Toast to the Nog, tips, Willie-Merle-and-Ray

The fall season is upon us -- and there's nothing more underground at the moment than the Sunday-to-Wednesday music series in Union Square called "A Toast to the Nog.'' The Nog, you may recall, is short for Tir na Nog, the nearby club whose lease was yanked amid much consternation last spring. But the Nog has rebounded by taking over four nights up the street at Toast, where the basement has been transformed with oriental carpets and other softening touches to make it seem more like the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge.
I've been hanging out a lot at Toast's Nog nights -- and they've seen a quietly spectacular mix of all kinds of people of different ages and tastes. The literally underground site, which also features a second lounge room with romantically lit couches and an outdoor patio reached by taking stairs down from the street, feels very much like a cosmopolitan New York night spot. Some old Nog faves are playing there -- including David Johnston, Christian McNeill, and Paddy Saul -- plus newcomers such as Mike Hastings, who has shown great potential as a singer-songwriter.
Co-owner Robert Elliott has been building a grass-roots, word-of-mouth image for the place, and he never even got a website going until recently when a MySpace page went up. He mostly has text-messaged people to get them to spread the word. Very fashionably low-key, to say the least, but this is a fun place with a wraparound bar full of intersting conversationalists (ex-Plough & Stars owner George Crowley is often there) and the Guinness is still flowing liberally. Check it out.
Music-wise, the best event I've seen recently was the Last of the Breed tour with Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Ray Price at the Bank of America Pavilion the other night. Talk about legends. All of these guys have been around (Price is 81 years old!), but their rich repository of hits was on full display and they also popped up to youthfully sing with each other, most notably on Haggard's "Okie from Muskogee,'' which now sounds more like a pro-pot anthem than the anti-pot tone of the original. Hey, these guys have been around and they know the biggest sin in the world is not pot-smoking (just ask Willie!).
Willie was solid and played his standby outlaw set list (starting with "Whiskey River'' again), but also offered some new material such as the anti-war tune "A Peaceful Solution,'' which had a line about how "we need to take back America.'' A few people actually walked out in protest, but it was good to hear Willie speak his mind.
Haggard's set was the most lackluster, as he babied his voice and didn't sound nearly as strong as when he opened for Bob Dylan at the Orpheum a couple of years ago. But the show was stolen by Price, the country crooner famous for putting a layer of pop on traditional country, but doing it with class. His song, "For the Good Times,'' is still a pre-eminent love song. And his voice belied his age, as he sang with remarkable poise and passion. I'd love to see this tour come back next year.

CRITIC'S TIP THIS WEEK:
Gov’t Mule – at the Bank of America Pavilion on Friday, Sept. 7. The Southern rock jammers, again led by Warren Haynes, should steam up the pavilion. The addition of Vermont’s Grace Potter & the Nocturnals on the bill should also raise pulses.

Gentlemen – at the Abbey Lounge on Friday, Sept. 7. Boston’s Gentlemen remain a command performance for lovers of no-frills rock. They’ll hit the Abbey at 11:30 p.m., preceded by Watts (a dynamic group named in tribute to Stones drummer Charlie Watts) and AM Stereo.

Scissormen – at Toad on Friday, Sept. 7. Singer/guitarist/journalist Ted Drozdowski just moved from Boston to Nashville, but he hasn’t forgotten about us. His bluesy Scissormen will stoke a hedonistic atmosphere.

Jimmy Buffett & the Coral Reefer Band – at Gillette Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 8. Few Parrotheads thought they’d ever see Buffett at Fenway, and probably fewer thought he’d play a stadium show in Foxborough. The fans should at least have more tailgating opportunities than they did at a locked-down Fenway. And some last-minute tickets have been released, so you still have a chance to get in.

Pinehills Jazz and Blues -- at the Pinehill village green in Plymouth for two days, Sept. 8-9. It's worth heading to Plymouth for a sophisticated lineup that includes jazz luminaries Rebecca Parris and Myanna on Saturday, then Roomful of Blues, Coco Montoya, and Johnny Hoy & the Bluefish on Sunday.

Charms – at T.T. the Bear’s on Saturday, Sept. 8. The Boston garage-rock band has battled adversity in recent years, but also has soared nationally thanks to the help of Little Steven’s “Underground Garage’’ radio show.

Wachusetts Blues Festival -- at Mt. Wachusetts on Sunday, Sept. 9. A partying lineup stars New Orleans great Marcia Ball, plus the Tommy Castro Band and Danny Klein's Stone Crazy (Danny is the J. Geils Band bassist).

Genesis – at TD Banknorth Garden on Tuesday, Sept. 11. Singer Phil Collins performed his farewell solo tour a few years ago (it was fantastic) and nothing less is expected from what is likely his farewell tour fronting longtime hitmakers Genesis.