As intrigued as I am by the possibilities of crowdfunding, so far my only foray into the waters of Kickstarter and similar sites has been my support of Toad the Wet Sprocket’s new album. I’ve already discussed how much I’ve enjoyed New Constellation, but in November I had the chance to enjoy another fruit of that support. The band was playing at the Keswick Theatre right outside Philadelphia, and not only did I have tickets, but I had the chance to attend the soundcheck and meet the band. This would mark my fourth time seeing the band, but for my concertgoing companion it would be the first. My daughter had taken quite a liking to New Constellation and some of the band’s more famous hits, so this show would be her first pop music concert.
When we got to the theater, a few other Kickstarter supporters were waiting. Shortly after, we entered the theater. It was my first time at the Keswick, which is a very nice theater that feels very comfortable and sounds great. The band was playing “Rare Bird†from the new album, and in the theater it sounded better than I remembered from the studio version. When lead singer Glen Phillips asked if we wanted to hear anything in particular, another fan quickly called for “Throw It All Away,†from 1997’s Coil. I like that song well enough, but I kind of regretted that I didn’t have a lesser-known favorite of my own ready to throw out there.
After another song we moved into the theater lobby and got to talk to members of the band. They were very friendly and open. Phillips talked about his family and fondness for his hometown of Santa Barbara. It’s always good to be reminded that even musicians who have sold millions of records have lives to live when they walk off the stage. He and Alex chatted for a few minutes, and we also had a chance to talk to bassist Dean Dinning. I got to tell the story of how I became a fan of the band in the early ’90s, when the owner of the comic book store that I shopped at gave me the CD single for “Walk on the Ocean.†It was the B-side from that single, “All in All,†that really grabbed me. When I gave my own copy of the CD to Dinning to sign, he echoed my reaction to the song, saying that it definitely would have been a good choice to go on an album.
We left the theater to get some dinner, and when we returned we took our seats two rows back from the stage. When Toad opened up with “The Moment,†one of my favorite songs from the new album, Alex and I sang along. As great as the music was, the experience was even better because I could share it with my daughter. It also helped that she was really enjoying it, and not just consenting to be dragged to some Meaningful Father-Daughter Experience. On that score, by coincidence, Phillips used Skype to play a cover of Paul Simon’s “Born at the Right Time†for his daughter, who was celebrating her birthday. So there was definitely a theme to the evening.
Alex and I saw that other fans were noticing how well she knew the songs, especially the new ones. I think that when you’re a fan of something that’s been around for a while, it makes you feel good to see that people are still discovering and enjoying the thing that means so much to you. That’s particularly true when the zeitgeist seems like it may have moved on; I think that just as the band has been reinvigorated by recording new material, it’s nice for me to feel like I’m not only trying to preserve a moment from my teens in amber. If other fans feel similarly, I’m not surprised that they would smile when they see a younger fan picking up the torch.
Had I been picking the setlist, I don’t think I would have done a better job of choosing songs. (Maybe I would found a way to work “Fly from Heaven†from Dulcinea in there.) Phillips introduced one of my favorites, “Windmills,†by talking up drummer Randy Guss’ intro, which led Guss to cut said intro short and say, “I wish you hadn’t done that.†In my memory, Phillips and Dinning used this opportunity to start bantering about the literary symbolism of Guss’ multitude of drum solos, but that might have happened at a different point in the show. Either way, Phillips was in good form talking to the audience, including a quick recovery from accidentally saying “Pittsburgh†instead of “Philadelphia.†(To establish that he understood the difference, Phillips described cheesesteaks as “world-famous†while saying that Primanti Bros. were, well, we’ll just say less well-known.)
Right after “I Will Not Take These Things for Granted,†which Alex and I both enjoy a lot, Alex called out “Play ‘California Wasted!’†Even from our close seats, I doubt the band heard her, but nonetheless, Phillips promptly said something like, “And now, here’s ‘California Wasted.’†Not only was the band playing one of our favorite songs from the new album, my daughter had successfully called for a song on her very first attempt. I’ve been going to concerts for 20 years, and I don’t think I can remember that happening when the artist hadn’t specifically asked for requests.
After the show ended, Alex wanted to wait in the autograph line because I hadn’t been able to get guitarist Todd Nichols to sign my CD. As we moved past the band and told them how much we enjoyed the show, Dinning greeted Alex and said, “I saw you out there!†We told him about her successful call-out, which he seemed to enjoy. Then, with my autographs in hand, we left the theater.
We did get one photograph with the band, but my iPod camera made it look like it had been run through a couple of Photoshop filters. Then again, the last lines of “Walk on the Ocean,†which also closed out the concert, seem fitting:
Don’t even have pictures, just memories to hold
That grow sweeter each season, as we slowly grow old
Here’s to more music, and more memories, in the seasons to come.