Todd Rundgren - May 30, 2000 - Columbus, OH

Review by Fred Welch (Switch to
)
6/2/2000

Set List:

  1. I Hate My Frickin ISP
  2. Play This Game
  3. Love of the Common Man
  4. Black & White
  5. Yer Fast (And I Like It)
  6. Fix Your Gaze
  7. Trapped
  8. There Goes My Inspiration
  9. Love In Action
  10. Hammer In My Heart
  11. #1 LCD
  12. Mystified
  13. Open My Eyes
  14. Secret Society
  15. IKON
  16. Buffalo Grass
  17. One World
  18. Couldn’t I Just Tell You (encore)
  19. Worldwide Epiphany (encore)

I thought it was the 30th of May, but it must have been the 13th. When Todd and his power trio took the stage at Ludlows, they could not have anticipated the equipment nightmare to come.

To list the things that went wrong would take up too much space, so I’ll just tell you what worked correctly all night — the drums.

However, through hard work and Todd’s guitar prowess, the boys were able to put on a truly rocking show that provided some memorable moments.

The first half of the show as a battle for OH but the guitar solo on "Yer Fast (And I Like It)" was truly awesome. "Black & White" and "Trapped" both jammed, even if Todd’s mike blew in the middle of "Trapped". Lack of a microphone caused Todd to sing duet style with Kas on "There Goes My Inspiration".

It was during "Love In Action" that OH had finally had enough and after battling with the equipment for a few, the band took a break to let the sound men get their ---- together.

When the boys came back, they proceeded to rock the house. "Love In Action" was its usual crowd pleasing self for a minute or so. "Hammer In My Heart" had the whole house dancing.

My favorite part of the evening would have to have been "#1 LCD". The guitar work on this song is second to none, and when Todd said "It’s time to scream" we were ready.

Next came a pleasant surprise for us Columbusites. Jesse Gress joined the band for some prolonged jams (remember the Second Wind tour?). The "Mystified; Broke Down and Busted" medley turned into an extended solo session with some serious licks being put down by all. Is it me, or does this seem like a strange combination of songs for a medley?

Another highlight was getting to hear "Open My Eyes" live. I’m not sure, but in 25 years of Todd concerts, this might be the first time I’ve heard it (although the 70 are kind of a blur to me).

"IKON", with it’s distinctive guitar riffs, a new song called "Buffalo Grass", and the crowd pleasing "One World" ended the show.

Todd gave us two encores; "Couldn’t I Just Tell You" and "Worldwide Epiphany". I didn’t like "Worldwide Epiphany" when it came out, but let me tell you, it is great live.

How do you rate TR shows? One of the things we love about him is his diversity. Can you compare a Todd solo acoustic show with Utopia’s RA tour? Of course not. My personal favorite tour was "Nearly Human", to give you some perspective on my taste.

So how do I rate this show? Considering the technical difficulties, I rate it much better than WAT or TR-i shows, but not as memorable as Second Wind, Nearly Human, or some of those solo acoustic shows. However, if they get the equipment fixed, watch out!!

 

Fred Welch


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