The Rose City welcomed back their hometown troubadour hero when Todd Snider played Portland, Oregon’s Revolution Hall on Thursday, October 6th. Of course, Snider calls Nashville home these days, but anyone who’s followed his career likely knows that in Portland, Todd Snider Rules.
It’s no wonder Portland likes to lay claim to Snider. After a 30-year career, his latest release, Live: Return of the Storyteller, finds Snider at the top of his form, telling highly entertaining tales of misadventure and playing the songs those stories inspire, drawing laughter and tears in turn.
The last few years have been tough for everyone, but were especially unkind to Snider. In addition to the pandemic forcing him off the road, he was continually gut-punched with the passing of friends and mentors. The deaths of John Prine, Jerry Jeff Walker, Billy Joe Shaver, Neal Casal and Jeff Austin found Snider writing more tribute songs than should be required of anyone.
So, it was great to see Snider in such good spirits during his Revolution Hall performance. No doubt that getting back out on the road and performing for appreciative fans helps with the healing. Snider delivered material spanning his whole career. The first real singalong came midway through the set with “Can’t Complain” from the 1998 album Viva Satellite. There were, of course, stories, which are as big a reason to see Todd Snider as the songs. There was a series of stories about John Prine before “Handsome John,” a hilarious tale about the inventor or Crocs, and a variety of hallucinogenic incantations. Through lots of laughter and a few tears, fans were rightfully delighted to experience the kind of cathartic release that a Todd Snider performance provides.
