INTRODUCTION:
Sometimes the most meaningful nights in music do not arrive with fireworks or headlines. They arrive quietly, shaped by memory, community, and the shared understanding that certain voices never truly leave us. That is the spirit surrounding the rescheduled tribute concert honoring Todd Snider, a songwriter whose wit, warmth, and humanity carved a permanent place in Americana music.
Originally planned for January 10, the memorial event was moved to January 22 after the scheduling clash with the Green Bay Packers–Chicago Bears wild-card playoff game at Soldier Field. While football may dominate a city’s attention for a night, the heart of Green Bay will soon turn toward something equally communal but far more reflective: a room full of songs, stories, and people who loved a man who never wrote from a distance.
Now titled Play a Train Song: The Songs of Todd Snider, the tribute will take place at 7 p.m. on January 22 at the Riverside Ballroom, a venue that feels less like a stage and more like a second home to Snider’s legacy. For more than a decade, he stopped there regularly while traveling between Minneapolis and Chicago, building relationships that extended beyond ticket stubs and setlists.
Todd Snider was never just a performer passing through town. He was a storyteller who lingered, listened, and returned.
A Songwriter Who Spoke Like A Friend
Known for songs such as “Alright Guy,” “Talking Seattle Grunge Rock Blues,” and “Play a Train Song,” Todd Snider wrote with humor that disarmed and honesty that stayed with you long after the last chord faded. His lyrics felt conversational, almost improvised, yet they carried a sharp awareness of life’s contradictions—hope and frustration, joy and fatigue, laughter and loss.
That balance is why his music resonated so deeply across generations. He never pretended to have all the answers. He simply told the truth as he saw it, with compassion and wit.
A Community Takes The Stage
The upcoming tribute concert reflects that same spirit. More than a dozen area musicians will step forward, not as headliners, but as caretakers of a shared legacy. Artists including Troy Heinz & the 57’s, Lightning Factory, David Shurman, Elliott Gottleman, Gerry Sloan, Zoomie, Ryan Thompson, David Wanie, Chris Rugowski, Blaine Shultz, Phil Gospodarek, Mark Gauthier, and Wagon Roots will perform songs that span Todd Snider’s wide-ranging catalog.
The setlist promises familiar comfort and deep cuts alike, including “Comes a Time,” “Double Wide,” “Positively Negative,” “Force of Nature,” “Sunshine,” “Beer Run,” “Waco Moon,” and many more. These are not just songs—they are shared memories.
Stories From The Road
Adding a deeply personal layer to the evening will be Dave Hixx, Todd Snider’s road manager for more than twenty years. Longtime fans may remember him affectionately as “Elvis,” known for occasionally appearing onstage in a jumpsuit to perform an Elvis Presley tune while Snider strummed along with a grin.
Hixx will travel from Detroit to share photographs, stories, and memories from life on the road—moments unseen by audiences but essential to understanding the man behind the music. He will also bring along vintage posters, merchandise, and memorabilia, turning the concert into a living archive rather than a formal memorial.
Music With A Purpose
In keeping with Todd Snider’s values, the event remains accessible to everyone. A $20 suggested donation will be accepted at the door, but no one will be turned away if they are unable to pay. Proceeds will benefit Paul’s Pantry, and nonperishable food donations are welcome.
It is a fitting tribute. Todd Snider believed music should serve people, not separate them.
Why This Night Matters
This concert is not about filling the silence left behind. It is about honoring a voice that taught listeners how to sit comfortably with imperfection, how to laugh at themselves, and how to remain human in an often uncompromising world.
The date may have changed. The meaning has not.
On January 22, in a familiar room filled with familiar songs, Green Bay will gather not to mourn what was lost, but to celebrate what endures. The words. The humor. The honesty.
And for one evening, Todd Snider will be exactly where he always belonged—among friends, stories, and songs still rolling forward, like a train you can hear long after it disappears down the track.