St. Pat's With The Tossers: A Chicago Tradition
By Karl Klockars in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 18, 2010 7:00PM
If there was ever one time to find yourself at a Tossers show, it's on St. Patrick's Day. When the actual date falls on a Wednesday, only the hardcore will venture out to the bars to celebrate like most others had done during the preceding weekend. Even Wrigleyville was uncharacteristically staid last night, so when these hundreds of green-clad Soldiers in the Army of Chi-rish Drunken Pride show up to the Metro mid-week to get a little sideways and kick out some jams, you can be sure you're in the company of True Believers.
The Tossers have been performing at the Metro for over a decade and if you're expecting any major surprises by this point, you're in the wrong room. They delivered the blue-collar Celt-punk fans have come to know and love; beers were drank, bros did the thing where they slam into each other and then hug, and a grand old time was had once again. Even though they're not reinventing the wheel here, what the Tossers do do, they do well.
They do so especially when in the company of many old friends and familiar faces who have watched the group as they've evolved over the years since their first release in 1994. Whereas the Tossers of yore were like a torn and safety-pinned Shamrock tshirt, today's Tossers are more like a whiskey-stained tweed jacket: A little more professional and refined, but still rough around the edges.