Live and In Charge

I went to the Toadies concerts in both NYC last Thursday, as well as in Boston on Saturday, and both were every bit as amazing as I hoped. Great energy, constant entertainment, and most importantly, hard rocking! If any band can bring back the resurgence and importance of early 90s alternative music and the grunge-era, Toadies are at the forefront of the movement. With their recently released album, No Deliverance, they have constructed yet another flawless collection of music that fits right in with the rest of their catalog, as can be heard live.

After sub par local opening bands at both shows, their touring partners, People in Planes, performed a solid set of tracks from their two albums, focusing mainly on songs from their most recent, Beyond the Horizon. They did a decent job, but the audience didn’t seem to be too enthusiastic. Their set list differed greatly from both shows which I thought was cool, and I would check them out in the future for sure.

The Toadies played a pretty much flawless set. Coming out to some Arabic sounding music was definitely starting off their strange humor right from the beginning, but as the band reached the stage they wasted no time by kicking into “Mexican Hairless” to get the crowd moving. “Backslider” and “Quitter” were some of the highlights amongst the crowd with loads of energy and enthusiasm from the band and audience. “Pressed Against the Sky” was a personal highlight, as I had never heard them perform it live before this tour. While it certainly slowed down the pace and intensity, it sounded great live. They wasted no time picking the energy level right back up as they dove into the classic “Away.” Between songs they would play hilarious 8 second clips of classic rock songs such as “Aqualung,” “Kashmir,” and “Roundabout,” and many others. During “Hell in High Water” the band continued the entertainment by placing a powered up amp in the middle of the stage and pushing it over as two shirtless roadies ran from both sides of the stage to pick it back up. It didn’t really serve any purpose but it was funny, and after the song Vaden said, “That just happened! I don’t know what that was, but it just happened!” They closed out the set with “Doll Skin” and “Tyler” to a very pleased crowd. I can’t wait ‘til they come back again!

***Setlist*** ( I think this was the order, at least pretty close to it)
Mexican Hairless
Backslider
Little Sin
Happyface
Sweetness
So Long Lovey Eyes
I Burn
Quitter
Mister Love
Plane Crash
No Deliverance
Pressed Against the Sky
Away
Song I Hate
I Come From the Water
Possum Kingdom
I Am a Man of Stone
Push the Hand
***Encore***
Hell in High Water
Velvet (Boston only)
Doll Skin
Tyler

I have tons of pictures from the shows that I will post within the next few days!