Spafford Welcomes Lotus Guitarist Tim Palmieri At Toad’s Place

By Scott Bernstein Aug 28, 2026 • 11:32 am PDT

Spafford’s Thursday night show at Toad’s Place in New Haven, Connecticut featured a familiar face when Lotus guitarist Tim Palmieri joined the quartet for a pair of songs.

Palmieri emerged during the first set to lend a second guitar to Spafford original “Ain’t That Wrong” before sticking around for the band’s take on Pink Floyd’s “Run Like Hell.” The latter marked the 20th time Spafford has performed the song since debuting it on October 28, 2023, according to Spaffnerds.

Palmieri, who lives in the New Haven area, was playing close to home Thursday night. The guitarist previously joined Spafford onstage, sitting in on “Darkness Singularity” during the quartet’s August 9, 2025 appearance at the JamPacked Festival in Richmond, Virginia.

The sit-in was part of a first set that opened with “Broken Wing” > “Nocturnal Emissions” and also featured “Be Strange.” Palmieri and Spafford guitarist Brian Moss each took solos during an “Ain’t That Wrong” that included a jam on Talking Heads’ “Life During Wartime.” The pair brought the song to a close with a fierce call-and-response.

“Run Like Hell” subsequently took a turn toward the livetronica sound Palmieri often explores with Lotus. The two guitarists helped drive the jam toward a massive peak before Palmieri had one last chance to shred as the musicians returned to the “Run Like Hell” structure to close the cover.

After “Ain’t That Wrong” and “Run Like Hell,” Spafford returned for a second set containing “America,” “Runaway,” “Plush” and “The Reprise” before closing with “Levilan Shores.” The band then delivered a two-song encore, pairing “Kiss Off” with a reprise of the Violent Femmes classic.

The complete Toad’s Place performance was livestreamed, while Spafford also shared additional footage of Palmieri’s guest appearance. Watch Tim Palmieri team with Spafford for “Ain’t That Wrong” and “Run Like Hell” below, and check out the full livestream replay as well.

Setlist

Set One: Broken Wing > Nocturnal Emissions, Be Strange, Ain’t That Wrong [1], Run Like Hell [1]

Set Two: America, Runaway, Plush > The Reprise, Levilan Shores

Encore: Kiss Off > Kiss Off Reprise

[1] – with Tim Palmieri on guitar