The Individualist

Perhaps this blog should have been titled 'Todd Rundgren Live at Hammersmith Apollo, London, 6th April 2019', which would be factually correct, if a little dull.

"Before we go any further" (see foot of article) I should declare something: I am a huge Todd Rundgren fan and have been since the early 1970s.  Many fans think "Todd is God" and refer to themselves as "Todd-heads", however my love of his songs and music is not quite so fanatical.  He's made stuff I really can't get in to,  there are whole albums - especially between 'Hermit of Mink Hollow' (1978) and 'Almost Human' (1989) - which either contain no tracks I like or maybe one, perhaps two at a pinch, and occasionally something I hate (witness 'Bang the Drum All Day'). However, that is the way it should be.

He has always ploughed his own furrow. That's what I like about him - it's why I like him.  He's never made any secret of the fact that he makes his money, or at least made his money, from the albums he's produced for other people.  You probably own one, and don't know it - for example 'Bat Out of Hell' by Meatloaf. To be brutally honest, I hate that album with a vengeance only surpassed by how much I despise the music of a very popular band with "Royal connections", but my opinion is as valuable as the next person's, so, what-evvv-errrr...

So, you make a double album containing three sides of melodic pop tunes ('Something/Anything?') and everyone's hailing you as the latest saviour of pop. What do you? Make another album in the same vein? Nope.  You drop a shit ton of mescalin and make a freaked out album of acid-fuelled stream of consciousness rock/psych/prog/soul/electronica. 'Something/Anything?' was allegedly fuelled by ritalin, which kept Todd awake so that as fast as the ideas came he could lay down the songs - on three of the four sides of the double album he plays every instrument and does every vocal. To put all that together (he was engineer and producer too), that many songs, well, let's agree coffee just won't cut it.  Critics and some fans wanted 'Something/Anything?' number two, but they sure as hell didn't get it - over the next two albums Todd wrote song after psychedelically drenched song, culminating in another double album, 'Todd'.

Asked about the transition from 'S/A?' to 'A Wizard A True Star', Todd always says he got bored of writing melodic pop songs: there was a formula and if you stuck to it you could just churn them out and, in his usual shy, retiring way, he said 'it became too easy'. He wanted to do something different.  If you compare album after album you see that restlessness, the desire to try something different. Do something once, then move on. I like that attitude.

I could go on, but this is meant to be about the gig, not my views on all the albums Todd's made, if you wanna know more, stop me and buy one...

So, to the gig....

Much anticipation in that the word was that the set would be split into two distinct parts - the 'formal' "greatest hits" opening set, followed by a less formal bunch of songs chosen from across his career, but the less obvious ones. The two sets would be separated by an intermission followed by a q&a of audience, pre-submitted, questions to celebrate the publication of his long-promised autobiography, also titled, like the tour, 'The Individualist'

The stage was set - laid out, left to right, were keyboards, guitar stand, drums with central mike at front of stage, bass guitar and another set of keyboards. Behind all the gear was a huge screen onto which the cover of his autobiography was projected.

The lights dimmed and the opening sounds of 'How About A Little Fanfare?' from 'Todd' came over the PA. In the darkness, the players came on stage, and, as on the album, '...Fanfare?' segues into 'I Think You Know' the band took up the music and Todd began to sing.  Kicking off the set with one of my favourite songs from 'Todd' was exhilarating - this was going to be a good set...

...as the swirling electronics of 'I Think You Know' faded, Todd picked up his guitar and went full-tilt into 'Open My Eyes' from Todd's earliest album as a member of the band Nazz from 1968. 

As the the guitar flash of the Nazz fades, Todd takes to the mike and tells us that the next song was the first he wrote, as a teenager, about a girl from high-school.  Though it was originally recorded by Nazz, the band kicks into the more up-tempo version of the song - and the one most Todd fans know best - the one recorded live in the studio on the final side of the album 'Something/Anything?'  The audience sang the chorus, much as the backing singers do, on that version.  If there is a song that, for many, defines Todd, it is this one.

And so the set went on with "hit" after "hit"...and rather than go through every one, here is the full set-list:

Set 1:

I Think You Know

Open My Eyes (Nazz song)

Hello It's Me

We Gotta Get You a Woman

I Saw the Light

It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference

Black Maria

An Elpee's Worth of Toons

Sometimes I Don't Know What to Feel

Too Far Gone

A Dream Goes on Forever

The Death of Rock and Roll

Can We Still Be Friends

Real Man

Love of the Common Man

Compassion

Couldn't I Just Tell You  

Fair Warning

Set 2:

The Individualist

Black and White

I Don't Want to Tie You Down

Eastern Intrigue

Determination

Kindness

Buffalo Grass

Born to Synthesize

Fade Away

Encore:

Just One Victory

Album-wise, 'Something/Anything?'and 'Initiation' are represented by 5 songs a-piece, though given 'S/A?' is a double, this makes 'Initiation' over-represented - they performed all of the first side of the album, barring the title track.  I'd've liked to hear more from 'Todd' ('Don't You Ever Learn?' and 'The Last Ride' for example) and 'A Wizard, A True Star' but these are minor grumbles, he couldn't possibly play every song I love.  

Todd performed a lounge-jazz version of 'Born To Synthesize', starting as it does as an acapella number, with the band breaking in to full 'jazz, hmm nice' mode...which enabled Todd to introduce the band...

[Todd Rundgren (guitar, vocals) - natch! He didn't introduce himself!], Kasim Sulton (bass, vocals), Greg Hawkes (keyboards), Jesse Gress (guitar, vocals), Bobby Strickland (saxophone,  flute, keyboards & vocals) and Prairie Prince (drums). Fans will recognise all those band members from different stages of Todd's musical career and I especially enjoyed seeing Kasim on bass, from Todd's band Utopia.

Song-wise, great to hear 'Fade Away' and 'Fair Warning' live and, at last, to hear 'Just One Victory' as set closer.  The crowd below gathered at the front of the stage for the communal singing of this hymn to positive change.

It was a fantastic night and a great gig from one of best live acts, and, as it fades from memory, I wonder if he'll play live in the UK again?  Todd is 71 this year and though he says he has no plans to stop touring (he's got gigs lined up until summer 2020), you have to wonder how long his voice will last?  Setting that aside, an unforgettable gig from a 50-year career, so far: keep on keeping on, Todd.

No gig review is complete without the music, and below you can find the complete set (in album form) on YouTube and Spotify - take your pick...

My shameless 'Before we go any further...' quote...just couldn't resist it...