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Todd Rundgren on Tour
Fans never know what to expect from a Todd Rundgren show, which is a testament to his range as a musician. For example, his "The Individualist, A True Star" tour was named so because of its unique format: Along with a set of hits, Rundgren also performed a side of his seminal 1973 LP A Wizard, a True Star. In cities with multiple shows booked, the musician played a different side of the album each night.
No matter where Rundgren's creative muse takes him on a given tour, what stands out is his voice — an instrument that can handle both growling rock and blue-eyed soul — and his charismatic stage presence. Thanks to this versatility, Rundgren has also toured as part of Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band and, as a solo artist, opened for Hall & Oates and teamed up with Joe Jackson for a co-headlining tour. In 2019, he joined forces with the Monkees' Micky Dolenz, Christopher Cross and Badfinger's Joey Molland for the "It Was Fifty Years Ago Today – A Tribute to the Beatles' White Album" tour.
Todd Rundgren in Concert
Todd Rundgren first broke into the music business in the late '60s with the band Nazz, for whom he wrote "Open Your Eyes" and "Hello It's Me." He then released several solo albums, including 1972's Something/Anything? (which featured a re-recording of "Hello It's Me") and then founded the rock band Utopia, a group that drew on prog, power-pop and new wave. In 1983, Rundgren released one of his best-known songs, "Bang the Drum All Day."
In addition to his own work, Rundgren is also a well-respected studio artist who's produced albums for Hall & Oates, XTC, Psychedelic Furs and Meat Loaf. Rundgren has also continued to release solo albums, including 2017's White Knight, which featured guest spots from Robyn, Joe Walsh and Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor.
The Utopia set was fun with old members Roger Powel and Kasim Sultan. Wizard a True Star was fun and entertaining and you could tell that Todd has been practicing. Exceptional guitar rifts. Just One Victory made it's return as Todd's encore final song. Sang every word.
It was an all star cast - Kaz and Powell from Utopia led the way. The first set was pure rock and roll and the second was pure Todd. Crazy costumes - and lots of energy. Fun!
Good show and great show for the year with much effort put into it.
Poor 1st half followed by great 2nd half which was as good as it gets. Costumes and music from Wizard True Star was fabulous.
The Utopia opening act was interesting. The Wizard a True Star perform was extremely well done - excellent. I hated to sing "Just One Victory" and see th evening come to a close. Thanks Todd for the 40 plus years of entertaining!!
Todd and crew did a fabulous show, so many changes in Todd's attire. So much energy was put out by the whold group. I wish I could see the show again! (live)
The concert on Sunday September 13th at the Park West in Chicago was a very entertaining event. Todd was in fine vocal shape. The sound during the Wizard set was great, but was a bit ragged during the Utopia opening act. There were a lot of laughs as well, as some of Todd's costume changes were pretty hilarious. A must see show for true Todd fans!
A Wizard, A True Star is a true treat! I remember hearing the album in my dorm room with some friends when it was first released, and after all these years it still rings true. Todd stays true to the best of R&B while adding his own cutting edge ideas that are even more resounding in this "globalized" age. His language stays within a certain tradition, and he does not have to grab his crotch to get you where you live. A Prophet, a True Genius!
My sister and I see Todd whenever he comes to Chicago, (this was the third time we saw him in 12 months and about the 37th time total. Todd outdid himself with this one. The first set performing Utopia songs rocked. It was great to hear "Windows" and "Caravan" sung by Roger Powell; "Adventures in Utopia" brought back so many good memories from when that album first came out; Kasim Sulton's lead vocals were right on as always; Prarie Prince can bang on the drums with the best of them; and then there's Todd who never disappoints. His creativity and talent knows no bounds. He is "A Wizard, A True Star". The 2nd half of the show was truly Todd at his most whimsical, talented and silly best. His costume changes for each song truly fit the mood. They played the whole album fantastically (even though Todd had some guitar issues which were not his fault and you would never know it had he not mentioned it), especially "Sometimes I Don't Know What to Feel" (a personal favorite) and of course, "Just One Victory" (which, in my opinion, should have been the Chicago White Sox theme song for their 2005 World Series Championship, the words fit a lot better than Journey's "Don't Stop Believing"). Finally, one of the best things about going to a Todd Rundgren concert is he has the most loyal and friendliest fans.
Having been a Todd and Utopia fan for over 35 years, this was what I've been waiting for.Todd's band Utopia featuring Kasim Sultan and Roger Powell really lit up the stage performing a great variety of Utopia tunes from the past. Then the fun started when they began the second part of the show by performing the complete Wizard a True Star album. Todd, of course, brought tears of laughter to the audience with his many costume changes and comments about his feathery and girly costumes from the past. We couldn't have had a better time!!!
It was a rare treat to see Todd performing his album "A Wizard, A True Star" Great production, Great show.... A must see for every TR fan!
I have seen Todd for years, and I was amazed at how he and the band were even better than years ago!! It's startling to see true genius.
What an entertaining show. Have been a Todd Rundgren fan for many years but never seen him in concert. Loved the show and the Park West is a great place for concerts.
A Wizard A True Star was a good time. The band was entertaining and usually on que. Todd's voice still has a great quality. The costumes were fun but maybe a couple too many? My only complaint was that I wished it had lasted longer but I guess we knew going in the length of this one. The Utopia "reunion" to start was an awesome start..
Whew, Todd, you still have it going on! Your voice, your face, your outstanding killer guitar chops, Yea! You still have it going on !! This on stage theatrical production was something out of a play, filled with costume changes, outfits from Charlie and the Chocolate factory / his metallic space suit garb... His story telling songs...The band played old songs and this amazing LP, A Wizard, a True Star sounded even better than expected! He outfitted the band with color coordinated white suits at the opening of the second half of his show... and another stage appeared with a horn player, 3 keyboards players, and even a Todd double backing himself up in the line up... sensational! Still crazy after all these years, Todd's Utopia entertained and amazed us all!! Kasim, his voice, his outstanding bass playing is just part of what makes Todd worth seeing 30 years later! Truly a great show to revisit...
Brilliant musicianship + nonchalant fun + great vocals = hell of a concert. Park West was the perfect venue for this Rundgren lovefest. The intimate venue allowed the Rundgren fanatics to feel like they were part of the action as Rundgren sang and played flawlessly throughout the evening. Add to that a costume change for nearly every other song and this mini-spectacle took the live event to it's worthy heights. Key word for the evening - FUN.
The Todd Rundgren show at the Civic Theatre in Akron, Ohio was absolutely fabulous. It brought back so many memories. It was interesting to see that the average age for the patrons was about 40. We were all huge fans back in the day and still are. It was good to see Todd up on stage enjoying himself as well. There were a few glitches but they just kept right on going, Todd made a few comments about them, it made it feel more real, more human and not so artificial and remote. Thank you Todd for coming back to Akron.
Music and singing was perfectly executed. Costumes and theatrics were unexpected and jaw dopping fun.
This was the show we waited at least 25 years for. No computer music. No songs no one ever heard before. This was Todd at the height of Todd. Utopia as the opening act? Brilliant! Add three extra players and remix AWATS? Wonderful. The costume changes were a bit much. Circa 1972? But the crowd was into it and the band responded big time.
Todd Rundgren's show at Park West was a moment where things came full circle for me as a newer fan of TR. After "accidentally" coming across AWATS last year, I gave it a listen and was blown away by its creativity, its soul, its edge, its harmonic layering, its sounds....the list goes on. I declared it was better than Sgt. Pepper and Pet Sounds (not realizing a popular critic opined the same thing...weird!) Since then, TR's been my No. 1 guy. I'm so glad I became a fan just in the nick of time to see him perform the album that got me into him. Last night's performance further solidified his status as the greatest and most underrated musician in pop music history. Overall, the show was nearly flawless. The band was tighter than ever (compared to just a week earlier based on clips and comments from the attendees) and all in good fun. Utopia started the first set in solid form. While personally not as much a fan of some of the particular material they played, it was solid nonetheless. It was all about the second set though. Highlights were "The Zen Archer" and the soul medley in which he crooned and wailed brilliantly. TR was in the zone the whole night. But on those two particular songs, he was masterful. Rungren and the band's theatrics were a combination of classy, polished, soulful, and positively ridiculous, the latter of which is generally extremely hard to pull off. To my amazement, it complimented the show rather well. Back in the day, I always told doubters and criticizers to see a Prince show before they die. Well, not only do I add Rundgren to the list, but I encourage you to see all of his shows -- even at 61 years old. After all, he was Prince's predecessor & inspiration, so why not see the original maestro who paved the way? The Moody Blues entitled one of their albums "In Search fo the Lost Chord". Rundgren has found that chord time and time again. He lives it and breathes it. He walks and talks it....maybe he is that lost chord. If you think that's going overboard, listen to his material (most of it anyway) spanning over 40 years, and you'll surely realize it. Todd isn't God(d), but his music is sure a gift from God. And Todd has found a way to pay it forward through music. And we're extremely blessed for it.
