The ’90s pop-rockers energized the Meijer Gardens crowd Wednesday, delivering hits and helping close out the final week of an abbreviated but busy concert series at the amphitheater. Review, photos.
Memorable Songs: Glen Phillips and Toad the Wet Sprocket unfurled plenty of them at Meijer Gardens. (Photo/Steve Baran)
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When one considers chatter on social media feeds (excluding the hellscape that is Facebook) and popular memes, the only generations seemingly worth talking about are Gen Z, Millennials and Baby Boomers.
Sure, most of the discussion amongst the varying age groups is negative and/or adversarial, but at least they get some airtime.
Often overlooked and lost in the shuffle is Gen X, that generation of angsty, nihilistic independents.
A Special Night Like This: Glen Phillips. (Photo/Steve Baran)
Well, my fellow generational loners, Wednesday evening at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park was tailor made for your musical muscle memory. Toad the Wet Sprocket, emblematic of a very specific mellow, non-threatening and upbeat alterna/pop/rock of the era, headlined an evening dominated by radio-friendly hits and accessible new material.
Clocking in at roughly 90 minutes and 20-ish songs, the California band, which released its seventh studio album, “Starting Now,” just three weeks ago, offered a crowd-pleasing mix of new and familiar songs, hitting all of the top cuts, including “All I Want,” “Fall Down,” “Something’s Always Wrong,” “Crazy Life,” “Good Intentions” and show-closer “Walk on the Ocean.”
The receptive crowd — falling primarily in the mid-30s to mid-50s age range — spent a good portion of the show on its feet, clapping and dancing, responding enthusiastically to lead singer Glen Phillips’ energy and appreciation for the pleasant setting:
“We had 551 days between shows … and then you get a night like this,” he said.
Massachusetts singer-songwriter/author Stephen Kellogg warmed up the venue with half an hour of storytelling and acoustic-guitar-driven tunes about love, family and life.
PHOTO GALLERY: Toad the Wet Sprocket, Stephen Kellogg at Meijer Gardens
Photos by Steve Baran
