by Adam McGrath
Rows of fans screamed every lyric of the Toadies three-part set Saturday night at the TLA, even as they warded off the bouncing bodies swirling outward from the center of the floor. The seasoned Texas band absolutely crushed it as they performed their entire 1994 hit album, Rubberneck, then did a full second set and encore by pulling from four or five other records.
The Toadies reminded us what alternative rock is all about: pounding drums, roaring guitars, and passionate vocals. Singer Vaden Todd Lewis sounded great on classics like “Away” and “Tyler”, and, depending on the song, switched between a regular microphone and a distorted bullet mic. He has a very particular way of sliding up into a note and holding it strong that provides a signature sound for the band. Guitarist Clark Vogeler blasted his chords through distinctive Orange amps, and used feedback more effectively than any musician I’ve recently seen, positioning his body and bending his instrument to achieve the perfect level of distortion.
Vaden Todd Lewis (photo credit, Adam McGrath)
Props should also go to the Toadies road crew, who expertly swapped out instruments and even chipped into the act when needed, shaking percussion instruments or adding extra drum parts. Almost as entertaining were the two ladies at the side of the stage, dancing and singing as their man-friends rocked out feet away. One last thing that I appreciated from this show was the lighting, which actually illuminated the band instead of leaving them peering from the darkness. I for one like to be able to see every fantastic emotion and muscle strain of a performance.
The second set of the night inevitably downshifted a bit from the kinetic classics of Rubberneck, but the band selected a premium mix of old and new songs to keep the audience engaged. My favorite new Toadies track is “Summer of the Strange” off of 2012’s Play.Rock.Music. It has that dark edge to it that defines a Toadies hit.
Two well-chosen cover songs also made their way into the mix. First, the esoteric “Heart of Glass”, which was suitably transformed while retaining the charm of the original, then, during the four-song encore, the hard-charging cut “Stop It” from alt-rock pioneers Pylon. The show came to a rousing conclusion with thumper “Hell in High Water”.
It’s a welcome thing to see the Toadies doing so well after being browbeaten by ‘big music’ in the late 90s. They’re enjoying making new music while still delivering the hits that earned them fans 20 years ago. Seeing “Possum Kingdom” performed live was a solid check off my musical bucket list, and I’m happy that so many others have now had the same pleasure.
