“My first concert was Men at Work!” asserted Toad the Wet Sprocket frontman Glen Phillips excitedly as the 90s hitmakers opened for the 80s hit machine earlier this month just south of Chicago in New Lenox, Illinois. “The Santa Barbara Bowl!”
One of the summer’s most unique tours featured a little bit of everything as Australian new wave group Men at Work hit the road with alternative rockers Toad the Wet Sprocket and Japanese punk trio Shonen Knife, a jaunt which wrapped up this week in Los Angeles.
A throwback to the days when radio and MTV could drive both hits and sales, Men at Work and Toad the Wet Sprocket have combined for innumerable hits. Men at Work has sold in excess of 30 million albums globally with Toad the Wet Sprocket tacking on nearly five million more of their own in America alone thanks to two platinum releases and one gold record.
Over the course of about a half hour on stage, Shonen Knife fed their Ramones like punk sensibility through a Beach Boys lens, producing a unique brand of jangly, melodic, hooky punk rock complete with gorgeous live harmonies.
“Twist Barbie” came second in the set, with the guitar work of Naoko Yamano conjuring up the undeniable mental image of Johnny Ramone as the trio tore through the cut at a breakneck pace, wrapping up in under three minutes in quintessential punk rock fashion.
“Thank you very much!” said Naoko on stage in New Lenox just feet from her sister Atsuko on bass. “The next two songs are about delicious foods!”
Swaying back and forth in choreographed fashion throughout, Shonen Knife offered up “Vamos Taquitos” before quickly following with “Sushi Bar Song” midway through a rewarding early Friday afternoon performance.
“These guys opened for Men at Work!” added Phillips on stage later as Toad the Wet Sprocket revisited an early hit from a different Australian rock act, tearing through INXS’ “Don’t Change,” from 1982’s Shabooh Shoobah album.
Opening with “Good Intentions,” Phillips and company rolled through hits like “Come Down” early and “Something’s Always Wrong” later, before revisiting their breakthrough third studio album, 1991’s Fear, closing with “Walk on the Ocean.”
“Thank you for being here,” said Phillips as Toad finished its set. “We couldn’t do this job if you weren’t here. And it’s the greatest job.”
Marked by high highs and low lows, the path of Men at Work was brisk, with the group releasing three albums in about four years before breaking up in 1986.
Frontman Colin Hay began an exciting new chapter in the early 2000s, with his solo work beginning to reach a new audience thanks to shrewd, but organic, placement of his work in projects like the hospital comedy sitcom Scrubs and the Zach Braff-directed coming of age, romantic comedy/drama Garden State.
His one-man show quickly became the thing of legend, with the idea of storytelling front and center as Hay put a new spin on the Men at Work catalog while lending an honest, autobiographical approach to both his solo output and live performances.
Today, Hay stands as Men at Work’s only original member with the majority of the current band intact for about seven years.
“Sorry about the rain,” mused Hay on stage in Chicago’s southern suburbs, trailing off. “What rain?!” responded a fan loudly as Hay smiled.
Rain proved luckily fleeting as Men at Work made their way through a fun headlining performance as part of New Lenox’s annual summer concert series, one which has included 2026 performances by Brothers Osborne, Big & Rich and Andy Grammer (ahead of performances by Blue Öyster Cult and Bad Company’s Simon Kirke on August 29 and The Who’s Roger Daltrey September 12).
“No Restrictions” set the pace early as Hay and company looked back on their 1983 sophomore studio effort Cargo, with jazzy guitar giving way to a flute interlude midway through.
The 1992 Hay solo cut “Can’t Take This Town” was driven by live saxophone and humorously choreographed dance moves, with Hay cutting much of the stories while opting to let the music do the talking over the course of the group’s 75 minutes on stage.
“Down by the Sea” came next, with drums signaling an eerie early start to the introspective performance.
“Doin’ alright?” asked Hay rhetorically. “We’re doing just fine thank you,” he continued, putting a contemporary spin on some of his earliest solo material via “Looking for Jack.”
“Catch a Star” took on a bit of a reggae vibe thanks to a wonderful live bassline as Men at Work saved the hits for last, with saxophone driving “Overkill” early and Hay handling a late guitar solo masterfully.
“It’s a Mistake” followed as Men at Work headed for the finish line in New Lenox with “Down Under” and “Be Good Johnny.”
But Hay’s wonderfully dry sense of humor was most on display as he set up Men at Work’s biggest hit in “Who Can it be Now?” “This next song I heard when I was checking out of the supermarket the other day. Involuntarily,” he deadpanned. “I said to the check out girl, ‘I wrote this song…’” Hay continued. “‘What?’” she replied. “I said, ‘I wrote that song,’” said the Men at Work frontman, setting up the cashier’s punchline. “Would you like a bag?”