Texas Alternative Rock band Toadies put on a performance in support of their Rubberneck Tour at the Magic Stick in Detroit, MI on April 18, 2014. Jamie Limbright / The Pit: SE
[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t was quite a nostalgic Friday night for 90’s alternative rock lovers. The Toadies played Rubberneck in its entirety along with other singles such as, “No Deliverance” and “Rattler’s Revival” to a sold out crowd at The Magic Stick.
The band is well renowned for the single, “Possum Kingdom” which appeared in the track listing for the video game Guitar Hero II, but The Toadies are no one-hit wonder. Songs like “Tyler”, “Mister Love” and “I Come From the Water” prove that Rubberneck is one of the most profound albums of its genre and time.
In the honor of the album’s 20th Anniversary, Kirtland Records released a remastered version on April 1st along with five bonus tracks. Also, Rolling Stones Magazine listed Rubberneck as No. 35 in “The 40 Best Records From Mainstream Alternative’s Greatest Year”. The Toadies are having a fairly good year.
The evening started off with the best appetizer possible, Battleme. If you have not taken heed of this group yet, please stop reading immediately and go give them a listen.
In the past three years, this band has come a long way with appearing on the Sons of Anarchy soundtracks with a remake of Neil Young’s “Hey Hey, My My” along with other collaborations with The Forest Rangers. Battleme gave a firm performance with their singular ability to pick you up to bring you right back down with their setlist which supplied a nice electro folk-rock feel.
Awaiting for the night to advance in a more post-grunge direction was a huge misconception on my part when I heard Supersuckers for the first time. Supersuckers truly surprised me with their garage-rock sound accompanied with a country feel instrumental backing. Frontman, Eddie Spaghetti, came onstage rocking shades and a cowboy hat with a strong set of pipes to back up tracks like “Pretty Fucked Up” and “Pushin’ Thru”. However, the highlight of this Arizona based band was guitarists’ Marty Chandler and Dan Bolton. The two supplied strong riffs and outstanding stage presence which gave Supersuckers that acquiring edge to shine.
The Toadies became the cherry on the crest of the sundae as they began their set off with the first track of Rubberneck, “Mexican Hairless”. It was difficult to think it has been 20 years since the passing of this legendary album, because the 90’s super-group rocked the venue as if the record was released the day earlier. Such a great energy was spread about the venue as all the classic singles hit the speakers.
I found it difficult to get a decent picture of the band due to the high volume of the venue and level of intensity throughout the fans. But when I finally reached the front I was greeted by a friendly wave from Toadies’ bassist, Doni Blair as I snapped his picture. Even as I had arrived at the nominal head of the stage I found it hard to captivate the experience with pictures because I kept bobbing my head along to every song. In my opinion, musically, The Toadies have not aged a single day.
It was awesome to experience 90’s alternative rock at its best; since I was too young to know it at the time. Only that never kept my Mother from playing it on the radio. I guess that is why I received such a potent connectedness to that show, and the Toadies, because it was the music I was brought up on.
The Toadies have proven that just because 20 years can past, that doesn’t mean your artwork has to pass. This band has worked to reincarnate an album that never truly died, simply merely needed some dusting off. Rubberneck will always be remembered in musical history, just like The Toadies.
