I'm seeing Todd Rundgren at The Egg tomorrow night in what's billed as a 40 year retrospectiveor show. Anyone catch him this time around? I'm told he has Tubes drummer Prairie Prince in tow. Also Jesse Gress on guitar.
I'm seeing Todd Rundgren at The Egg tomorrow night in what's billed as a 40 year retrospectiveor show. Anyone catch him this time around? I'm told he has Tubes drummer Prairie Prince in tow. Also Jesse Gress on guitar.
That's his past band if Kasim is playing with them. Currently Kasim's been playing with BOC, so don't know if he's with Todd or not this tour. I love these guys live. Great band. Jesse looks like Todd Jr.
JG
"MARKLAR!"
Seeing Todd at the Calvin, right here in Northampton, 8/16, saw him there a couple of years back with this great band, as well as his "club date" at the Iron Horse the following year. Always a great show/showman/band!
I saw the State tour which just wrapped up-- pretty controversial among fans, but I enjoyed it. What you're about to see is the first date of a far more straight-ahead tour.
Was that a reaction to his latest album i.e. the set list or to the actual stage show ? Havnt took the plunge with State yet as the reviews have been mostly negative. I thought Liars was brill so would I enjoy State ?Originally Posted by bRETT
Hmm, I'm seeing him 8/10 in Tarrytown on what's billed as the State Tour on the ticket I believe, or at least on the ticketing site.
Most of the complaints were that Todd didn't play guitar and a lot of the music was on tape (Jesse played gtr, Prairie played electronic drums). Most of the album was played, and the older songs (including a hits medley for the encore) were technofied to match the album. Most of the "oldies" were either from Liars or No World Order-- no standards aside from the medley (and the one Utopia song, "Secret Society"). The album is more heavily techno than Liars without the Marvin Gaye feel-- Some very good songs on it if you can take the musical style.
That's TR, always pushing forward, fan expectations be damned.
Well, sometimes, he's sort of pushing sideways, or at right angles to reality. But... yeah
we saw the State tour and it was excellent though, as usual for Todd, WAY too loud. that said - it was very cool. Todd was in great form as were Prairie and Jesse. the whole show was more in his technological mode and very much electronic. that's nothing new for him, however. i was somewhat amazed at how "controversial" it was for some supposed Todd-geeks (of which there were numerous).
it was the show in Berkeley which we caught. the light show was very well done and the music was thunderous and quite often glorious. the highlight for me of the show and the album was Smoke, which is to my ear a Todd classic. that one came off even better than on the album, as TR-i was singing his ass off. he was humourous and clearly enjoying himself which is always great to see.
as for the album State - i'd say it's very good and, as is the case with most Todd things, very different from his other albums. it's got a vibe all its own. sort of an electronic/technology based sound, intentionally and brilliantly done. the songs are a lot of fun and a few are as special and dear to my heart as any of his other gems. Something in my Mouth and Smoke alone are worth the price of admission, imho. the concert put a kind of techno feel on it all which i thought was fitting for the live versions. the show had the feel of a rave but with more interesting music (imho). the album doesn't strike me like that but rather more like his electronic work on albums like Todd and No World Order (this one is more like the latter). personally, i thought Liars was a fabulous album and the whole line of work from TR-i era on has been unique and special. folks going to see him do early stuff from the 70s or Utopia will be very disappointed as this is not that. on the other hand, the new tour probably is.
if you don't like what he's doing at any given moment, wait a few minutes and check it out again. he's highly variable and diverse (which is what we love about him).
enjoy the shows, guys and gals!
Kim
Last edited by Polypet; 07-29-2013 at 07:15 PM.
And the code is a play, a play is a song, a song is a film, a film is a dance...
I love and know well pretty much all Todd's work up through The Individualist, but I never bought any of the albums since then, although I know the first few songs on One Long Year. I've never HEARD any of that material (including State) so I'd better get doing a little listening (seeing Todd 8/10 in Tarrytown). Have only seen Todd on Nearly Human and Second Wind tours.
So I'm thinking my mind is going to be blown by this show (I do love No World Order). I just realized, though - I was going to bring my son, who is 14 and knows NOTHING about Todd. Guess I was imagining more of a normal "rock" show. I wonder if it's a good idea for him to go? He might hate it. Small, seated venue though which will be cool.
The Calvin show (8/16) is being touted as "40 Years of Greatest Hits" or some such.
I saw the "State" show in Chicago in May and loved it. I've seen Todd on just about every tour since 1977 and stopped counting after 50+ shows. I felt that this tour was for the Todd die-hards. Not a lot of hits until the obligatory medley for the encore which was fine with me. I always like to hear what he's up to in the present, not always the past. With that said, a few days after Chicago he announced his 40th anniversary tour and is playing Milwaukee late in August. Of course we will be there. The State tour is kind of like the No World Order shows but with an updated version of the pod, very techno. Not a lot of Todd's guitar but Jesse takes care of that no problem. Fave Todd shows? Ra with Utopia in 77, Acapella with the vocal orchestra, solo shows with him and a piano and guitar and of course the incredible Liars tour. If you can find the Liars Live DVD buy it.
I was quite interested in seeing the State tour even though I would have recognized very little of it. I may be bringing my Dad to that Milwaukee show. I believe he saw Todd with my Mom some 30 years ago. Should be something, eh?
Would love to somehow get a definitive answer on if the 8/10 show is State or 40 years of hits...
http://trconnection.com/tour/t2013
Well, the new tour starts tonight. I'm interested in going on the 11th, so I'll be checking this link for reviews and setlist info. Pretty sure it's the anny tour. Always a treat to see Todd regardless.
"Henry Cow always wanted to push itself, so sometimes we would write music that we couldn't actually play – I found that very encouraging." - Lindsay Cooper, 1998
"I have nothing to do with Endless River. Phew! This is not rocket science people, get a grip." - Roger Waters, 2014
"I'm a collector. And I've always just seemed to collect personalities." - David Bowie, 1973
That would actually be good, because it's better for my son I think.
I looked at that link - the page mistakenly says Tarrytown, NJ but it's NY.
They bill this as "An Evening with Todd Rundgren. Sounds like it should be pretty cool.
Apparently it's a full band show, including Kasim.
Last edited by JKL2000; 07-30-2013 at 11:42 AM.
I wish I had known about this sooner. Anybody have any extra tickets for the Annapolis show?
Just saw two shows on the "Evening with" tour in Australia and it was fantastic! Unfortunately one of the shows, Todd had virtually lost his voice due to a cold but the band was still on fire and he soldiered through the set as best he could. The set list was superb (there’s always going to be songs you want to hear that aren’t played but you’d be hard pushed to complain about what he did play). For those interested….
1. Real Man
2. Love of the Common Man
3. Buffalo Grass
4. Kind Hearted Woman
5. Determination
6. Lucky Guy
7. Can We Still Be Friends
8. Espresso
9. Love Is the Answer
10. It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference
11. Lost Horizon
12. Flaw
13. Soul Brother
14. Soul Medley
15. I Want You
16. Hawking
17. I Saw the Light
18. Courage
19. Drive
20. Couldn't I Just Tell You
Encore:
21. Hello It's Me
22. A Dream Goes on Forever
Well worth going!
Show at The Egg was a good one, although I'd have liked to see the band stretch out with more solos..It was my first time seeing him, maybe that's just not the Rungren style. The show concentrated on harmonies, vocal and otherwise, everyone but Prairie Prince was singing. The band were talented for sure, always some interesting playing going on.
Todd's voice was pretty good, and he is an engaging showman. He sat on a stool for a few songs, but other than that he was always moving. At one point they brought out what looked like a bowl of fruit and vegetables, and my girlfriend was worried he was going to smash or throw them. But it was just a variety of maraccas and gourds, a shaker platter.
Setlist was pretty much the same as posted above. Here's the review from the local papers.
Todd Rundgren at The Egg, 7/30/13 Wednesday, July 31, 2013 by:Greg Haymes
By GREG HAYMES ALBANY – From the opening back-to-back volley of “Real Man” and “Love of the Common Man,” what was really impressive about Todd Rundgren’s performance at The Egg on Tuesday evening was the depth of soul that he poured into his music. With a musical career that started back in the ’60s, Rundgren has always been something of a musical maverick, often one or two steps ahead of the crowd, but rarely aligning with the mainstream pop or rock pack. And surprisingly enough, he’s racked up only one Top 10 across the decades – “Hello It’s Me” way back in 1973. That’s 40 years ago… And yet he is still making smart, always interesting pop music, as evidenced by his two-hour concert on Tuesday. No, The Egg wasn’t packed. In fact, there were plenty of empty seats to be found. But Rundgren and his crack four-piece backing band were really at the top of their game, as they dished up a rollicking retrospective of his hits and should-have-been hits with nary a clunker in the batch.
With drummer Prairie Prince (of the Tubes) anchoring the back beat, Rundgren tore through more than 20 songs, including such buoyant crowdpleasers as “Can We Still Be Friends” and the encore of “Hello It’s Me” (both given slightly goofy, I’ve-played-these-songs-1,000-times renditions that still managed to charm despite being set on auto-pilot), the pure pop of “I Saw the Light” and a slightly Latin-flavored rendition of “It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference” (with Rundgren on maracas). And he wasn’t above breaking into a Rockettes-styled kick-line with longtime musical compatriots guitarist Jesse Gress and bassist Kasim Sulton during the show-closing “Couldn’t I Just Tell You.” He didn’t play keyboards at all (leaving that chore to John Ferenzik) and only played guitar on a handful of songs (although his solo on the rocking “Buffalo Grass” proved that he’s still got plenty of chops to spare). He romped around the stage microphone in hand occasionally, but he also sang sitting down on a centerstage stool for the middle third of the concert. Either way, he was in total command, and at the age of 65 Rundgren’s voice was still remarkably flexible, soaring into a solid falsetto from the start during “Real Man.” Whether it was the pop ballads, the arena-ready rockers (“Drive”) or a dive into the blues (Robert Johnson’s “Kind Hearted Woman”), Rundgren invested his music with a heaping helping of classic Philly soul – nevermore so than with the back-to-back pairing of his own “Soul Brother” and the soul medley that found him sliding from Curtis Mayfield’s “I’m So Proud” to Smokey Robinson’s “Ooh Baby Baby” to Marvin Gaye’s “I Want You.” It wasn’t merely a tasty aside; it was the root of where he was coming from. And no doubt about it, Rundgren is still going strong. * Todd Rundgren Where: The Egg, Empire State Plaza, Albany When: 8 p.m. Tuesday Musical highlights: The soulful “Hawking,” the power pop of “Courage” and the final encore of “A Dream Goes On Forever” Length: Two hours; no opening act and no intermission The crowd: Only about two-thirds of the Hart Theatre was filled.
Review: Rundgren plays classic show at Egg’s Hart Theatre
By Brian McElhiney (Contact) Gazette Reporter Text Size: A | A
ALBANY —Todd Rundgren has worn many musical hats over the years,from experimental progressive rock in Utopia to the electronic experimentation found most recently on his new album,“State.”
During his two-plus hour set Tuesday night before a decent-sized crowd at The Egg’s Hart Theatre,Rundgren stuck primarily to his straightforward rock,pop and soul sides, focusing on material from his heyday in the 1970s and ’80s. Fronting a quintet featuring guitarist Jesse Gress,bassist Kasim Sulton, drummer Prairie Prince and keyboardist John Ferenzik,Rundgren kept the energy high throughout,delivering his quirky material with plenty of soulful edge.
Rundgren started out in full swing,leading his group through “Real Man” to open the show on a rocking note. He continued to preen and prance his way through “Love of the Common Man” while the rest of the band gamely plowed through the song’s changes.
The band’s muscular renditions of these songs kept things moving at a solid pace, but this was Rundgren’s show,and he was more than happy to ham it up. “Buffalo Grass” saw the multi-instrumentalist pick up his guitar for the first time,punctuating the song’s anthemic choruses with the first of several memorable,snarling solos. He continued on guitar for the next two numbers,reaching an early peak on a rough and loose jam of Robert Johnson’s “Kind Hearted Woman.”
After the upbeat “Determination,” the set hit a lull,with Rundgren proceeding to sit on a stool for the next few numbers. Perhaps all the jumping around in the early part of the set tired him out,but the performances remained strong for the most part. “Lucky Guy” found Rundgren finally unleashing his vocal prowess to its full potential,while the bouncing “Espresso” brought the energy level in the room to a simmer,stool or no stool.
The only disappointment —relatively speaking —came on “Can We Still Be Friends,” which felt a bit tossed off compared to the ferocious performances that followed.
The uproarious “Flaw” was another turning point,with Rundgren savoring the song’s tongue-in-cheek punchline and dirty language. For the first time,it also felt as if the band was finally in on the fun,and this unified spirit continued as Rundgren finally stood up again for “Soul Brother.” A striking medley of slow-burning soul –including the powerhouse “Ooh Baby Baby” –was perhaps Rundgren’s finest moment vocally.
From there,the set continued to build momentum. The introspective “Hawking,” with its winding chord changes and acrobatic melody line,proved a highlight of the entire evening. “I Saw the Light” seemed to suffer from the same lack of interest as “Can We Still Be Friends,” but the performance,while perfunctory,still felt stronger.
The band peaked on the final song of the main set,“Couldn’t I Just Tell You,” with Gress and Sulton briefly joining Rundgren at the front of the stage for some high-kicking,dancing action that earned plenty of laughs —and a standing ovation to end the show on a high note.
Last edited by Wah3; 07-31-2013 at 09:53 AM.
^ Did Todd wear any crazy outfits?
Nah. Just the black & white streaked hair.
Which I've always thought was a pretty crazy outfit on its own. I actually HATE the way that looks. Pretty dumb. But...
Never got the skunk look, but, whatever. Still loves me some Todd.
"Henry Cow always wanted to push itself, so sometimes we would write music that we couldn't actually play – I found that very encouraging." - Lindsay Cooper, 1998
"I have nothing to do with Endless River. Phew! This is not rocket science people, get a grip." - Roger Waters, 2014
"I'm a collector. And I've always just seemed to collect personalities." - David Bowie, 1973
I was at the Egg for the show, only thing that was disappointing was the crowd size and a few of his reworkings of the songs. I can understand that after all this time, changing the arrangements would keep it a little more fresh, so I have no problem with doing that, I just didn't care for how they were done. Todd was good with the crowd, lots of chatting and jokes, and other than a few missteps during "Determination", the songs were well played. Never miss a chance to see Todd, and after reading the reviews, I am glad we saw this show rather than "State". I love that Todd is always adventurous, and I have been thinking about picking up the new record, but the reviews have been harsh.
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