Track #20 of 2022: Eco Warrior Goddess by Todd Rundgren

I want to hang out with an eco warrior goddess. Maybe even several of them. Listening to Todd's song about such folk makes me want to be a part of their scene ASAP. 

Todd Rundgren: Space Force (Album of the Week)

Ah, Todd. You are such a genius and you've been a part of my life for nearly all of my 55 years. My dad played your records in the 1970s and you are still making great music today. I've loved every minute of all of them and have seen you 22 times in concert. 

Your latest record is amazing and fun. The collabs are boss and every one of the 12 tracks is pure platinum. It's the last one that really gets me. Reminds me of all your styles wrapped up in a bow!

Todd Rundgren: The Unpredictable Tour

The first night of Todd Rundgren's Unpredictable Tour kicked off last night at Summerfest in Milwaukee and it certainly lived up to its name although most die hard Todd fans like me (this was my 22nd time seeing him live) know that surprises are the norm. 

The set had some very interesting covers ("Don't Bogart That Joint" "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" "Hash Pipe" just to name a few) mixed in with Todd classics and deep cuts. I was particularly impressed with "It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference," "Compassion," and "Buffalo Grass." The band was in top form on those songs and Todd was just magical. Hearing "Lysistrata" and "One World" from the Utopia album Swing To The Right were most appropriate given the current times. Crowd pleasers "I Saw The Light" and "Hello It's Me" were also present.

When he comes to your town, check it out. This show is MUST SEE!!

Kasim Sulton: Kasim 2021

I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Kasim Sulton. He was Paul McCartney to Todd Rundgren's John Lennon. He even sings like Macca! 

I've enjoyed Kasim's solo output over the years, wishing it would be more voluminous. So, his latest record, Kasim 2021, is a most welcome addition to this calendar year. Honestly, it's nice to hear this kind of music being made in any year.

Here is the opening track...

Todd Rundgren: Real Man (Throwback Thursday)

Todd Rundgren and Utopia brought their "Back to the Bars" tour to the Midnight Special on August 25, 1978. There were many fab guests including Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Warren Zeavon, and Exile.

But Todd and the lads stole the show, performing five songs. Here was the first number they did to open the show. 

 

The Road Still Leads To Utopia

The first concert I ever attended was in the summer of 1980. My dad was a big Todd Rundgren fan and his band, Utopia, was playing at Poplar Creek in Chicago. I had just turned 13 a few months before the show and my dad decided it was time for my rite of passage into the world of live music.

Todd's music had been a big part of my childhood. My dad played Something/Anything, Another Live, Hermit of Mink Hollow and Adventures in Utopia endlessly throughout the 1970's. I count these records as some of my favorite albums of all time. I was so massively excited to see them live I could hardly stand it! It was an amazing concert in a perfect outdoor setting. Seeing Todd and Utopia soon became an annual tradition for me and my dad.

When I lost my father in 1988 to alcohol addiction, Todd and Utopia's music comforted me on a regular basis. Their songs have always had a healing quality about them, including the solo Todd album of the same name. Every time I listened to their music, I thought about the good times with my dad and him not being there was just a little easier to bear. Over the years as I would see Todd live, I'd think about my dad and the music we shared together.

Memories of my father were quite strong last Saturday night in Milwaukee when I caught the much anticipated reunion of Utopia. Todd's band had not really played together as an official unit since 1992. They did warm up for Todd's full album tours in 2009 (minus Willie and with Prairie Prince on drums)  but it seemed less like a real Utopia show and more like a .brief dip into nostalgia. This current tour is a full on Utopia tour, complete with dazzling visuals and a complete musical history of the band. The set list for this tour starts at the beginning and winds its way through the band's whole history.

I was lucky enough to score a VIP ticket which came with a meet and greet before the show. Here's a picture of me and the boys. It was truly an honor to meet them. Michelle Rundgren, Todd's wife, organized this event and did a fantastic job of getting everyone photos with the band and autographs of anything they wanted signed.

Next, it was on to the show!

My VIP ticket got me in the fourth row to take in all the power and glory. I was dead center. I was close enough to get some great photos but far enough away that I could take in all the visuals. I remember wondering right before the show was about to start...would the band match up to their younger selves?

Bear in mind, I've seen Todd 20 times in concert, five of which were with Utopia and, given that they are all getting up their in years (minus Gil Assayas, their new keyboard player), I wondered how they would stack up to their previous shows.

From the opening minutes of the first song ("Utopia Theme"), I knew that they were going to COMPLETELY BLOW AWAY all the previous shows I had seen. They were ON from the very first note. It was shocking, to be quite frank.

A flood of wonderful memories opened up and poured out as they worked their way through both sets. The visuals, which were shovel to the head stunning, worked hand in hand with the note for note renditions of all their best tracks. All band members were energetic and polished throughout the entire 2 and 1/2 hour show. Here are some action shots of each band member.

High points for me were "Overture-Communion With The Sun," "Freedom Figthers," "I Will Wait," and "Rock Love." Kaz was amazing as always...the voice of an angel. It was great to see Willie behind the kit again...truly an amazing drummer who brings a ton of power and passion to each track. New band member Gil Assayas was remarkable, perfectly capturing the essence of Utopia's keyboard parts that are so integral to each song. And Todd was...well TODD! A rock legend...

As the show came to a close, I realized that my entire adolescence had played out in my mind, heart and soul.I felt the spirit of my father so very close to me.

Thanks, Todd, Kaz, Willie and Gil for a truly awesome night!

From A Liar To A Knight: Todd Rundgren, White Knight

I've been a fan of Todd Rundgren since I was 10 years old. My dad came home from work one day in the late spring of 1978 with a copy of Hermit of Mink Hollow and took my downstairs to his hippie man cave to play it. He had been a fan for a while and I remembered hearing bits and pieces of Todd in my early childhood but this was the first record that I ever really fell in love with. We played it over and over again for weeks and every time it sounded better. I then went back and devoured all of Todd's earlier albums.

After that day, I bought every one of his records the day they came out. I have seen Todd 20 times live, more than any of my other favorite artists, and every show has been amazing and wonderful.

Todd's latest gift to the world is White Knight and it's the album I thought he would make after 2004's Liars. In looking at Todd's 21st century work, I enjoyed Arena (GOR), didn't think much of Johnson (over produced blues), thought State fell a little short but was still cyber punk cool, and generally dug Global Nation. These five albums that came out between Liars and White Knight sated my Todd needs but weren't on the level of either of these records. Liars is still one of my favorite Todd records, reminding me of all the reason why the Runt rules. White Knight matches it note for note.

Calling on a cavalcade of guest stars, Todd has turned out a strong contender for Album of the Year 2017. We have all the requisite keyboard driven pop songs ("Come," "Fiction"), the goofy song ("Buy My T") and a great Utopia-esque song ("Let's Do This") that reminds me of late 70s/early 80s Todd.

"Sleep" sounds an awful lot like Todd wrote it for XTC. Joe Walsh has never sounded better on guitar. "Deaf Ears" features Trent Reznor and sounds like, well, Trent Reznor. It also reminds me a great deal of 1994's No World Order. "Chance For Us" features the man who Todd taught how to sing-Daryl Hall.

But the best track is clearly "Tin Foil Hat" featuring Donald Fagen on lead vox. Being a huge Steely Dan fan, I was over the moon about two of my heroes collaborating for the first time. It sounds like a long last Dan track from the Royal Scam era yet still retains inherent Todd-ness. Of course, the topic of the song is fucking hilarious! Check it out below and go buy this record!!