North Pearl Street on a Thursday night in August — there are worse places to be. Empire Live sits right in the thick of downtown Albany, and on August 13, the Toadies are bringing The Charmer Tour through town for one of the better rock shows of the summer.
About Toadies
Here is why this one matters: The Charmer is the Toadies’ first studio album since 2017, and it was recorded with the late Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago — all analog, no computers, live takes straight to tape. Frontman Vaden Lewis put it plainly: “No computers were used for tracking or mixing, just old school tape and razor blade.” For a band that built its name on raw, uncompromising rock — the kind that launched “Possum Kingdom” into alt-radio rotation back in 1994 — that approach fits perfectly.
The Toadies have been at this since 1989, forming in Fort Worth and never really losing the thread of what made them compelling. Lewis’s distinctive vocals, the dynamic shifts between whisper-quiet and blowout-loud, the unconventional song structures. The new record — their eighth studio album — is what the band is calling their most personal and visceral work yet. Singles “The Charmer” and “Damage” are already getting radio play.
About Empire Live
Empire Live holds 1,000 standing, which puts you close to the stage in exactly the right way for this kind of show. The venue opened in 2021 at 93 N. Pearl Street in downtown Albany and has built a reputation as one of the better mid-size rooms in the Albany / Capital District. It runs two floors under one roof, so you have options — but for a Toadies show, get yourself to the floor. This is standing room only, so if you want position up front, give yourself time to settle in before the 8:00 PM start.
Worth noting: the Toadies head straight to Rochester’s Hoochenanny Whiskey & Music Festival the very next day (August 14–16). Albany is the night before, which makes this a natural first stop on an upstate New York Toadies road trip if you are so inclined.
Tickets
Toadies at Empire Live goes Thursday, August 13, 2026 at 8:00 PM. Tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster.