To be a Rundgren fan means suffering through his numerous re-inventions and incessant musical experimentation. If you fell in love with his music because of Something/Anything or Hermit of Mink Hollow then chances are you didn't dig the whole TR-1 thing too much. But that's the price fans pay when you invest yourself in an artist that consistently challenges himself, and his audience, to keep up. Of course the rewards are those moments of sheer transcendence like (at least for me) 1988's Nearly Human - my favorite Todd record and one of my all-time-favorite records period.

The Power Trio plus one - Jesse Gress, Todd Rundgren, Jerry Marotta & Tony Levin!

And the reward for being a Todd fan can also be found in his current tour - a straightforward four piece featuring the remarkable rhythm section of Tony Levin on bass and Jerry Marotta, and Todd regular Jesse Gress on guitar.

With this group of gifted players supporting him, Rundgren seemed inspired to dig deep into his musical catalog and perform songs he hasn't touched in years like "Number 1 Lowest Common Denominator" from Todd, "Broke Down and Busted" from Runt, and "Tiny Demons" off of Healing; as well as rearranging his newer electronic offerings like "Soul Brother" and "Mammon" off his most recent release Liars, and show highlight "Fascist Christ" off of No World Order, which benefited greatly from Tony Levin's trademark finger-sticks to provide the pulsating bass punch heard on record.

His voice strong and guitar-playing precise, Rundgren began the evening with "Buffalo Grass" and "I Hate My Freakin' ISP," two cuts off One Long Year, a collection of singles essentially that he had posted online to supporters of his patronet.com website. His choice to open with two of his more obscure tunes, sent a clear message that this show and tour - with no specific record to support - was solely about cherry picking from his hundreds of great songs and letting them rip with this impressive collective of musicians.

From there Rundgren ventured into such classics as "Black Maria," "I Saw The Light," "Black and White" and an effective cover of Red Rider's 80s classic "Lunatic Fringe," which he said he began performing after the U.S. invaded Iraq. Other highlights included a bluesy medley of Utopia's "Mystified" into "Broke Down and Busted." He ended his nearly two-hour set with "Slut," which he jokingly commented was not meant to be sexist (and to prove he meant it he substituted "He may be a slut" a few times), and another prescient cover of "Walls Came Down" by The Call.

Innovator, singer, songwriter, producer, guitar great - Todd Rundgren!

His encore of "Hawking," from Nearly Human provided the evening's biggest surprise. A song of quiet beauty and emotional depth, coupled with its languid gospel time signature, seemed a stretch for a four-piece band despite their collective talent. Yet beaking it down to its bare essentials served to make it some how even more impactful, as evidenced by the silence that enveloped the crowd at the song's dramatic end.

Rundgren closed the evening with a rousing version of the Utopia classic "One World". It's hope filled message of humanity reaffirmed not just the spiritual side of Rundgren's music that so many fans connect with, but the fact that when he wants to few can match his ability to craft a damn catchy song and deliver it with gusto.

The faithful packed the house to see the wizard and true star!

Set List:
• Buffalo Grass
• I Hate My Freakin' ISP
• Black Maria
• Soul Brother
• Mammon
• Fascist Christ
• I Saw The Light
• Black & White
• Lunatic Fringe
• Number 1 Lowest Common Denominator
• Drive
• Tiny Demons
• Mystified/Broke Down & Busted
• Slut
• Walls Came Down

Encore:
• Hawking
• One World

Todd Rundgren fronts The New Cars; Levin and Marotta play with Peter Gabriel!

Originally Published: 04/30/2007 on Kweevak.com