The Toadies at Metro

The 1990s dawned a plethora of worthy FM-radio rock and roll bands. The Toadies are surely among this company, with such post-grunge hits as “Possum Kingdom” and “Tyler.” The quartet, who originally hails from Fort Worth, Texas, stopped through Chicago last week for a headlining spot at the Metro. With opening support, The Willowz, starting out the evening, The Toadies took the stage to a rowdy crowd of seeming superfans.

The unassumingly-dressed Texans kicked off their set with the familiar “I Come From the Water”, which provided equal parts infectious pop-rock chorus and 90’s nostalgia. Singer, Todd Lewis, used a Green Bullet microphone for a few songs, providing a crackly, distorted megaphone sound. The band was joined by two shirtless jokesters (band friends, perhaps?), who were clad in sunglasses and sweatbands, as they helped keep beat with maracas on select songs – providing a bit of comic relief to the musical mix.

The Toadies played their share of new material as well, as they released their third studio album, No Deliverance, in 2008. However, The Toadies’ sound clearly hasn’t altered much in the past decade, but their loyal fans didn’t seem to mind. “Tyler” gained a strong reaction from the crowd, as fans sang along with its haunting chorus promising, “I will be with her tonight.” The band did a good job of mixing their old favorites while at the same time showcasing new material, including “No Deliverance”, the title track from their latest release. The song that received the most enthusiastic crowd response was undoubtedly Rubberneck’s “Possum Kingdom”, which the band saved for the end of their set. The Metro crowd wistfully sang nearly every word of the song along with the band.

Although the band hasn’t necessarily progressed leaps and bounds musically since its 2006 reunion, they still deliver a solid rock performance, while still having a seemingly enjoyable time onstage – and it’s always inviting to revisit beloved radio hits from passed days – especially when bands like The Toadies are still hard at work.