Nostalgia sells when it comes to summer touring. In the past week, Connecticut has seen tours celebrating the 70s, 80s, and now, the 90s. For those of us of a certain age, music from each of these decades hold special memories. While grunge came to dominate the decade, alt rock, like Blues Traveler, Gin Blossoms, and Spin Doctors provided a foundation for the early part of the 90s and bring back fond memories of my college years, 1990-1994, at UCONN.
Please scroll below for the MisplacedStraws Blues Traveler and Gin Blossoms live photos and review.
The night began with a set from Spin Doctors. Frontman Chris Barron is a force on stage. His voice sounds great, and he continually engages the audience with his between-song stories and Elvis-like karate kicks. Spin Doctors played a tight 45-min set which featured all the hits as well as their January 2025 single “Still A Gorilla”. I first saw this band at a Spring Weekend in college and have seen them a few times since. They always put on a great set.
Co-headliners Gin Blossoms were up next. Led by frontman Robin Wilson, Gin Blossoms always put on an entertaining show. My first Gin Blossoms show was August 1992 at the legendary Toad’s Place in New Haven, CT, less than 3 weeks after the release of their debut New Miserable Experience. More than 30 years later, the band still gives everything they have each time they step on stage.
The majority of a Gin Blossoms set is centered around those early releases. The hits came quickly with the full-length debut and its follow-up Congratulations…I’m Sorry and all of those hits are featured in their set. Those familiar songs are joined by classics “Allison Road” and “Mrs. Rita” from the 1991 ep Up and Crumbling.
Gin Blossoms haven’t put out new music since 2018, and their sets haven’t included any post-1996 material in quite some time, but fans are fine with that. Frontman Robin Wilson, guitarists Jesse Valenzuela and Scotty Johnson, bassist Bill Leen, and drummer Scott Hessel seem to understand how important these songs are to their fan base and play them with the same energy as they did all those years ago.
One of the highlights of the set was bringing out Spin Doctors singer Chris Barron and Blues Traveler bassist Tad Kinchla and keyboardist Ben Wilson for a version of R. Dean Taylor’s “Indiana Wants Me”. It’s always special for fans to see members join other bands and it provided a bright spot in the set before the final run of hits like “Found Out About You”, “Hey Jealousy”, and “Till I Hear It From You”.
Blues Traveler was the final band of the night. My first Blues Traveler show was a 1995 stop in Hartford, CT on the H.O.A.R.D. Tour. Then, as now, I was amazed watching John Popper play a harmonica like no one else could. Decades of playing together have made this band able to seamlessly glide from a band that could rock with the best of them to one of the great jam bands in the genre.
The set opened by showing off the rock side of the band, including the monster hit “Run Around”. Blues Traveler then launched into one of the most impressive live songs I’ve seen in quite a while, a cover of the Charlie Daniels Band classic “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” with Daniels’ legendary fiddle part played by Popper on harmonica. The song morphed into an extended jam showing the skills of guitarist Chan Kinchla, drummer Brendan Hill, bass player Tad Kinchla, and keyboardist Ben Wilson.
Much like Gin Blossoms, Blues Traveler also brought Chris Barron on stage. In this case, it was a little different as Barron and Popper have a very long friendship and have worked together many times over the years. John Popper told the story of creating the track “Champipple” (check out an episode of “Sanford & Son” for the meaning) before the pair launched into the track that was originally on Popper’s record with The Duskray Troubadours.
While the big hits were there, the band also peppered it’s set with a few covers. In addition to the Charlie Daniels track, another set highlight was the band’s take on Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs”. Watching Blues Traveler put their spin on these songs certainly shows that they deserve far more respect musically than they have received over the years. They are one of the tightest live bands I’ve seen, and combined with John Popper’s stage banter and unique voice they are certainly an underrated live force.
Nostalgia usually makes for a fun night, but with these three bands it was more than that. There was a comradery among them that is rarely seen with package tours. The careers of each of these bands had a similar arc and the friendships they forged through those years is evident. What is also evident is that the music of these bands still resonates with audiences. The theater was packed, not an empty seat to be found. I also found the crowd demographic interesting, literally all ages were present. Young people who weren’t even born when Woodstock 94 (or 99) happened were dancing alongside those of us who were in college then as well as a generation above us. It really showed that great music is timeless and will always find its audience.
