The Hold Steady, an old-school rock-and-roll outfit once dubbed “America’s best bar band,” was falling into the kind of unofficial hiatus that can settle upon a band after a decade of relentless touring when they fielded an unusual request: Toronto’s Horseshoe Tavern wanted to book them for four straight nights.

Even considering their obsessive cult following, that felt a little excessive. However, every night they played, the club was packed, recalled frontman Craig Finn. Similar extended stints in Brooklyn and Chicago also did well. It took a couple of years, but eventually, the band realized it might have a new touring model on its hands …