After playing two songs from his solo career, Glen Phillips says “Hey, isn’t this the guy from Toad?” He then launches into his first Toad the Wet Sprocket song, “Windmills”, from their 1994 album, Dulcinea. 

Soon afterwards, he plays “Walk on the Ocean” from the 1991 album, fear. “Walk on the ocean / Step on the stones / Flesh becomes water / Wood becomes bone.” This is such a beautiful song. It would fit right in with a Jars of Clay set.

His latest solo album is “There Is So Much Here” from 2022.  He plays a few songs from this album including “The Sound of Drinking” and “Call The Moondust” 

There was some timely political commentary from the Toad song “Old Habits Die Hard”. “It’s a new day in the District / after 4 years off the rails / want some checks and balances / not just the same rich old white males”.

Towards the end of the night, he plays “All I Want”, which is Toad’s most popular song on Spotify with over 58 million streams. “All I want is to feel this way / To be this close, to feel the same / All I want is to feel this way / The evening speaks, I feel it say”.  It’s easy to hear why this one was such a big hit in the 90s. 

During challenging times, music can provide comfort, hope and community, to help us carry on. Glen Philips delivered a little of  that to the people of Chicago tonight.

See the full setlist here. 

Toad the Wet Sprocket are still touring together. Catch them with Semisonic and Sixpence None the Richer on August 7^th at the Salt Shed!

Also of note: City Winery started a new policy that requires a $25 minimum spend per person. You can spend it on food, beverages, wine, or City Winery merchandise. See the FAQ here. 

Cost of a ticket: $38

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Quinn Delaney

A man and a woman meet while drunk at a funeral and then sleep together. They are both at the age where attending funerals is a common occurrence.  In the morning, they piece together why each of them was at the funeral, and how they know the woman who passed away. The woman also uncovers the mystery of why he has a closet full of dresses.

Carey Crim (Northwestern University Graduate) has written a very funny play about hooking up at a later stage in life. Many misunderstandings lead to big laughs. In the second half, it naturally transitions to more dramatic scenes as they deal with their pasts.    

Paul Messinger is hilarious as the greiving man who has a lot on his plate and is full of snark. Christine Rogers is also so funny as the woman who easily gives it right back to him. Gus Hummings is superb as the neighbor who slowly pieces together what is going on.

Get tickets now for Morning After Grace through April 6th! 

Cost of a ticket: $36

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Quinn Delaney

It’s 1953 in Houston, Texas. An elderly lady dreams of making one last trip to her childhood home in Bountiful, Texas. Her son and his wife don’t want her to go. They say she isn’t well enough to make the journey. But she sneaks off anyways to make the trip. 

The first film version was released in 1953. The second version was released in 1985 starring Geraldine Page and John Heard. The most recent version was released in 2014 starring Cicely Tyson and Vanessa Williams. 

It’s a very sweet story about returning to your childhood home and all the memories that come along with it. 

Kim Zimmer (Guiding Light) is great as the woman who is very determined to make the trip. Dana Costello is great in the tough role as the wife. Will Ray is solid as her son, who is caught in between the two. Casey Wortham is very charming as the girl she meets at the bus station.  

Overall, it’s a great story that’s well worth a trip to Theatre Raleigh!

Get tickets now for The Trip to Bountiful through April 6th!

Cost of a ticket: $42 (Back Rows)

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Quinn Delaney

The adult children of a family all come back to their childhood home on the south side of Chicago. They have come to celebrate the wedding of one of the brothers. All of the siblings are very competitive with each other. This is well displayed as they play bid whist, a game similar to spades. Also, deeply held secrets are revealed along with an unexpected guest that stir up a lot of drama. 

Immediate Family first premiered at the Goodman Theatre in 2012. The Center Theatre Group in LA produced a version in 2015.

Paul Oakley Stovall has written a fantastic play with non-stop humor and drama. The audience was laughing and hollering uncontrollably, especially in the second half.  The entire cast is fantastic. They have great chemistry as an ensemble, and they feel like a real family. 

See the program here. 

Get tickets now for Immediate Family though March 29th!

Cost of a ticket: $22 (Monday Price)

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Quinn Delaney

A man discovers a lost manuscript for a play. He gives it to his coworker to hold on to, but she loses it. She calls upon Greek Gods to help her. Dionysus and Thalia come to help her, but things don’t go very smoothly. 

Ken Ludwig has written a very funny farce. It’s old-fashioned and family friendly. It was first produced as a co-production between McCarter Theatre Center for the Performing Arts (Princeton, NJ) and The Old Globe Theatre (San Diego) in 2019. 

Brennan Kelleher is hilarious in his many roles, always very cheeky and often stealing the show. Alexandra Ficken is so charming as the bookish coworker very focused on finding the manuscript. Brad Raymond and Kate Fahrner are both so funny and exuberant as the gods. They have great chemistry together. Rachel Frawley, Christopher Hampton, and Suzanne Roush are solid in their supporting roles.  

Cost of a ticket: $51 (Orchestra)

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Get tickets now for the Gods of Comedy through April 13th! 

Quinn Delaney

Mike Deni and the band chose the name Geographer because they liked the metaphor of songs being the maps of emotional states. Seeing them live is like getting a first-hand tour of their lives and emotions, with the help of their maps (aka, albums). Suffice it to say, Deni is an outstanding tour guide. This is the Animal Shapes 15 Year Anniversary Tour. He says it’s interesting to sing these songs he wrote when he was so sad. Since then, he’s gone to therapy and gotten married and is in a much different emotional space. 

Deni has a fantastic voice. His smooth and compelling sound is especially apparent when he sings Kites, one of the crowd’s favorites.  He starts by recording the melody at a slow pace on a small synth.  Once it is recorded, he just presses one button repeatedly which plays the notes at the pace he hits the button.  It allows him to play the notes very quickly as he sings.  When the full band joins in, the whole audience begins dancing around.  It’s a great build that leads to a fantastic payoff. It’s also a special treat when he breaks out his saxophone. 

The band sounds a lot like Hot Chip and Cut Copy. They are all a mix of indie rock, dance music, and synth pop.  Their sound is created with an impressive list of instruments. Mike Deni is on vocals, guitar, keys, synth, saxophone, and cowbell. Alex DiDonato rocks the guitar and bass. Jules de Gasperis crushes it on drums. 

Geographer has found a second home in Atlanta and we believe them when they say they’ll be back soon!

See a similar recent setlist here. 

Quinn Delaney

“We are the Married Men,” says Scott Lucas. “Welcome to our annual reunion.” 

Midway into their set, they play “Hey, Rita” from their 2010 EP, The Absolute Beginners EP. This is originally a Local H song. It sounds great with the full 6-piece band.  

They close their 30 minute set with “There Ain’t No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down” by Brother Claude Ely.  The original is an upbeat gospel song. The Married Men version is a dark and ominous song. It is quite a transformation.     

During their set, they didn’t take any breaks between songs. As soon as one ended, the drummer immediately started the beat for the next one. It was a whirlwind of just 30 minutes that left the audience wanting more. 

See our review of their Christmas show in 2014 here. 

See their similar setlist from last year here. 

Cost of a ticket: $25

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Quinn Delaney

Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band is from Brown County, Indiana, which is located just east of Bloomington. Their style of southern blues matches well with New Orleans.  They play with great energy and a strong stage presence. The band consists of Reverend Peyton on guitar, Washboard Breezy Peyton, and Jacob “The Snakob” Powell on drums. 

Midway into their set, Rev plays an axe that has 3 strings. It’s a great moment that looks and sounds awesome.  

At the end of the night, the band returns to the stage for Gaelic Storm’s encore. First, the lead singer says they are going to play an Irish song and they launch into “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver. Afterwards, the combo band plays one of Reverend Peyton’s songs. Lastly, they played an Irish song that had the entire crowd dancing along. It was a fantastic close to a great night of music.  

Cost of a ticket: $48

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Quinn Delaney

A Muslim family moves from Las Vegas to Colombus, Ohio after a tragedy. They do their best to fit in with the community and support each other. The father starts to become paranoid that someone has bugged the house and insists that they keep the lights off, which makes the house feel like a cave.  

This is a fantastic debut by the playwright, Sadieh Rifai (Assistant-Directed Turret). The first half is so funny and charming. The second half dives into heavier material, but it still has it’s lighter moments. It’s a great balance. 

It’s a very impressive cast size for such a small space at A Red Orchid Theatre. H. Adoni Esho is excellent as the father, who struggles with mental issues, like his father before him. Kirsten Fitzgerald (In Quietness,Swing State) is superb as the wife, who doesn’t understand the changes in her husband. Aaliyah Montana is outstanding as the older daughter, who is discovering her identity. Milla Liss is stellar as the younger daughter, who is forced to grow up quickly. 

Ashley Neal (Plano) is great as the friendly neighbor who is very concerned with the HOA rules. Guy Van Swearingen (Trouble in Mind, The Moors) is excellent as the uncle who recounts Vietnam war stories to the older daughter for a school project. Omer Abbas Salem is solid as the father’s friend who has some interesting ideas. John Judd (A View From the Bridge), and Natalie West (Revolution, Fulfillment Center) are absolutely hilarious as the grandparents still learning about Muslim culture. 

Get tickets now for The Cave through March 23rd!

Cost of a ticket: $55

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Quinn Delaney