Todd Rundgren Revisits A Wizard A True Star at The Palace Theatre, Stanford CT, 09-09-2009 PART ONE

by Jeff Boule in Album Reviews, Concert Reviews, Editorials, Musician Reviews, Opinion Posts, Reviews, Uncategorized

Todd Rundgren poses as master of disguise during his time travel back to 1973. Photo by Lynn Vala

On the two and a half hour drive from my home base in the fascist surrounds of Salisbury Township, Pennsylvania to Stamford CT, all I kept saying to myself is “This better be worth it, I am too damn old to be doing this!!!”  There were extenuating circumstances this time.  I had first volunteered to assist in the production, working concession organization the night before.  This was when the show was not yet a minor tour, and only happening in Akron OH on the sixth.  I had even been contacted by my former band mate from The Goodz, Marc Blanc, and he had proposed my best thing to ever happen to me and I join him and his cousin Jaime to venture first to Penn State, then to the Rock and Roll hall of fame in Cleveland.

Their proposition had become pricey, and times, as you know and can well verify for yourselves, are tough.

I had decided as temping as this was, I had to decline.  This is where the volunteerism had come into play.  I made sure to contact one of the promoters, someone who I must interview, with his partner Cruiser Mel, as they are most fascinating topics, yet the nicest, down to earth people you will meet, Doug Ford and let him know I could not attend but would lend assistance in anyway possible, promoting it in the blog, etc.  Did I mention they were nice?  Mr. Ford then suggests that if my best thing to ever happen to me and I were interested, we could work concessions, sorting merchandise by size, type etc. the night before the show.  This was when the show was in Akron OH and was a one-off.  Interest became so great that a second show was added.  Then a show in Stamford CT., then Bethesda MD, London, and more.  I had contacted Mr. Ford and asked could the arrangements be switched, and while the opportunity to sell merchandise was occupied, the spots available were assisting in the ticket sales, Will Call and reserved V.I.P. tickets.

Follow me through an adventurous, enlightening and needless to say entertaining evening, an evening I like to call 999 (09-09-2009).

So Mr. Ford and I have agreed that we will assist with ticketing activities in Stamford.  Now not having been involved in something like this of THIS magnitude, I felt this would be an education for when I get my much smaller scale music career back in gear.  But the enticement was made irresistible when Mr. Ford instructed me that if we work and if my best thing to ever happen to me is willing to miss the first few minutes of the show, we would be comped tickets on behalf of Rundgren Radio.  I really wanted to see/review this show.

I’m driving my tired old butt to Stamford.

If I may make a back-reference, I referred to Marc Blanc.  He contacted me shortly after seeing the Akron show and told me I COULD NOT MISS THIS.  He wouldn’t tell me specifics, but he did allude to some special surprises awaiting me at the AWATS show.

So my curiosity had been piqued, I asked him what his fellow attendees, Jaime VW, Neil F, and Bobby C, who are members of the Scranton Chapter of The Utopian Society had to say about the show.  Their collective opinion was “un-a-word-I-can’t-insert-here-believable”.

This is going to be another epic presentation by Rundgren Radio.  If you are a Rundgren fan I highly recommend any of their events featuring Rundgren, they have been doing great works in getting him some long deserved attention.

Even if Rundgren does have to go back to 1973 to do it.

We arrived at the venue shortly before 6 pm.  Things were a bit chaotic as what was happening was, as the venue box office would close, Rundgren Radio was setting up in the lobby in front of their box office.  They wouldn’t even let us use their facility.  Don’t worry, nobody here wants to steal your tickets to Jeff Dunham and Peanut or whatever other retarded act you have coming in.

One table was set up for Will Call.  This consisted of both regular joes picking up credit card or Internet orders or famous people like friends and family of the band.  I am given Mr. Ford’s cell phone number and I am to call him upon the arrival of Cruiser Mel, as everyone seems to be running late.  Basically we set up a table opposite of the one for Will Call for ticket sales.  We have to wait for Mel as she has the tickets, cash and credit card reader.  Once she shows up, she is accompanied by Mary Lou Arnold-Gress, Rundgren’s manager, press person and all-around-right-hand-gal.

Interesting.

The way things shake out, Mary Lou and my best thing to ever happen to me work on ‘special’ Will Call.  I handle regular joe Will Call.  Mel sets up to do last minute sales and Mr. Ford is available for special cases (read: problems).  After a while we became a pretty well-functioning machine.  As usual my best thing to ever happen to me is organizing reserved seating for Mary-Lou (seating band family members in appropriate seats for best line-of-sight based on ticket left, seat location, stage set up, venue layout etc.).  I even contributed by finding some reserved seating for media and other misc. special guests.  It got to the point where, after a while when people would come to wrong side of the set-up, if we on the Will Call side heard someone mistakenly on the ticket sales side say their name and we had seen that envelope of tickets before, we would not re-route them to the other side, merely say “I’ve seen those, right here, here you go enjoy the show” and hand them out where they were, we were that fast.

As the envelopes of Will Call tickets dwindled, pleasing three note tones notified the lobby dwellers that the show they had been waiting for, the show that had been hyped, promoted to the hilt, was about to start.  I ask Mr. Ford to let me in to review as my best thing to ever happen to me was still helping out in Will Call.  Good thing I was gone as she detailed a story or male chauvinism that would have made me hurl.  Something about someone not liking their seats (in the second row, too!) because a camera jig and boom kept swinging over their heads, and because they wanted to sit, they were upset that the people in the first row were standing and dancing in front of them.  Don’t stand and dance at a show?  Why not just eviscerate Rundgren?  If you recall my New Year’s review of the show Rundgren did at the Painted Bride show, Rundgren ENCOURAGED people to dance.

You’re at a once-in-a-lifetime event and you want to sit and observe like a piece of furniture?  Stay at home.

I did mention a camera, there were several as this show is being videotaped for DVD release.  Did I mention that?  Yes, this and the Akron show were filmed for an upcoming DVD release of this show.  I always enjoy my Rundgren DVDs.  This one will have special meaning of which you will find out further on.  We haven’t even begun to experience some real magic at this point.  Read on faithful blogster…

Once Mr. Ford secures me a ticket, I find and take my seat and begin my task.  On stage, there is a two tier keyboard stand and a drum kit, set up to Prairie Prince’s specifications.  While working with the promoters and his manager, we heard some insider things, saw some insider things, and some of those are best left where they were heard, other things I will take with me as my education, but one of the things we heard was that Rundgren will be performing with a sub-band, then doing the full AWATS show.

Another one of my reasons for going through what I have gone through to review this gig was that I had heard the band lineup.  This lineup was dirty pool.  This lineup was unfair.  This lineup made every dormant Rundgren fan snap to attention and say “WHOA!”  On keyboards were not only New Cars Greg Hawkes and on keyboards, vocals, wind instruments and horns of all types, Bobby Strickland from his 1989-90 touring band for the albums Nearly Human and Second Wind, but returning to the Rundgren live act for the first time since the sessions for Second Wind, and more recently the 1992 Utopia reunion mini-tour, is keyboardist extraordinary Roger Powell.  Rundgren also had long-time bassist Kasim Sulton, Drummer Prairie Prince, and Guitarist Wiz Jesse Gress.  Said my friend Marc B of Jesse Gress, “Jeff, sometimes I heard non-guitar sounds coming from his guitar.”  Here, just minutes ago, I tapped Mary Lou on the shoulder in the Will Call area before the show because Jesse (her husband) needed to get her attention.  How unique is this opportunity to have such alternate views of an event?

Seriously, this band is sick.  A veritable super group, right?  But something didn’t add up.  Only one double keyboard rig, three keyboardists.  Three mics, five background vocalists.  My mind is reeling, what sub-band is this?  Wait a minute, four instruments, Powell, Sulton and Rundgren in the same band with a drummer…

NO WAY!!!

The strains of “Adventures In Utopia” from the album of the same name come blaring into the PA.  The rumors were true; the opening act would be a Utopia almost-reunion.  The missing cog is no John Wilcox.  When I had the opportunity to ask Wilcox about the viability of a Utopia reunion via email, he said things would work out in due time or some other non-specific reply.  I just wish he would have said the truth, and that HE was not interested.  Too bad.

The band comes out for the appropriate take-over from the pre-recorded intro-music, but that take-over came at a price.  Guitar notes were all over, keyboards were lost, and drum notes were all over and never the twain shall meet.  Rundgren is forgetting that riff he played over and over year after year.  Must be nice.  Powell motions for a monitor adjustment, looks like he needs Rundgren’s vocal mic turned up.  A roadie attempts to adjust Sulton’s bass level from the guitar, Sulton slaps his hand away.  This is a slower version, I am not sure who wanted it at this tempo, but guys, pick it up.  One advantage of the slower tempo, it allowed Powell to deliver a fevered but buried solo.  After a hearty cheer from the crowd who know it is a Utopia set as the band are dressed in their first official uniform, that of the black pants with white T-shirt and sneakers attire they wore for the inside sleeve of the Oops Wrong Planet album.  They used to open for themselves in a simple stage set-up and wearing this attire before revealing the lavish set built behind the curtain, the one they would play in front of for the first set.  For the second set they would come out wearing Egyptian costumes or white futuristic garb, later when these shows became too expensive, wardrobe would become major parts of the stage set, either in Beatles-style suits, New Romantic/almost Goth suits, or in camouflage with camouflage stage accents (drum risers, amp covers, etc.).  Well Rundgren has set fairly high expectation in this crowd from what has been presented so far.

One drummer shy of a full-fledged Utopia reuinion. Photo by Lynn Vala

“Libertine” from Utopia is next and also slowed down.  This version is slow but good.  I just can’t seem to deal with Prairie Prince in Wilcox’s place.  Not that Prince is any less a drummer, but it resembles what I went through with King Crimson when Bill Bruford left.  Such a unique style and acumen leave indelible footprints on the sound.  Prince and Wilcox have two different styles.  Wilcox is currently a senior sound designer for Sci-Fi network and USA network.  In the event Mr. Wilcox is reading this, there is a resurgence of popularity and interest in Utopia again.  This little almost-reunion proved it.  This time, Rundgren gave them what they wanted:  A near Utopia show and the playing of one of his most adventurous works (AWATS) live in its entirety.  I can only assume Mr. Ford and Cruiser Mel would make it worth your while to take a few days vacation or leave from Sci-Fi/USA…

Someone who DID return to the fold was Roger Powell who brings us “Abandon City” from Oops Wrong Planet.  This is a purposefully slower version, as they like to funk it up a little.  For some reason a roadie comes out to adjust Powell’s mic stand during the first chorus.  The same roadie who had his hand slapped away by Sulton.  Do you get the feeling this guy has problems with boundaries?

It just doesn’t seem like Utopia without Wilcox.  Minus one vocalist and replacing a finesse-style drummer with a power-style drummer doesn’t add up to the Utopia I saw many, many times starting in the late 70’s, the band I studied as a primary part of my musical education.

No, I didn’t go to Berkley, or Julliard, I studied at the hands of the masters I appreciated.  Not what some stuffy music professor wants to inflict on me.  I learned my stuff in the grooves, in the studio and on the stage.

From Todd Rundgren, Roger Powell, Kasim Sulton, and John Wilcox.

Powell’s solo on “Abandon City” is all out, but the crowd really goes nuts for Rundgren’s.  The band is a bit sloppy on their return from the solo break but it does tighten up quickly afterward.  After the track Rundgren and Sulton have a pep-talk with Prince.

After a brief thank you from Rundgren, the group launch into “Back On The Street”, also from Oops Wrong Planet.  The version is menacing, a new level of grit is added to an already gritty tune.  Menacing or not, the version is tight.  Sulton’s voice is in great shape, singing like he did over 30 years ago.  The band is hopefully warming up by this time, things are tightening up and the ending on this take was right on the money.

Prince begins to pound on a cowbell for “Hammer In My Heart” from Utopia.  UGH!  For those of you who like this song, sorry, that was just my opinion after having played the parts on various instruments in various bands, and after having this song been crammed down my throat by various bands who wanted to take advantage of my knowledge of the song and my ability to mimic Rundgren’s voice in singing style.

I will say the tempo is picking up, so Rundgren and Sulton’s little chats have helped to steady Prince. While Sulton and Powell play the bass riff perfectly, without Wilcox, it just doesn’t sound the same.  That was the charm of Utopia.  If any member was not present for the reproduction of one of their songs, it wasn’t the same.  Larry Tagg of Bourgeois Tagg was called upon to play Sulton’s bass line for “Secret Society” from the POV album in the 1989-90 touring band and he could not play it like Sulton.  Prince is just not Wilcox, so that’s just how it’s going to be.  Rundgren even flubs coming out of a change but the cowbell trudges on.  A good recovery to end the song.

Another fan favorite is offered from Oops Wrong Planet and that is “Trapped”.  Prince comically mimics what Sulton sings during the opening.  He should have been paying attention to the count.  The opening bombast of notes was a little sloppy.  But once the song gets to the opening choruses it has shaped up.  Unfortunately, it is right after that coming together that Rundgren blows a string.  Apparently it took Randy the Roadie time to realize as Rundgren stood around with his hands in the air as if to say “Who’s asleep at the switch back there?”  The entire middle of the song was performed by a three-piece and Sulton had to assume some of Rundgren’s lines during the duet exchange between the two as Rundgren was still trying to settle into the new guitar he was handed (finally) before the last chorus.

The Ikon from Todd Rundgren’s Utopia starts, and stops, and starts over one more time, this time the tempo is slightly faster than the aborted version.  Prince misses a cue or two.  Powell and Sulton fire off killer solos during their abbreviated much shorter version.

Caravan from Adventures In Utopia is wheeled out; it will be interesting to see how Prince handles Wilcox’s drum break after the solos.  Despite Powell’s crystal clear vocals, it just doesn’t feel the same.  Powell was sharp on a line or two.  Prince’s solo was more power than finesse.  Sulton made his way over to Powell’s side of the stage to try to tighten things up between the rhythm section.  After Powell forgets a line or two, it is safe to say it just doesn’t sound like Utopia.

After announcing Roger Powell, Rundgren and company break out “Last Of The New Wave Riders” also from Adventures In Utopia.  While Rundgren amps up the crowd, Prince just doesn’t get it.  In his attempt to get the crowd Rundgren’s solo is lost in the mix at first, but it does come back in time for the hold note at the end into the chorus rejoinder.  The end builds in dynamic up to the staccato ending chords when, with one final leap, as he always did, Rundgren brings the song and the warm-up show to an end.  The pseudo-Utopians leave the stage and it is flooded with roadies removing the items in front of the curtain to set the stage for the big production of A Wizard A True Star.  This was an OK warm-up act at best, call it what you will, DON’T call it Utopia…

During a brief visit to my best thing to ever happen to me, who managed during a bathroom break from Will Call to take a few quick clandestine photos, and returned to her post.  It seems she has taken on the task of assisting Mary Lou Arnold and has done so admirably.  So admirably, that when conditions called away Cruiser Mel, she trusted my best thing to ever happen to me so much that Mel allowed her to handle the ticket sales.

We are fans first.

Upon returning to my seat, I encountered some strange yet familiar noises from behind the curtain (more precisely through the PA).  Must be testing Greg Hawkes old keyboards for stability.  Rumor has it that Hawkes was recruited for the project as he still owned many of the original synths Rundgren used to record AWATS.  It was merely a matter of re-programming those patches into Hawkes’ keyboards.  To replicate some of these sounds is a job in itself.  Rundgren was no stranger to pushing the envelope (and envelope filter!) of the equipment available at the time.

A bizarre thought has crossed my mind; all these people rushing the stage’s edge, I hope they remain cognizant of the camera’s boom arm swinging around, and the massive thing doesn’t conk them in the head!

I am surprised at Rundgren’s willingness to revisit his material.  A warm-up set of Utopia, and now the reproduction of an album from 1973.  Revisionism is not usually Rundgren’s bag.

I should at this point say big thanks to Mr. Ford and Cruiser Mel, and to Mary Lou Arnold, who entrusted the Will Call seats that were not claimed to my best thing to ever happen to me, and took her cell phone number.  If anyone contacted Mary Lou, Mary Lou would call her, and she agreed to meet them at the door with the tickets.  One dignitary of note did not show.  Hal Wilner, most notably from Saturday Night Live fame.  His loss (and it was a loss not to be at this show, trust me) was totally our gain.  Because by our, I am including you, good PREX readers, as we were offered Wilner’s  tickets.  For myself at the intro set, I was in Row Q.  Mel had given my best thing to ever happen to me Row P tickets for the two of us.  Upon breaking down the Will Call tables and closing the operation before the second set, Mary Lou hugged my best thing to ever happen to me and said she could not have done it without her, and let her use unclaimed friends and family row Row J ticket for her to photograph the show but somehow those got traded up for Row A tickets for her and for me to deliver play-by-play.  The gang at Rundgren Radio rock!!!

An extremely long intermission, after a forty-plus minute opening set and an album of slightly less than an hour left to play, one has to wonder, stretch much?  Not much time to wonder as the lights come down and that ominous first bass note is struck.  The intro is taped as the curtain falls away and the band take the stage dressed in white tuxes.  As the white and pink-noise generated plane sounds crescendo towards the synthesized explosion and ultimate chords sound the beginning of “International Feel”, signifying that the journey through A Wizard A True Star has begun.  What could be more spectacular?

Rundgren coming out in a full size, almost official NASA spacesuit, replete with helmet and ear mounted microphone for his vocals within the suit.  He lumbers around in his spacesuit, impassioned beyond comprehension.  Houston, we are go for Wizard, over.

Required attire for time travel, Rundgren propels into A Wizard A True Star... Photo by Lynn Vala

For the transition from “International Feel” to “Never Never Land” (yes, the Peter Pan song), Sulton directs the band.  He should be familiar with these songs.  He confesses to having listened to them before becoming a member of Utopia.

“Never Never Land” finds Rundgren dressed in a Black Tux.  Okay, so it was just for the one song, he switched into the black tux underneath.  He sports the Kareem Abdul-Jabar sized red rose and sings with abandon about never growing old.

Rundgren plays whimsical for a song about never growing up. Photo by Lynn Vala

“Tic Tic Tic, It Wears Off” is a conveniently placed instrumental with a hopping chordal structure.  During the bigger ending, Strickland plays a Yamaha electric wind device.  These were also midi compatible to allow Strickland to trigger additional sounds, digital wind samples and more.  It is a fairly loose version overall, I had expected as much.  Many of these songs had never been played live, so making live recreations was going to be tough and these aren’t easy arrangements.

Stage right from left to right, Greg Hawkes, Bobby Strickland and Roger Powell. Photo by Lynn Vala

For “You Need Your Head”, Rundgren changes into a colorful costume and brandishes a reproduction of the Gibson SG “Fool Guitar, once owned by George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Jackie Lomax.  On a recent webisode of “Live From Daryl’s House” featuring Daryl Hall, Rundgren confesses not knowing the whereabouts of the original SG.  For a very quick tempo song with difficult riffs, they handle this one with some confidence.  Unfortunately Rundgren’s vocal is buried in the mix.

Rundgren burning it up on the "Fool" guitar. Photo by Lynn Vala

To facilitate his costume change, the tape effected “Dogfight Giggle” is accompanied by video of several key-political and media figures being beat-edited to the squeaks, squawks and squiggles coming out of the PA.  George W. Bush trying to open that locked door after a televised speech, other dignitaries in less than flattering snippets.  Rundgren was always great with video.  Until the large inhaled breath at the end, then Rundgren takes over from the tape with the words “Don’t you think of anything but sex?”

Shadowmen stage left, from left to right, Jesse Gress, Kasim Sulton and tucked away back there somewhere, Prairie Prince. Photo by Lynn Vala

At which point the band begin “You Don’t Have To Camp Around”, and being tolerant of homosexuality, Rundgren is dressed in pouffy shirt and red velvet jacket and large sunglasses.

Ever the spokesperson for tolerance, Rundgren lilts around. Photo by Lynn Vala

He is flouncey throughout, and during a lull created by the band, Rundgren diatribes about the word gay meaning happy, and how things changed from when he was a naïve youth.  How his youth was subverted by a costume designer who convinced him to wear an outfit that was made famous on Midnight Special and on the cover of the biography about Rundgren, A Dream Goes On Forever, The Continuing Story Of Todd Rundgren by Billy James.  He bemoans that his stylistic cherry was popped by said designer as he points to the video screen and says “Because of that…” as a picture of Rundgren in the butterfly costume is shown!  A riot to the end.

An original photo of Rundgren in the peacock costume circa 1973. Photo by Lynn Vala

During “Flamingo” the band sort of loosen-up as this track wasn’t too tight.  Powell was sight reading most of the tracks, resembling the concert pianist he was positioned to be, music stand, stool to sit on, tuxedo…  Jesse Gress took over the musical direction on this take.  The keyboards take front and center on this track.  This is another one of those instrumentals that Rundgren left in the hands of his most capable band to go make a costume change.

What does he come out dressed as?  The butterfly of course!  The costume fits the song “Zen Archer” as Rundgren lilts his way across from side of the stage to the other side of the stage stopping in the middle to play to the crowd, full-on showmanship mode. But his voice is in great form, the high notes on this only pose slight issues for Rundgren.  This version is most worthy, especially after Rundgren leaves the stage, Strickland comes front and center and he and Gress swap passionate solos.

Rundgren resurrects the peacock outfit. Photo by Lynn Vala

During that extended solo jam, Rundgren changes into a “clown”-type outfit, obtusely large around the center, large comical bowtie, sewn-in suspenders and comically proportioned side-worn cap.  As he first appears he calls it his fat suit.

I’ll leave that alone.

Rundgren proclaims upon appearing in this costume, "I'm not fat..." the entire audience was waiting for him to say a`la Eric Cartman; "I'm just big boned". Photo by Lynn Vala

He clowns around to “Just Another Onionhead” while Sulton’s vocal is very prominent in the mix among the background vocalists.  The version is actually very jaunty, as is the record’s.  During the AWATS portion, Prince is doing phenomenal work.  He replaces the likes of John Siomos with ease.  But the hardest working band member in this track has to be Strickland as after singing the rapid backing line “give it to me now give it to me now gimme gimme give it to me now etc.” to mouthing a trombone like noise during the break.

I have no caption for this, I just like the picture. Photo by Lynn Vala

We vary from the album order and jump right into “Sometimes I Don’t Know What To Feel”, featuring that duet section sung by Sulton as it was when they performed this song after Sulton first joined Utopia.  While I am engulfed in this version of a song I love, I can’t help but be kinda cheesed-off.  You see, after “…Onionhead” there should have been a song and a return to the opening song theme as a rejoinder to end what was side one on the vinyl.  Guess things ran long and they may have a curfew.  Disappointing but the version of “Sometimes…” during which Rundgren played to the crowd, was highly emotive.

Rundgren belts out an emotional version of "Sometimes I Don't Know What To Feel". Photo by Lynn Vala

An old-time mic is brought out for “Does Anybody Love You?”  Only there is one change of plans, Sulton abandons his bass for the role of lead singer.  He has the perfect range for this track, and they have enough members to cover the minimal arrangement in order for Rundgren to change into the next costume for the long-awaited (I’m sure) soul medley comprising of “I’m So Proud” by Curtis Mayfield, “Ooh Baby Baby” by Robinson, Cleveland and Benson, “La La Means I Love You” by Hart and Bell and “Cool Jerk” by Stroball.  I am of the opinion that there could have been better use of this time on the album…

Sulton takes over as crooner while Rundgren changes costume. Again. Photo by Lynn Vala

Please continue to part two below.