I was first introduced to Todd Snider when he opened for John Prine at Tucson’s Centennial Hall on November 10, 2001. It’s a pretty classy joint so I remember thinking “Who’s this guitar guy strolling on stage without shoes?” With his hat pulled low, Todd started strumming and singing, by the time he finished he had gained several more fans.

I won’t claim the everyone in the audience liked him, with his laidback, slacker style Todd was definitely not everyone’s favorite beer. His songs ranged from self-deprecating and irreverent to politically incorrect with a dash of biting social commentary thrown in to make the average listener slightly uncomfortable. It’s not easy to perfect a simple and straightforward story but Todd was a creative genius (and if a song bombed, he was the first to laugh about it).

Over the years I’d been fortunate to see the Barefoot Troubadour numerous times. The last one was in 2000, shortly after I moved to Florida. It was my birthday weekend and I was stoked when I won tickets to his Tampa show. It was such great way to settle in to my new home.

Sadly, Todd passed away this past November, just after heading out on tour for the first time in years. He had been scheduled to play here on January 31, so Noisemakers hosted a tribute show last night. It was a fantastic show, with various talented locals taking the stage to tell Todd stories and sing their favorite songs. We may have been an eclectic crowd of mixed ages, but we were buddies as we all sang along:

“A little out of place, a little out of tune
Sorta lost in space, racin’ the moon
Climbin’ the walls of this hurricane
Still overall I guess I can’t complain
I can’t complain, no I can’t complain”