Since we had to skip out on yesterday’s God Street Wednesdays column due to server issues that, knock on wood, seem to be behind us, we wanted to get up a God Street Wine-related post today. It actually works out because on this date in 1994 God Street Wine drummer Tom “Tomo” Osander sat in with Blues Traveler at the intimate McCarter Theater in Princeton, New Jersey.
Now, it just so happens that I was in attendance that night, but it was an extremely bittersweet occasion for me. My beloved grandmother, who I called “Nana,” passed away that afternoon and I was stunned to learn the news when I got home from high school. She had been sick for a while and my parents were down in Florida with her for her final moments. These Traveler shows were a big deal as the band was blowing up and was returning to their hometown to play a venue that was way smaller than other places they were playing around that time. My folks were returning the next day to start making arrangements for the funeral and I decided to go to the concert instead of stewing with my tears by myself. Sometimes music is the only thing that can heal our souls.
As a big God Street Wine fan, I was so excited when Tomo came out and sat in with Blues Traveler on Outta My Hands. A video from that evening shows some behind-the-scenes footage of Osander at the McCarter before we get to see Tomo’s guest spot. Take a look…
