Review & Photos: Todd Snider Plays Solo Shows In Portland

Words & Images by: James Martin

Todd Snider :: 4.29 & 30 :: Aladdin Theater :: Portland, OR

View James’s photo gallery below his recap.

After a long, healthy stint of touring and recording with the Hard Working Americans, Todd Snider literally brought his solo act home to Portland, Oregon for a three-night run at the cozy Aladdin Theater. Each show was to feature songs selected from three of his albums a night in loose chronological order, with some all-time favorites tossed in the mix. While I was able to only attend the last two nights of the run, there was plenty of magic to be had in each show and it became quickly clear that these nights were something special.

Rorey Carroll opened for all three nights of the weekend adding a fresh, wry take on life and its oddities. Rorey brings her acoustic story-songs from East Nashville, promoting her upcoming album which Todd’s label, LoHi Records, will be putting out. Her songs cover such topics as waking up on the couch regretting drunk debauchery had the prior night and day drinking. A style that is reminiscent of Todd’s bantering between songs, paired with her playful wit charmed the crowd right from the start. “Black Dog” appeared to be a favorite, as it was requested each night by fans. Rorey’s new album will be one to look for indeed.

It’s apparent Snider’s time spent with Hard Working Americans has stoked his enthusiasm for his art, as he gave new perspectives through fresh variations of many of his classics. He also performed each song with a vibrancy and place of earnestness that was simply stellar and perfectly “Todd.” Not wasting a minute on Friday night, he jumped into a fan-favorite with a tip of the hat to Portland garage rockers The Kingsmen with “Ballad Of The Kingsmen,” inciting a sing-along from the enthusiastic hometown crowd. He followed with a Snider-infused version of John Prine’s “Illegal Smile” and the sing-along continued throughout the evening.

The show went on just like that – studded with favorites such as “Play A Train Song,” “45 Miles,” “Conservative Christian” and more, peppering the night with animated story-telling including an epic performance of “Alright Guy” that had the venue filled with the voices of 600+ strong not skipping a word. The energy in the room was paramount. Following up with “Ballad Of The Devil’s Backbone” into “DB Cooper” into several other songs, Snider ended the set with a lively “Louie Louie,” sung along enthusiastically by the crowd. Todd came back to encore with an “East Nashville Skyline,” “Working Man’s Blues” and “Better Than Ever Blues, Part 2,” leaving the crowd wanting more – and ready for Saturday’s finale.

Saturday night it seemed like Snider was in more of a story-telling mood which suited everyone just fine. Both nights he talked about his jam band experiences with Hard Working Americans, but tonight he really embellished, getting chuckles from all. He told the infamous Garth Brooks song-stealing story, which led into “If Tomorrow Never Comes” and a sly “Is This Thing Working.” After a solid number of songs from the most recent of his extensive library, he then delved into an elaborate story about his often quirky friendship with Jerry Jeff Walker. The story, involving sharks, illicit activities and a transcendent moment led to a humbly beautiful “Mr.Bojangles” to end the set.

Todd came out to finish with an encore consisting of “Big Finish,” into yet another sing-along to “Good News Blues” and ended on a tongue-in-cheek “Freebird.” At the end of each night there was no doubt Todd was hitting a homerun in his hometown in front of hundreds of fans that traveled from across the country – just the people around me were from Alaska, Tennessee, Nevada and California – to witness this special run of shows. He did not disappoint.

Photos

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