Toad was in the house last week — that’s Santa Barbara’s beloved (and probably most famous) homegrown rock band, Toad the Wet Sprocket, to those of you who are new to town. And as we’ve come to count on, they came to the Lobero stage on August 29 bearing gifts of lovely vocals, powerful chord progressions, familiar tunes, enthusiastic friends, family, and fans, plus a strong supply of feel-good vibes.
With the seemingly ageless vocals of founding band members Glen Phillips, harmonizing with bass player/vocalist Dean Dinning, and guitarist/vocalist Todd Nichols, now backed by drummer Carl Thompson and Jon Sosin on keyboards, mandolin, accordion, and more, it was a solid evening of mostly well-known tunes. Starting with “Something’s Always Wrong” from the 1994 album Dulcinea, they then segued into “California Wasted” from the 2013 album New Constellation.
The palpably excited Santa Barbara crowd and historic theater have a special place in the band’s heart, and it showed in their performance. Phillips shared that the last time he was at the Lobero was a year ago, getting married. He certainly seemed happier and more lighthearted than he did in the lovely and emotional series of Facebook Live solo shows (benefiting designated nonprofits) he performed with some regularity during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.