Ray and I went to see the 1990s band Toad the Wet Sprocket tonight and before we got there, I truly had no idea who this band was. Ray arranged to get the tickets and said that he’d really liked them in the ’90s and that was good enough for me. Not ever being very good at connecting a band name to its music, with the exception of the very famous ones, I wasn’t surprised I was not on top of this. Plus, with a name like Toad the Wet Sprocket, I felt very much like an old granny going in to hear some of the youngsters’ “crazy music.” That was, of course, until the lead singer, Glen Phillips started singing and I immediately turned to Ray and said, “Oh, I know this voice.” I also knew the song, which was one I liked very much when it was popular. So, I was pleasantly surprised.

The whole evening turned out to be a great experience. Glen Phillips’s voice was strong and sounded remarkably the same even after thirty years. The band was very good as well and the music, old and new, was well written and well performed.

Ray told me that the band’s name comes from a Monty Python skit called “Rock Notes,” in which the lead triangle player with Toad the Wet Sprocket, Rex Stardust, had undergone surgery to remove his elbow after the band’s “worldwide” tour of Finland. Apparently, Glen Phillips said recently that the band’s name long ago wore out that poor Monty Python reference.

Below, I’m including two videos. One is of a hit song “All I Want” from Toad the Wet Sprocket in the 1990s to remind you that you know this band too. The second is a just snippet of one of the songs Glen Phillips sang tonight.

A thoroughly enjoyable evening. I am happy. I hope you enjoy the videos.