It is a rare and unique opportunity to see a band with established commercial success already behind them, play to a packed crowd of 150 or so people. It's even rarer to see them play acoustic. The word of the evening was intimacy as Tonic utilized a VH1 Storyteller's vibe and played a two-hour acoustic set at The Khyber, located on 2nd St. in Philadelphia.

   Opener Tyler Hilton, performing his last show with the band before heading back to his native California, was described, by more than one audience member, as "a throaty John Mayer," though a little older and a little less brooding. Knowing his place as the Opening Act, Hilton breezed through his one-man show, getting off the stage after a light-hearted jibe about the audience's lack of interest in him, and their impatient need to see Tonic.

   The band took the stage around eleven, pulling the audience in with "Open Up Your Eyes" from their debut Lemon Parade, followed by two of their other hit singles, the most recent "Take Me As I Am" and "You Wanted More." For the latter, the audience displayed a surprising amount of conviction, overpowering the band, belting out every word, leading me to believe the mostly male audience had a bit of experience with love lost and bitterness toward it.

   The three bandmates, Emerson Hart, Jeff Russo and Dan Lavery sounded amazingly tight and together, their harmonies blending nicely, helping Hart deliver his super emotional lyrics with the most power possible, especially on "Head on Straight." His lyrics about trust, love loss and vulnerability made me want to fall in love, get my heart broken and live to tell about it. Hart is so emotionally evocative, he encapsulates matters of the heart as a common thread through their entire songlist.

   Displaying an almost even mix, Tonic played near as many songs from their first album, Lemon Parade, as they did from their newest, Head On Straight, with only a few from Sugar thrown in. During "On Your Feet," "Bigot Sunshine," and "Lemon Parade," Russo jumped behind a modified drum set, and later, Russo and Lavery played musical chairs – Russo taking over bass while Lavery took a turn at the drums for "Casual Affair." And they did it all without a hint of pretension.

   More than halfway through their set, for the Audience Participation segment of the evening, Tonic ripped through a rather extensive version of "Name That Tune" with songs ranging from Led Zeppelin to Thin Lizzy to Rick Springfield's "Jessie's Girl," which Hart openly enjoyed as what he coined his "80's moment."

   The show was so emotionally uplifting, providing a mellow escape to the news of the world and inundation of war talk. The guys were full of humor and totally entertaining. They ended with "Casual Affair," and, in a moment of humility or just plain laziness, Hart refused to get up only to return to the stage for their two song encore, "Soldier's Daughter" and "Mr. Golden Deal."

   Tonic's performance at the Khyber was a fly on the wall experience to three guys having fun doing what they love. Which, according to Lavery, was always the goal. Commenting after the show, he explained, "[we] just wanted to get out and play…the three of us wanted to just jump in the car and go." The vibe was achieved, and the show was a rare glimpse at a couple of extremely talented friends just hanging out, jamming in your Living Room. Stripped down, cohesive and casual, Tonic's acoustic tour is a definite hit.

Megan Mc.
Columnist, EMPYRE Lounge

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