Toad the Wet Sprocket Concert, 2003

Toad had been a favorite group of mine for quite some time. Though they were technically no longer a band in February of 2003, they were still playing some dates around the country. Lucky for me that they were playing a date at "The Rave" in Milwaukee. I thought this might be a nice Valentine's getaway for Yumi and I---our first as a couple.

We started off to Milwaukee in a roundabout way in that we first stopped off at my church's winter retreat near Wautoma to do a little sledding down the camp's mammoth sledding hill. Todd and Matt were there with my mother and sledding away. Yumi and I joined in for a few hours making sure we didn't break any bones.

After a few hours of spills and thrills we got back into the truck and drove South to Milwaukee. We had some difficulty checking into our reserved room once we got there, however. It seems that the reservation service Yumi had used got the night wrong and the hotel didn't have a room for us that night. Nice. After a few phone calls we were able to snag a room nearby and readied ourselves for the show.

We noticed a Thai restaurant just a few blocks from the Rave on the way to our hotel and decided to eat dinner there. I mistakenly ordered mild instead of going with the least-hot. Suffice it to say I was in some agony throughout the meal even though it was very good.

Also at the restaurant was an odd couple that were going to the show. We chatted for a while and walked over to the venue together. Once there, we found a spot up front and waited for Alice Peacock to perform. She was very good and actually quite hot. Bleu did not perform which was probably a blessing as there was no seating at the venue.

Toad was fabulous and the band sounded great albeit a little loud for me. I tried to remedy that situation by fashioning a set of ear plugs with scrap paper. It didn't work very well but was an improvement. We were right up front for most of the show and got the full effect of the band's sound system.

As a fan, I knew all of the songs they played, a mixture of old and new stuff off their latest release, "Coil". Though Yumi had no previous exposure to the band she still seemed to have a good time.

Following the show I purchased 2 CD's from Todd Nichols' new group "Lapdog".

It was a great way to spend my first Valentine's Day weekend with Yumi.

Click on an image below for larger pics

		Top Toad Tunes Ever... "Janitor"..... Yeah, it's stupid but also very funny.t "Amnesia".....This little gem shows that the Toadsters could crank it up when in the mood. "Crazy Life".....All about injustices in the world and the plight of Leonard Peltier. "Somethings always Wrong" ...It makes me want to sing along. So what? "Walk on the Ocean".....Sure it has an accordian or something wierd in the background. So what? "Crowing".....A song about a relationship with two confused people. "All in all".....A concert favorite and a good excuse to burn lighter fluid. "Fall Down".....An aging air guitarists delight. "Come Down".....Just a good rockin' tune that makes you want to sing along. "All I want".....Quintessential Toad, though hardly anyone knows who does this one. Since the band's breakup, two new bands have been formed: Lapdog Glen Phillips