Big Head Todd and the Monsters spread love at World Cafe Live

Big Head Todd and the Monsters | Photo by Breanna Keohane for WXPN

 

Big Head Todd and the Monsters came into the city on Sunday night to show Philadelphia some Valentine’s Day love. The band was celebrating their 30th anniversary with a U.S. tour with Mike Doughty that kicked off and ends in Colorado, with a stop at World Cafe Live in the middle.

Doughty, formerly of Soul Coughing, walked out on stage stag with just his guitar in head. The singer-songwriter started his solo career in 2000 when he parted ways with his old band and between a multitude of other personal projects, he has formed his own unique singer-songwriter rock sound. Joining him halfway through his set was Big Head Todd and the Monster’s keys player Jeremy Lawton on pedal-steel guitar.

The crowd varied from young fans in their early 20’s to others who have been fans since the very beginning of Big Head Todd’s musical career. Prior to the show, the band held their usual meet-and-greet with fans, rekindling connections with the devoted fans whom they’ve met before and sparking the interest of new ones.

As eager fans awaited Todd Park Mohr’s grinning face, The Monsters kicked off the set with “Poor Miss.” They showcased their most-recently released song “New World Arisin’,” which starts off with a hard rock guitar riff and then comes in strong with Morh’s bluesy melodic vocals.

The blues-rock band have always stayed true to their sound, and continued to showcase that through their entire set. The band played fan-favorite songs like “Be Alright” and “Bittersweet” off of their 1993 album Sister Sweetly, as well as songs like “Everything About You” off of their album Black Beehive, which was released back in 2014. With 30 years of history behind them, Big Head Todd and the Monsters continue to play quality performances whether it’s filling up Red Rocks or packing in World Cafe.