Toadies at the Gramercy Theatre

Vaden Todd Lewis

Born in Fort Worth, Texas, Vaden Todd Lewis grew up listening to country and bluegrass music until he was introduced to ZZ Top, Talking Heads and the Pixies. In 1989, Lewis formed Toadies with his record store co-workers, playing local concerts and recording demos in his bedroom. Toadies became a national success with the song "Possum Kingdom," but perceived lack of record company support led Toadies to disband in 2001. Toadies reformed in 2006. The band's seventh and most recent album, The Lower Side of Uptown, was released on September 8, 2017. The band presently consists of vocalist/guitarist Lewis, lead guitarist Clark Vogeler, bassist Doni Blair, and drummer Mark Reznicek.

Toadies first emerged during the grunge era, and at the Gramercy Theatre tonight, the band harbored some of that abrasive, slurring guitar framework. Vocals and melodies rode on top of these choppy riffs, such that the vocals and the loud guitars seemed to challenge each other as they whispered and roared together. These ups and downs happened so frequently that the compositions seemed to be built around the spacing of crescendos rather than the riding of a rhythm. Rhythms, rather, were fractured repeatedly to introduce more complex and sometimes jarring interludes. These intense peaks and valleys defined the band's sound. There were many instances, however, where the dynamic might have been more refined if the guitars were played much, much softer.

Visit Toadies at www.thetoadies.com.

Setlist:

1. Take Me Alive
2. Happy Face
3. You'll Come Down
4. You Know The Words
5. No Deliverance
6. When I Die
7. I Come From the Water
8. Broke Down Stupid
9. Summer of the Strange
10. I Want Your Love
11. Song I Hate
12. Possum Kingdom
13. Mama Take Me Home
14. Sweetness
15. Polly Jean
16. Tyler

Encore:

1. I Put a Spell on You (Screamin’ Jay Hawkins cover)
2. Rattler's Revival
3. I Burn
4. Breakdown (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers cover)