Yeah Boston's not exactly weather suits my clothes in December, January, February, March, hell April - yeah, April. First year up here it snowed the most it's still ever snowed in a year. Coming from a place where an inch of snow will blot out all rationality in the natives, I was anxious about what the winter was going to bring. It seemed like it snowed forever and there was so much snow falling that the dreaded time of the ugly snow - the snow covered in cigarette butts and beer cans and dirt and ugly - was always put off to another day. I loved it. But I was 25 then; now I'm 40. This shit ain't cool anymore - even if it did inspire the Shaq&Nate-O-Meter:
With endless winter camped out in your backyard, you take whatever sunshine you can get. Like the Celtics on their way to banner 18, the Red Sox kicking off spring training, and Todd Snider rolling into town for a live show. I've probably listened to Snider more than any other artist for the past 4 years, but the first time I saw him live was a few days ago at the Paradise Rock Club. My gal Cort and my pal Jeff and I, after surviving the opener Jesse Ruben, had ourselves a ridiculously good time. Perhaps the first thing to note about the evening would be that I thought musical nirvana was going to be achieved for all present when Snider, during a time when he was requesting tunes, played "Freebird" for about 60 seconds. He played it long enough to where I giddily let out a "holy shit he's going to do it!" to Cort and Jeff. But it was not to be. What was to be was Snider playing damn good guitar, treating everyone to great versions of songs new and old, telling some hilarious stories, and in general just ruling the roost. From that night here's "Just Like Old Times" - another pitch perfect character study. Snider, with his keen eye for the telling class detail, captures a whole world with the line "we'll screw off the top on a bottle of wine."
Todd Snider - Just Like Old Times [buy]
I don't go out to many live shows, so I have no idea if the practice is common, but at the merchandise table for the show you could purchase a card for 7 bucks which would allow you to download the show later from toddsniderlive.com. It's a brilliant idea and seems to be a nifty way to put more money in the artist's pocket and give the audience a quality soundboard recording of the show for a reasonable price.
The other item I got that night was Snider's new 2-disc live set The Storyteller which came out a few days before the show. I've only heard disc one, and though I still don't know what to think about Great American Taxi, Snider and all those songs of his are in fine form. And he can string a few words together into one helluva story. Just check him detailing the time he met Bill Elliot in Chattanooga. Todd Snider - Bill Elliot Story [buy]
If Snider gets anywhere near where you live, hock, steal, beg, or bribe for the cash if necessary to go see the man play. You'll be sure to thank yourself.
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