Friends since the ’90s, Steve Poltz and Bob Schneider are kindred spirits who mix touching, heartfelt songs with a strong dose of humor and storytelling. In their recent appearance together at The Birchmere, they delighted the audience with a show that was unlike anything else I’ve seen this year.
Poltz, who took the stage first on Dec. 12 — they were trading off spots on this tour — is one of a kind, a truly unique, eccentric character. Before he opened with “Silver Lining,” he mentioned how he had surgery for a torn meniscus in his right knee; I’m sure he will, at 65, be picked up on a two-way contract by some NBA team any day now (his preferred sport is actually baseball). After “Silver Lining,” he did a sort of a cappella or spoken word delivery of “Hand Me Down Dude” — after which he mentioned how his parents question, “Are you sure you’re our son?” (I get similar reactions from my Dad to the colorful things I say, which is rich, given this is a man who thought it was a funny joke to tell his elementary school-aged children how he liked to sneak into their bedrooms on winter nights, peel off the covers and watch them shiver. He also thought it was appropriate to call me fat by suggesting that my zodiac sign “is buffet.”)
The show went in an unexpected direction as Steve next played an instrumental, then a new Christmas song, which he introduced with some banter about Paul Westerberg of the Replacements. Before “Shine On,” he talked about his first date, which involved seeing the original Planet of the Apes and ended with his first kiss. Decades later, he ran into the woman, and learned she was a lesbian.
Watch Steve Poltz perform “Shine On” live for Folk Alley Sessions at 30A on YouTube:
Steve took a winding path through “Silver Lining,” paying tribute to fellow musician Todd Snider, who recently passed away. He talked about how, back in the ’90s, he arrived early to a gig to find Snider and his band, the Nervous Wrecks (with Will Wimbrough, who went on to play with Emmylou Harris, on guitar), already at the venue. “You wouldn’t think we’d be the guys who got there early,” he quipped, “but we were.”
In a moment of inspiration, Todd suggested they all play whiffle ball inside the bar. For whatever reason, the manager let them. They used glasses as bases, which resulted in broken glass being strewn about the floor.
Fast forward decades to a few months ago, when Steve was part of the You’ve Got Gold Tribute to John Prine at the Ryman, where he sang “Illegal Smile.” Todd was also on the bill, and he invited Steve to join him and Evan Dando in their dressing room. When he got on stage, he joked, “I think I need to call my sponsor.” While there was humor here, there was also real feeling; Steve mentioned he had a premonition he wouldn’t see Todd again. Sadly, he was right.
Turning in a more upbeat direction, Poltz mentioned he has a new record coming out on January 30, and played the single he just released, “If It Bleeds, It Leads.” He rounded out the set “Joyride” and “Son of God.” (Steve Satzberg, who took the photos accompanying this article, noted, “There was more Jesus than I expected in this show.”) To close out his set, he led the audience in a singalong to the Grateful Dead’s “Ripple” as he went out into the audience. It was a brilliant, warm, funny, heartfelt performance, and it absolutely earned the standing ovation it got.
I’d never seen Bob Schneider before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. While he, too, employs humor and asides in his songs, he’s a bit more strained than Steve, so his set was a little more conventional. He got started with “Changing Your Mind,” followed by “Blue Skies for Everyone,” “Making It Up,” “Metal and Steel,” “Wish the Wind Would Blow,” and “Bonguiorno Baby.”
Watch Bob Schneider perform “Buongiorno Baby” live from Norfolk Street on YouTube:
Bob sang one holiday song, “All I Want for Christmas,” then rounded out his set with “Hours and Days,” “Blood and Bones,” “American Jesus,” and “Forty Days.” For his encore, he did “Love Is Everywhere.”
Schneider, as I noted was new to me, and he was a lot of fun. This is my third time seeing Poltz, and each time has been a unique, special experience. The songs and stories are always different, so I never know quite what to expect, and it’s always a good time.
Here are some photos of Steve Poltz performing live at The Birchmere on Dec. 12, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Steve Satzberg.
Here are some photos of Bob Schneider performing live at The Birchmere on Dec. 12, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Steve Satzberg.
