review of Todd show

Review by Wes Hawkins (Switch to
)
4/4/2003

I've been a Todd fan since 1974 and have seen him live several times. In all those years he had never played by hometown of Lexington, Kentucky. Naturally I was quite pleased to hear he was finally coming and would be appearing in the beautiful, historic Kentucky Theatre. The show started right around 8PM as advertised with Todd calmly walking on just after the lights dimmed. He was wearing a loose-fitting black jacket and black pants and seemed very laid back. It was obvious right away the mood would be intimate and relaxed. The only instruments on stage were two acoustic guitars and a piano. The opening song was 'Lysystrata'. Right off the bat Todd was very passionate, despite a few rough edges on his voice. The PA sounded rough for the first few songs, causing Todd's voice to be a little shrill. But about 20 minutes into the show all those problems were smoothed out and things really started rolling. He played a very eclectic set list, hitting on songs from all eras of his career, including a bossa nova version of 'I Saw The Light'. I was very pleased to hear 'Black & White' from the Faithful LP, one of my all-time faves. As can be expected from a one-man show, the songs sounded different from the recorded versions but I enjoyed hearing Todd reinterpret himself. This kind of show gives you a feel for how the songs probably sounded as he originally wrote them. As the show moved along, the mood became looser & looser with Todd stopping to laugh at his many mistakes and exchaning wisecracks with the crowd. He also made a few comments related to the war in Iraq. It was very interesting to see Todd in such a laidback, informal atmosphere where you could get a feel for his real personality. He was quite the clown actually, making several sarcastic comments about Kentucky & using slapstick humor to interpret the lyrics as he sang. I must admit I was a little surprised at the number of times Todd missed chords and had vocal glitches. In all the times I've seen him he had never made those kind of blunders. But by the end of the show it was obvious that this tour is all about 'fun' and visiting his fans in some new places. It was a little like sitting around Todd's living room listening to him doodle and explore his imagination. And quite an imagination it is. Any Todd fan should not miss this show.

Other reviews for Miscellaneous Dates 2003
4/3/2003 - Kentucky Theatre - Lexington, KY

Other reviews for overall Solo dates 2003

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