Los Angeles welcomes New York natives Frog with open arms, as showcased by the sold out show they played at Lodge Room in Highland Park Saturday night. The last leg of their fall tour has brought them across the country to charm us with twangy melodies regarding conundrums in love and life. Leading strongly into “Hartsdale Hotbox” with a few introductory warmup strums, voices were immediate from the audience- everyone knew the words. Between songs, fans can expect Steve Bateman to successfully attempt to rile up the audience by shouting key words from behind his drum set. "Los Angeles" and "You guys rock!" were a couple he threw out, but it didn't really matter, we were yelling for Frog. A solid variety of songs they played across their eight previously released albums ensured that no matter which was your favorite, there was something for you. Even a rare unreleased Thomas White original was played for us, the bassist describing his purpose for writing the song as his wife wanting to move to California, which “…bummed him out.” He loves it here now, he says, which is to our benefit. This being the second Frog show I've attended, I know that although Steve and lead vocalist Daniel Bateman are related by blood, Thomas fits right into their band like a puzzle piece. Each musician has their essential purpose, and they all contribute to the fun and entertaining ecosystem that a Frog show wouldn't exist without. A ways into the set you'll find the star of the album cover for THE COUNT removing his button up to reveal his signature wife beater, and making his way to his Roland V-stage in the center, where he can really shine. Daniel's piano solos are hypnotically breathtaking, and when he plays you won't see his eyes travel anywhere outside of the music. “BARUCH ATTA” was a particularly beautiful song of theirs presented live with the band's improvisational enhancements, which is one reason you need to see them play live. After attending last year's show I made sure to get tickets for this one, and I will see them again when they make their (hopefully) inevitable return!
