I'm going from memory (and it was somewhat impaired at at the time, I'll admit), but the set list included the following (order questionable and maybe an omission or two). If anybody does have it for sure, please post it.
Solo
Love of the Common Man
Hammer In My Heart
Cliche
At this point I was thinking, DAMN I sure wish he had a band to back him up to round out the sound. Well wouldn't you know it, some of the boys from Hall and Oates' (H&O) band came out to do just that. They continued on with:
Hit Me Like a Train
Buffalo Grass
I'm Looking at You (But I'm Talking to Myself) - big surprise and well
done!
Hello, It's Me
Parallel Lines
Love Is the Answer, and
Rock Love
The band did pretty well, though some of the background vocals were missing (especially noticeable in Buffalo Grass), but believe me, no major complaints at all. Being the first night out together, they all did pretty damn well.
After a short break, H&O hit the stage and did a fine job with their songs. I'm a fan of theirs as well (most songs). Daryl's voice was in excellent form hitting all the octives from 20 years ago. Oates was fine, too. And they even did an Oates solo song from an impending release. It was pretty good, but hey, this review's about Todd, so let's get back to it.
As good as Todd's opening was an appetizer and H&O's performance was a good and pallatable main course, the dessert was best in the form of Todd coming back out to join H&O for the 5-song encore. And instead of Todd doing a token background rythm guitar and vocal type role, he took center stage with H&O just left of Daryl's electric keyboard. They then began to alternate back and forth between a H&O song and a Todd song. They started with Wait for Me, but instead of Daryl taking the first verse lead vocals, Todd took it. Outstanding! After the chorus, Daryl continued on with lead vocals, but Todd continued to have an integral role handling the guitar solo with style. I think the young guitar dude in H&O's band was impressed. Todd was going to hang back while playing the solo, but T-Bone (H&O's bassist) pushed Todd up to the front as if saying, "Go for it!"
After that, Todd and Daryl physically switched locations, and Todd took to the keyboard, but on his way he tripped on something and went down. No harm, but a good laugh between Daryl and Todd as Daryl helped him to his feet. They then played Can We Still Be Friends, but this time with Daryl singing lead vocals. Very nice touch. They continued this way for H&O's Rich Girl, then Todd's I Saw the Light, and finally Kiss on My List switching lead vocals each time. I'll bet some of the diehard H&O fans were a little bent that this eclectic weirdo was singing Daryl's vocals. Hey, it worked for me, and to Todd's credit, he sang 'em really well. The final guitar solo featured Todd and the H&O guitarist (sorry, don't know his name) in a duel solo side by side, note for note. Very good!
I was very pleased with Todd's performance and redemption, if you will, from last fall. To have a band behind him was key. And although I'm not nearly as big a fan of Hall and Oates, I think it was a great pairing. As was evident by the encore, there is a huge amount of mutual respect between the artists, and they really seemed to have a great time together. I think Todd genuinely enjoyed himself, and it showed. It just goes to show you how the frame of mind and the interest level have an impact on the quality of the show. A hell of a lot better than having to do it for tax purposes, huh Todd?
Go see this performance if you can. Definitely!
