I saw the Toadies tonight at the Rev Room. I must confess, I wasn't much of a fan. It wasn't that I didn't think they were good, I just hadn't heard them. When they were really popular, I lived in England or Lord knows wherever. I got turned on to them when I used to go and see my friends Chuck & Terry (Jumpback) and they used to play "I Come from the Water". Their acoustic version is really awesome and I fell in love with the song.
I went to the see the Toadies, really having only heard that one song. I had no pre-conceived ideas about what it would be like, especially since I'd never heard the original version of the one song I knew!
Well, was I ever impressed. They were awesome. Their guitarist, Clark, is absolutely adorable. He plays guitar like he's all contained tension. Frankly, it is pretty damn sexy. I also liked his fabulous custom guitar with his Seymour Duncan Custom Custom pick-ups. Great tone. At the end of the show, I tried to trade picks with him. I came out on the better end of the deal because he just gave me his pick.
Sadly, it fell out of my pocket (I think). I can't find it. So, I'm not going to be able to get his great-playing vibes on my fingers. sigh. Too bad. I guess I am just destined to remain a hack.
On my way out, I managed to run in to Clark. I was really surprised that he plays with a fairly light pick. You know I had to get the world-famous Dava "purse pick" out of my wallet and show it to him. (Why am I such a geek?!!) This is the original Dava pick I stole from my friend, Scott, out of his who-knows-how-many-picks-in-the-pick-jar that used to sit on the coffee table in the living room of the house in Henderson. I've had that damn pick for 3 years. Those of you who know my maniacal loyalty to Dava picks know how much I loved that particular pick. I always like to brag that I never managed to break it!
Anyway, Clark was totally grooving on the Dava pick, too. I don't think he was just being polite, either! :-) So now Clark is the proud owner of the original, albeit stolen, Dava pick. Enjoy it, Clark. It has served me well!
But back to the show. They played everything that the audience seemed to know the words to, plus some of their new stuff. They would have little interludes playing goofy cover riffs like "Hold on Loosely" or AC/DC or some ZZ Top. I think they did this mainly to make sure they were in tune. It was amusing and kept the crowd on their toes. I laughed on more than one occasion.
I would like to mention that I asked several people to go with me and they all declined. That show would have been worth a little sleep deprivation. There's precious little cool stuff to do in Little Rock (let's be honest here) and it's a shame that people don't take advantage of the shows that come along - even if it's on a Tuesday night. I could've kept my ass on the couch, but I got up and went anyway. I had a great time, found a guitarist to have a crush on besides Joe Perry (he's so dreamy), and met a couple of new people. How can that be bad?
All I can say is... If you have a chance to go and see the Toadies, you should definitely take it. It was worth my money to go. I had a great time. They are amazingly talented, tight and their sound was great, too. It was just loud enough and the mix was pretty much perfect where I stood. The band hung out for awhile and signed stuff - including some guy's neck - and they had to be tired after playing for over an hour and a half!! I'm most definitely a fan now. I can't wait to go and see them again!!
Love you! Mean it!