Music

Catch Boston alt-rockers Buffalo Tom

The trio will be joined by beloved indie rocker Ted Leo on Dec. 3.

Photo Credit: Lily Garceau Lily Garceau

1 minute to read

Buffalo Tom are a Boston rock institution. If you grew up in or around the city like I did, you know this. And if you were lucky enough to go to school here in the ‘90s? Well, the band likely holds a pretty special place in your musical heart.

I was an undergrad at Northeastern University in the mid-to-late ‘90s, and Buffalo Tom was a staple on my weekly radio show on NU’s 104.9 WRBB. Their fifth album, Sleepy Eyed, dropped during my freshman year, so I spun a ton of cuts from that one, but I also dug back into tunes from 1990’s Birdbrain, 1992’s Let Me Come Over, and 1993’s Big Red Letter Day, which is my favorite album of theirs. When the band was booked to play on campus during my senior year, I was over the moon. The songs sounded even better live because that’s the thing about Buffalo Tom: they’re a really, really good live band.

And that’s always been the case, whether they’re rockin’ the quad, on stage in front of a sold-out crowd at Avalon (yes, I’ve seen them there, too) or headlining Big Night Live, which they’ll be doing in early December. And with Ted Leo–known for his ‘90s indie-rock act Chisel and ‘00s outfit Ted Leo and the Pharmacists–in tow, you’ll be treated to a night of energetic, cathartic rock & roll music provided by seasoned veterans. And you don’t even have to be an old head like me to appreciate it.