The Toadies Through The Years

The Toadies – Rodeo Live – Denton, TX – October 14th

I just happened to have found out about this show just a few hours before the doors opened. It’s rare that the Toadies play in Denton and I hadn’t seen the gang in awhile, so I thought I would go out and surprise everyone. The show was sold out naturally, and I can’t remember them playing a place this small in Texas since High School (place held about 300 people) so I had to go around back, and that’s where I found Wes and Duane and we were all glad to see each other. They secured my entry and in I went.
Nothing against the Toads, but I don’t really think this place was not only prepared to handle a show this size, I’m not sure they were really ready for anything. The sound was pretty awful at times, so I used the credentials they gave me and watched from side-stage. The band played well but the sound, again to no fault of their own, never really improved.

Now, that’s not to say, that the show wasn’t a rawking affair, cause it was. It always good to see them when I can and catch up. Their crew and handlers are some of the best people I know. I didn’t stay too long after the show,

Dallas Observer St. Patrick’s Day Festival w/ The Toadies – Energy Square – Dallas, TX – March 12th 2011

So I skipped a day of 35 Conferette to enjoy what has become a bit of a tradition in the last 5 years or so – The Toadies on St.Patrick’s Day – usually somewhere off of Greenville Ave. as part of the parade. It was actually the first of these way back in 2005 that actually put the Toadies back together again. They were asked by the Dallas Observer (who produces the parade) if they would be interested in doing a reunion show – they all happened to be in town – so they said yes. Oblivious as to how huge they had become in their abscence, I remember tickets going on sale for humbling $5 bucks – and when they all 5k on them the same day – it set the momentum that are still currently enjoying 6 years later, and have since played the parade I think every year since, except for maybe once.
I was at the initial reunion show in 2006 – but have missed the rest by living in NYC since then, so when they guys invited me to come, I decided to skip Denton for the day- (I also had John Oliver tickets – see below) – 
It still didn’t deter (unfortuneately) my late sleeping habits that I applied to Denton, as I didn’t get down there till about 30 mins before the Toadies hit stage. They had a solid lineup of openers I would have liked to have seen, no doubtedly playing the biggest show of their careers. True Widow, who have been occasional Trickykid alumni, as we have booked several tours for them as well as Here Holy Spain, who I had just seen on Fri in Denton (see above).
My how we have grown – when I got there, I was greeted by a seething, drunken horde of over 8,000 bead-throwing goons –

The Toadies have become classic rock in Texas over the years, and when you are denied something for so long, and it returns, the need to experience it becomes paramount – that combined with they inspire a deep pride that is indiginant to Texas, so even if you are a casual fan of the music, if you are from Texas, you have got drunk to this band more than once.
I make my way backstage just as the show is about to start –

A great afternoon, of great fun – The Toadies hometown shows always turn into family reunions for me as I run into everybody I haven’t seen since the last one. Their organiziation is Class A with Dale and Tami, and Scott and Sean, and Duane and Wes, etc – so it was great to be home and to see everyone and to the see the Toadies play what had to have been the biggest show they have ever played on their own – and this is 20 years into their career which is astonishing.

Setlist:

I Come from the Water
Little Sin
Man of Stone
Happyface
Push the Hand
Paper Dress
Hell in High Water
Quitter
Waterfall
Sweetness
Song I Hate
Mexican Hairless
Backslider
No Deliverance
Away

Encore-

Possum Kingdom
Don’t Let Me Down (The Beatles cover)
Tyler

They have a new record coming out in a few months called Play.Rock.Music so this was a chance to hear some songs that I’m sure they were using a show like this to try out some of them. The new stuff sounds very Toadies in that creepy, bass heavy way with a real nasty guitar sound. One new song which is sure to be the single – Summer of the Strange is one of the best songs I’ve heard since Rubberneck – totally brown.
I run into my buddy Rick who I felt bad cause I was watching from the side and he didn’t have whatever silly wristband that requires to do the same but we got to chat briefly before the bouncers and their rules broke up our little pow wow (sorry about that Rick).
I had missed all the openers and wish I had gotten there early to see the Phuss again who totally blew me away at the show I saw last month. Right after the show during the impromptu photo/autograph thing with a few fans I saw that girl I talked about in the January entry, drunk as hell and acting a total fool, and being all super fan girl. I did my best to keep my distance hoping she wouldn’t see me but my paleness is just a bright shining star.After the show Duane and I headed to the bus where we caught up with my old buddy Todd (singer) who I caught up with at the aforementioned Phuss show after not really running into each other for close to three years – that time was brief tonight the shitshow was in awesome full effect as he, Duane and I trolled in the thickest of sarcasm to much hilarity long into the night. Those guys can’t give a straight answer about anything and sometimes its difficult to keep up but that’s half the fun. Later it was full bus time as Rez and Donnie (bassist) joined us as well as Sean (merch guy) who is also a total riot and blast to hang with.
This was a good time, I really hadn’t done the full post-show hang with these guys since their return to NYC back in 2008 in one of their first shows since they reformed. I finally left the bus around 4am and had to sober up before heading back to Fort Worth -They told me that their coming to NYC in the Fall with Helmet – till next time gentlemen

I couldn’t really see that well from where I was standing out in the crowd anyway. It’s always odd for me to see them in this type of environment because its so easily to forget how popular they are, and for me they will always be those strange guys playing at the coffee shop on the corner all those years ago. However not in the vein of the old I-was-here-first or the punk rock revelry of resenting a band once they become popular – fuck that, that’s one of my least favorite poses.

They show was pretty good and made special by covering Rev Horton Heat tunes and an old face I hadn’t seen in 20 years in the shape of original guitarist Charles Mooney joining them for the pre-fame track Got A Heart. When I first met these guys back in 1990 they were all working at a record store close to my house that my friend Keith worked at and it was he that he introduced me to them and soon Keith’s band and the Toadies were doing shows together. Charles also worked at the store around this time and started the band with Todd. Good to see him still kicking.

I didn’t do the 5am thing like last time and neither did they as they had to leave pretty early the next day and we made plans to catch up in NYC over the summer. Good times.