down to two essential ingredients: energy and fun.
“I think most bands that have done it a long time and still do it probably still have fun with it,” he said. “You wouldn’t want to put yourself through all the travel and nightmares if it wasn’t gratifying enough on the other end.”
His Ames appearance comes as part of a monthlong Midwest tour he’s sharing with multi-instrumentalist Karla Rose, who will open the London Underground show with a solo set before joining Stinson later in the evening.
This tour's setlist includes selections from across Stinson's career, though he doesn’t play any Replacements or Guns N’ Roses songs. His latest project, Cowboys in the Campfire — a stripped-down duo with friend and collaborator Chip Roberts — leans into his more acoustic, storytelling side, while his previous bands, Perfect and Bash & Pop, ran the gamut from punky garage rock to Stones-inflected grooves.
Stinson rolls through a near-constant cycle of writing and performing, drawing inspiration from his vast and varied experiences. This tour is no different — he's also road-testing brand-new material that he plans to record in Montreal at the conclusion of the tour for an upcoming solo album.
When asked about the future of The Replacements, who achieved college-rock icon status with their blend of reckless slacker attitude and emotionally raw songwriting, Stinson stayed tight-lipped. The band has occasionally reunited for limited engagements since its 1991 breakup, and a 2023 reissue of its 1985 album Tim was met with critical acclaim.
“There’s things coming up,” Stinson teased, declining to go into further detail.
Wednesday’s performance will be the first ticketed show in London Underground’s history, said Bryon Dudley, a longtime Ames musician who handles the pub’s event booking. The bar’s owner decided years ago to host free shows as a way to build community, but Dudley said a one-off exception was made to bring an artist of Stinson’s caliber and legacy to the venue.
“Tommy Stinson is a legendary artist,” Dudley said. “His résumé speaks for itself. The fact that we have such a legend playing this tiny room downtown on Main Street in Ames is a little shocking.”
Tickets are available via Eventbrite and cost $30.52 for general admission. A meet-and-greet option is available for $116.15. Dudley said London Underground is strictly capping ticket sales to preserve the venue’s trademark intimate atmosphere.
The pub will remain closed Wednesday until doors open at 7 p.m., and only ticketed guests will be admitted. Because the musicians will perform near the front entrance, the main door will remain locked during the show. Dudley advised attendees to enter through the back door. Once the performance concludes, the bar will reopen to the public.
Stinson said fans should expect high energy and infectious fun — the two constants that have defined his musical output from the beginning.
“I have a lot of fun with the crowd,” Stinson said. “If you wanna have fun and goof around for a night, you should come out.”