I wasn’t all that familiar with Big Head Todd and the Monsters, besides hearing a few of their ’90s hits on the radio and having the Beautiful World album on CD. I missed their previous visit to the Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo, so I was glad to have another opportunity to see them live for the first time. SLO was the fifth stop of a tour that will take them to numerous destinations across the country through April 2025.
These guys are a true Colorado band. Todd Park Mohr, Brian Nevin, and Rob Squires attended Columbine High and the University of Colorado together, playing their first gig at a Boulder college party in 1986. It was their third LP, Sister Sweetly, in 1993 that rocked them into the charts with “Bittersweet,” “Broken Hearted Savior,” and “Circle.” Beautiful World in 1997 expanded their popularity with singles “Boom Boom” and “Resignation Superman.” In 2005, they released an iTunes single “Blue Sky” at the request of the Space Shuttle Discovery crewmembers. A live rendition of the song served as a wake-up call to Discovery. The original trio remains, along with long time member Jeremy Lawton. They’ve played the Red Rocks Amphitheater over 35 times and continue to sell out shows, particularly in the Centennial State and Mountain West. They’re still in the studio, as well, releasing their 12th studio album, Her Way Out, earlier this year (I purchased it at the merch stand before the show).
They opened with “Turn the Lights Out,” the first of five from their most successful album, Sister Sweetly. Next up was one of my favorites, “Resignation Superman.” “Please Don’t Tell Her,” also from Beautiful World, was a slower-paced standout. Six cover songs were on the set list, several being the band’s beloved blues songs, such as “Boom Boom,” and “Hidden Charms” (they had a side project at one time called the Big Head Blues Project.) One cover was definitely not a blues song. It seems cringey, but “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl),” was actually a fun-loving crowd favorite. Their biggest hit, “Bittersweet,” introduced by Mohr as, “believe it or not, we did have a #1 single,” was warmly received. They played three from the new album, including “Rainbow Girl” about Mohr’s seven-year-old daughter, “she does as she please” (I’m assuming that’s her on the cover of the album).
“Circle,” the last song of the set and “Broken Hearted Savior,” the first of the encore closed out the evening’s Sister Sweetly tunes. Then things took a sharp detour with “the Classic Rock Challenge” starting with “Foreplay” the intro to Boston’s “Long Time” right into “Highway Star,” an all-time live album highlight courtesy of Deep Purple’s Made in Japan. Huh? Some of my favorite concert moments have been cover songs (Pearl Jam’s take on The Who’s “Love Reign O’er Me” just to name one). But this was a miss for me – long, loud, and a distorted last impression. An enjoyable concert, nevertheless, for sure. The band is a well-oiled machine, and their blues-influenced straight-ahead rock n’ roll has an engaging front man in Todd Mohr. He writes life-affirming songs, plays a crisp guitar, alternating between delicate and blistering, and brings it all home with his authentic, passionate voice. They are still having fun after playing together for decades. You’ll be drawn in by their infectious comradery. Go see them if you have the chance.
D² Rating: ◼◼◼⬕☐
Three trivia questions are calling out to me this time:
Trivia: What guitarist from a well-known band produced Beautiful World?
Trivia: “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” is a song by what American pop rock band?
Trivia: “Boom Boom” was originally written and performed by what famous blues artist?
Answers: Jerry Harrison, Talking Heads; Looking Glass, John Lee Hooker (John Lee Hooker was recording in the same studio and joined Big Head Todd for their cover of his most popular song which became a hit for them, too.)
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