The Boulder, Colorado-based quartet known best for its major label debut Sister Sweetly, hit the Midland Theatre stage on the last Saturday of summer to a welcoming and rowdy crowd. “It was absolutely fantastic!,” “Seeing BHT&TM was a bucket list item for me,” “Blown away!!! They were amazing.” These were just a few of the comments from fans following a tremendous night of music at the historic, 98 year-old gem of a theatre on the square in Newark, OH.
The band took no time revving up the crowd with 2007’s “Cashbox” from their eighth studio album, All The Love You Need. They then moved effortlessly from hit to hit across their discography for a two hour set of music that featured deeper tracks”Ellis Island,” “Midnight Radio,” and Vincent of Jersey” as well as expected notables from 1993’s platinum release, Sister Sweetly. Another highlight of the evening was the song “Blue Sky,” that Mohr penned in honor of the STS-114 space shuttle mission that followed on the heals of the Columbia disaster.
BHTM formed in 1986 when Todd Park Mohr (Guitar, Vocals, Harmonica), Rob Squires (Bass, Vocals), and Brian Nevin (Drums) got together at the University of Colorado. They played their first show at the school in 1987 and proceed to pick up a dedicated following in and around the mountain states with their live performances, logging hundreds of thousands of miles in their van. Their first album, Another Mayberry, was released in 1989. Since then, the band has amassed over a dozen studio albums, several live albums, and a few blues tribute releases and appearances. In 2003, Jeremy Lawton (Keyboards, Lap Steel Guitar, Vocals) joined the band and the group hasn’t looked back keeping a consistent lineup, releasing albums, and touring.
Die hard fans may recall the 2020 live streamed show BHTM broadcasted from Red Rocks in Denver, CO a month into the pandemic. The gig was played to an empty amphitheater at a time when musicians and audiences alike were struggling with how to connect. I had a chance to discuss that show with drummer Brian Nevin before their set in Newark and he told me there were quite a few hoops to jump through with the Governor’s office and the Park System to make that event happen. “There were only like 11 of us there at the event”, Nevin said. “It was us, our crew, and two people from the park that were there to make sure nobody got close to anyone. It was strange to finish a song and have no one in the audience reacting.” That was certainly not the case at The Midland when the band left the crowd standing and begging for more after their encore of John Lee Hooker’s “Boom Boom” and Sister Sweetly’s “Circle.”
Nearly 40 years into their career, Big Head Todd and the Monsters continue to draw crowds for a night of guitar-driven rock and roll that leaves fans wanting more. At the Midland on this particular Saturday, patrons from 17 states and Canada made it to Newark, Ohio to catch one of only 3 area shows on the band’s extensive fall tour that will take them from Maine to Nevada and many places in between. Whether you’ve seen the band a number of times, are a newbie just discovering the music, or the follower wanting to tick off that bucket list first show, be sure to find the show nearest you before 2026 gets away from us all.
