Toad the Wet Sprocket to play Patchogue Theatre in the fall

The Patchogue Theatre is getting ready to reopen this fall: The 1,106-seat venue's first new booking will be Toad the Wet Sprocket, headlining on Oct. 2. This marks the band’s first Long Island gig in five years.

"We are so excited," says the theater's executive director, Michele Rizzo-Berg. "I thought it would be a lot of fun to bring in this band from the ‘90s that has hits people know and love."

Toad the Wet Sprocket hasn’t performed live since winter 2020, and the band is anxious to hit the road.

"We are ready to play," says lead singer-guitarist Glen Phillips. "The experience of performing songs for people, getting to see their faces and the energy of it all is one of my favorite things about being alive. We are really happy to be doing it again."

The band, which gets its name from a Monty Python comedy sketch, will drop new album "Starting Now" on Aug. 27, its first since 2013.

"Recording this album during the pandemic was really a different process. Everybody was working at home and Dropboxing tracks to each other," says Phillips, 50. "On one hand, it might seem disjointed, but I think it helped us see our own strengths. We came together with something that was wonderfully cohesive."

Patchogue Theatre has made this 100% capacity show open only to people who are fully vaccinated.

"We are going based on what we are allowed to do via the state and CDC guidelines. The show can be full-capacity if our audience is vaccinated," says Rizzo-Berg. "People must show proof of vaccination with the Excelsior Pass or with their vaccination card. All guests will be notified when they purchase tickets that this will be a performance that requires a fully vaccinated audience so there are no surprises."

The theater has also rescheduled its 19 shows from 2020, starting with "The White Album Live" featuring the Moondogs on Sept. 24 and flowing into 2022 with classic rock supergroup The Hit Men on April 22.

"Now that things are coming into the new normal and artists are starting to tour, we are getting more shows on the calendar," says Rizzo-Berg. "Once agents can route a tour where there’s no restrictions from venue to venue, we will get busier."

Tickets ($45-$75) for Toad the Wet Sprocket go on sale Friday at 9 a.m. via patchoguetheatre.org.

By David J. Criblez

david.criblez@newsday.comDavidJCriblez

David J. Criblez is a reporter for Newsday's exploreLI, covering entertainment-related events from local music to stand-up comedy to festivals.