Beer Guts Are Welcomed Here

Toadies! Toadies! Toadies! I always shout this when I see that they are coming to town. But if you know anything about the Toadies, I fortunately get to say this at least once a year and have been saying this for quite some time because they have been around forever and have reunion tours whenever they feel the need to meet new groupies (it's good to be the king). But the fact that their shows always sell out is a testament to how good they are live and how sick we are as fans that we can't wait to sing along to a song about date rape (Tyler). So as I walk up to the infamous venue Stubb's, I think I know what I'm getting myself into. But as usual with Austin, you never get what you're expecting. One thing I noticed is that if you still like the Toadies, you are OLD!! I mean don't get me wrong, there were a few teens and some 20 somethings but 80% of the crowd was definitely on the downside of their beauty years. Everyone there looked weathered, had beer guts, and it seemed like an arduous task just for them to even make it to the port a pots! I swear I saw some internal debates on how long they could hold it, not so they wouldn't miss their favorite song, but so they wouldn't have to move. But aside from that, they were there to party and you could feel the energy in the place.
So if you have never heard of the opening act Ume, get to know them! They are from Austin and have been developing a following for the past few years. They are a 3 piece rock n roll band with a female lead. When she steps on stage she's this small, cute unassuming thing carrying guitars that seem like they are as big as she is. But after you hear her mousy voice whisper "We're Ume" the distortion kicks in, hair is flying , and they are jumping like around like mad men on stage! Awesome stage presence!!! The songs start of melodic and then transition into heavy riffs and solos as the songs climax. They totally won over the entire venue; so much so that the lesbians who typically show up just to sneak peaks up her skirt were getting jealous. Trust me, I've learned to hide my interest in her over the years, these girls get gangsta! Ume is pretty fresh.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mfB0X0-E-c&feature=related

So now we get to the Toadies, if you have never heard their stuff check out Away and you'll be hooked.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwTUAgU4d8w&ob=av2e
Best way to describe them is southern hard rock with lyrics written as if his he allowed his id a voice. Songs range from his Christian upbringing (Backslider) to getting with the girl you've always wanted by any means necessary (Tyler). They always bring a lot of energy to the shows themselves and the band and the crowd(as it should be) feed off of each other. Once they played Paper Dress and a Rev Horton Heat cover the show easily became one of their best. They even played 3 or 4 new songs which actually sounded good, so there's hope for more of these shows in the future.The only thing is I hope they wait a little longer after SXSW to play because as I walked up and saw the line, I found myself subconsciouly reaching my SXSW badge to skip it; sadly it wasn't there. Luckily every dude in line had a date with big boobs, so at least I had that for entertainment as I waited. The Toadies are obviously TIGHT!!!