TODD RUNDGREN
"AN UNPREDICTABLE EVENING WITH TODD RUNDGREN"
MUSICIANS:
Todd Rundgren: Vocals, Guitar
with
Jesse Gress: Guitar, Vocals
Greg Hawkes: Keyboards, Vocals
Prairie Prince: Drums, Percussion
Kasim Sulton: Bass Guitar, Vocals
LIVE
ORPHEUM THEATER
MADISON, WI
SEPTEMBER 11, 2018
I shook Todd Rundgren's hand. Yes I did.
And while this particular moment was a long wished for occurrence, it was decidedly
not one where the skies opened up and rainbow colored shooting stars blasted through the atmosphere as I had
finally made contact with the figure who exists as one crucial, eternal third of my personal musical "Holy Trinity" (with
The Beatles and
Prince taking up the other equally crucial two thirds)--and even despite the fact that this occurrence happened twice on this particular night. No, dear readers and listeners, the handshakes were momentary, one of which arrived with a direct smile and that, as they say, was that. And that, as I say, was all I could have asked for.
For those of you out there who know me and know how much Todd Rundgren has meant and still means to me, I wish for you to not feel any sadness towards me concerning the brevity of this moment. Yes, I had over 30 years of things that I wished to say to this man but this night was absolutely
not the time to say any of them. Believe me, the handshake was enough and considering Rundgren's, reportedly at times, apprehensiveness towards fans--especially, I would assume after traveling and performing--I was glad that I didn't annoy him. In fact, it all felt fitting to the nature of the evening itself, one where legend and down-to-Earth human being aligned in a performance that was a loose as a jam session yet somehow, someway encapsulated everything that exists within the iconic musical artistry and vision of Todd Rundgren.
On this evening, with this summer's demonic humidity threatening to make it unwelcome return, I was beyond thrilled to be able to take in Todd Rundgren's return to Madison, WI in about 10 years, when I saw him previously as he embarked upon his rock and roll guitar centric
"Arena" tour at the
Barrymore Theater. In fact, this night would mark my fourth time seeing Rundgren perform live, the very first time being the rhythm and blues revue themed
"Nearly Human" tour in the summer of
1989 at
Chicago's Park West, the second being the Hawaiian themed
"With A Twist" tour at the Barrymore Theater
in
1998 and finally, the aforementioned "Arena" performance.
This time, I would be witnessing "An Unpredictable Evening With Todd Rundgren," a tour he occasionally undertakes during which he and his band have rehearsed somewhere between 50-60 songs yet on the evening of the performance itself, whichever of those songs that Rundgren is feeling in any given moment will be the one the band performs. It is a high-wire act to say the least, as echoed by longtime Rundgren
guitarist Jesse Gress by the tour bus afterwards, where he described this series of shows as being especially "nerve wracking" due to the randomness of the songs and the intense recall and agility that must be displayed in order to perform them at any given moment.
Indeed. And even so, it all looked so easy...
The show began promptly around 8 p.m. and for the duration of two full hours, Todd Rundgren and his stellar band--which included the aforementioned and superlative Jesse Gress, longtime Rundgren associate and
drummer Prairie Prince (
The Tubes, session drummer extraordinaire, including
XTC),
The Cars' keyboardist Greg Hawkes (!) and 40 year plus Rundgren veteran and
Utopia bandmate
bassist/singer Kasim Sulton--performed 25 songs, which ran the gamut from Rundgren's own catalog, featuring selections that were either solo, with Utopia and even
Nazz's "Open My Eyes" to a smattering of surprising and often hysterical cover songs.
With only the opening song, a cover of
Cheap Trick's "Hello There," existing as the tour mainstay, it was indeed off to the races, as the show, as promised was wholly unpredictable and, as Rundgren playfully warned the audience, the band would not take requests and if songs were shouted out, that is a guarantee that they wold not be played! Point taken, sir!
The evening was indeed a relaxed affair, compared with Rundgren tours I have seen in the past, and what I would imagine would have been the polar opposite of this spring's Utopia reunion tour, itself an intense undertaking due to the musicality, visual components and the surprise, last minute addition of
keyboardist/singer Gil Assayas, who by all accounts astoundingly filled in the shoes of Utopia veterans
Roger Powell and
Ralph Shuckett, both of whom were unable to tour due to individual health reasons. In fact, before the show, a woman I was sitting next to, and who had never seen Rundgren perform live before asked me, "Is he going to come out in his pajamas or something?" to which I answered, "He might!"
photo courtesy of Sue Barry
It was not that far off of a description as Rundgren took to the stage wearing what looked to be a pullover sweatshirt, a relaxed pair of pants and gym shoes, complete with dark glasses. No costume changes whatsoever on this evening as he took to his perch upon a stool, seated next to a table adorned with one martini and one large bottle of water on one side and his guitar upon the other.
Instantly, after opening with Cheap Trick and then barreling ahead into the Utopia anti-war/Greek mythology themed power pop glory of "Lysistrata," I was struck by the fullness and dexterity of Rundgren's peerless vocals and boundless energy.
Yes, this man is 70 years old and still sounds as youthful, spry and as strong as ever--something that I did indeed house some inner curiosities about as he did experience some vocal trouble on a few dates of the Utopia tour this spring. In all reality, how much longer can a voice as formidable as his contain that power?
For the entire show, Rundgren beat away any doubts and fears I may have had over and over and over again as he absolutely and flawlessly soared through every song, style and genre, be it his own heart-aching ballads like "I Don't Want To Tie You Down," a glorious "Cliche," "Can We Still Be Friends?" (which I had never heard him perform live before) and the high flying heights of Utopia's "There Goes My Inspiration" all the way to hard rocking covers of The Call's "The Walls Came Down," Weezer's "Hash Pipe," and The Cars' "Good Times Roll," most certainly, a nod to the presence of Mr. Hawkes and their time together in the short lived The New Cars.
Throughout, Rundgren seemed to be in high spirits, telling stories, cracking off color jokes and even mocking the heart-on-sleeve tenderness of his own ballads, at one point blowing his nose directly into the microphone creating a seismic HONK, followed by the declaration, "Oh...it's SO SAAAAD!!!" which he cracked through mock tears to the enormous laughter echoing through the Orpheum.
And it was that deceptive looseness that made the evening such a supremely engaging and downright fun event. Rundgren proclaimed that the band utilized "elaborate hand signals" (of which there were none) to signal which song would be arriving next. Choice and absolutely ridiculous covers from Little Feat's "Don't Bogart That Joint" to The Captain and Tenille's version of "Muskrat Love" inspired a level of comical storytelling and asides worthy of any first rate stand-up comedian. At yet, it was his cover of Clarence Carter's version of "Patches" that nearly brought the house, and almost Rundgren himself, down as the memories of the song's endless tales of woe and the infectious laughter that ensued reverberated and increased the overall joyousness contained.
Jesse Gress (left) Kasim Sulton & Greg Hawkes (right)
photos courtesy of Sue Barry
For all of the hilarity, which was often, and the overall relaxed nature, please do not allow these qualities to suggest any sense of musical sloppiness. On the contrary, what this "Unpredictable Evening" proved was the extreme dexterity and flexibility of Todd Rundgren and the entire band to shape shift at a moment's notice and perform the song, whatever it was and whatever genre it happened to be, with expert precision. It was a testament to all five WORLD CLASS musicians of how undeniably and uniformly skilled they are.
Kasim Sulton in particular, and also perched upon his stool, showcased exactly why he has been a crucial piece of the Todd Rundgren universe for four decades and running as his high, clear vocals remain as pristine as they did in the 1970's and his bass playing has only continued to grow more expressive and fluid with each passing year.
photo courtesy of Sue Barry
Additionally, I kept close eyes upon drummer Prairie Prince, a percussionist of peerless proficiency and one whom I have long admired, who somehow made his drum kit adaptable to all manner of styles and genres, supplying the exact correct touch to every single selection with effortless finesse and aplomb. It was truly a privilege to watch him in action!
And of course, I have to express the joy I felt being able to be in such close proximity to keyboardist Greg Hawkes, whose work has existed as part of my musical vocabulary ever since the age of 9 when The Cars' debut album was first released. To regard him and hear his musical voice alongside Rundgren's was priceless, to say the least.
And then, there was the man himself, Mr. Todd Rundgren, again demonstrating exactly why he is that eternal wizard, that true star, the eternal individualist, and the white knight of musical artistry, as he just glowed profoundly throughout this performance with his standout guitar chops (he even busted a string during a volcanic "Black And White") and muscular vocals which refused to quiver and falter at any point.
Whether taking on and re-contextualizing Frank Zappa's "Carmarillo Brillo" to reflect our current terrifying political era, delivering the jubilant Scottish brogue of The Proclaimers "I Would Walk (500 Miles)," to the ludicrous innuendo of Melanie's "Brand New Key," the show stopping standard of Tony Bennett's "Are You Havin' Any Fun," the one-hit psychedelic wonder of Strawberry Alarm Clock's "Incense And Peppermints" and to of all things, Mary Martin's "I Won't Grow Up" from the stage version of "Peter Pan," a tune which ultimately came off as a defiant mission statement describing his entire career, Todd Rundgren was simultaneously puckishly playful and astoundingly brilliant.
This "Unpredictable Evening" was such where Rundgren and is bandmates had to make all of these off the cuff moments and songs feel entirely...well...off the cuff, fully masking the fact that what we witnessed was a rich performance that truly needed to be seriously rehearsed in order to pull it off whatsoever. Again, we were all in the hands of a master showman, musician, singer and conceptualist who, during this particular concert, weaved a spell of communion, and ultimately, like the namesake of his philanthropic institution, a spirit of harmony.
Honestly, I do not remember a show I have attended that felt so informal, therefore making the event feel less like the star on stage and the fans in the audience and more often like some sort of a campfire, in which Todd Rundgren served as the irreverent Camp Leader and we were all the campers, basking in what had to be the coolest most idiosyncratic campground in the world.
In doing so, it would have been very easy to fully miss that we did indeed have a legend in our midst, performing a concert which, in its own way, was an illustration of the entirety of his 50 year and counting musical odyssey. Yes, we had the rock and roll guitar heroics and heart on sleeve balladry. We were given sublime slices of blue eyed soul (The Impressions' "I'm So Proud," Smokey Robinson and the Miracles' "Ooh Baby Baby," and Marvin Gaye's "I Want You") and some of his most Utopian compositions ("One World" and "A Dream Goes On Forever") and throughout it all, a sense of humor was definitely required for full enjoyment. You never quite knew where he was headed, and that even included the members of his own band, but we all arrived together in complete and harmonious unison.
How else to describe our own individualized relationships with the legacy of Todd Rundgren, especially my own, which did indeed begin in earnest in this very city of Madison, WI when I first arrived here for college in 1987. What a blessing it was to continue this journey on this night in this city.
And that is why just the momentary act of shaking his hand, first at the lip of the stage and secondly, right outside of his tour bus, felt right. Who knows if it would ever happen again. Who knows if I would ever have the chance to ask him those thousands upon thousands of questions I wish to ask him. Who knows if I could just have the chance to tell him what countless others have told him before and will continue to tell him.
The handshake and the smile I received was simple and seismic...and in full nature of the evening, completely unpredictable.
all photos by Scott Collins except where indicated
