“It’s good to be back among ya!” Todd Snider addresses a rapturous crowd before launching into “Big Finish”. The tongue-in-cheek selection served as the singer-songwriter’s show opener when he returned to performing in fall 2021 following COVID-induced lockdowns, and also opens his upcoming album, Live: Return of the Storyteller. “Big Finish” is out now as the latest single from the double LP out on September 23rd.
Originally taken from 2012’s Agnostic Hymns and Stoner Fables, the track abounds with the Bastard from Beaverton’s signature wit making it the perfect opening statement. From the opening lyrical fakeout to the mind-jumbling tongue twister, “I try to remember, it helps me to forget / The older I get the more I worry that the more I worry the older I get /And yet, I still worry about that / Ain’t that about a son of a bitch, I tell you,” Snider instantly reacquaints himself with the audience.
Snider said of the song choice,
I wanted to put out a live album of a one man band show to remind the people who listen to me that I know I am a troubadour and folk singer. I am a glorified busker first and foremost and always. The reason I get to explore music in the studio is because I can play it alone on the road. It’s like an unspoken agreement between myself and ‘The Shithouse Choir.’ I feel like we have a thirty year inside joke going. It seems like the only thing they are counting on me to do is whatever I want and I wanted to make this album for them. It starts with this song that on one level is directly to them. You can listen to this as the first song of a new show from an old singer to an audience he’s lucked into for years through good gigs and bad, and he’s back again explaining his side of it. He says ‘it always seemed like the right thing at the time’ just like being here now does…welcome to the show.
Return of the Storyteller serves as a sequel to Snider’s beloved 2011 live album, The Storyteller. The 27-track collection spans the breadth of Todd’s storied career from his 1994 debut Songs for the Daily Planet through last year’s First Agnostic Church of Hope and Wonder. Nestled among those 27 tracks, however, are 11 stories from Snider’s three decades traveling the country, toeing the line between a freeloader and a free spirit.
Related: Todd Snider Previews New Live Album With ‘Return Of The Storyteller’ Livestream [Video]
Listen to “Big Finish” from the upcoming Todd Snider live album, Return of the Storyteller, below or on your preferred platform. Click here to pre-order. Todd will celebrate the album’s release on September 24th at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium with Ramblin’ Jack Elliott as part of the American Troubadour Tour, set to kick off on September 7th in Rocky Mount, VA. For tickets and a full list of tour dates head here.
Todd Snider – “Big Finish” (Live)