So eventually the Todd portion of the show starts. And a lot of you who were there last night will agree with me, there are certain people who shouldn't be allowed to drink or take their downers or what ever before a show. They are those wonderful individuals who don't shut up, especially "the wheel" guy and that really loud lady who's piercing scream is kinda like having a drum stick driven into your ear. We never got to hear The Wheel. Frankly, I think we were being punished for the actions of one trouble maker. No fair.
So instead of going through the set list which we all know pretty much by now, I'm gonna mention the songs he didn't play which saddened me. Yes again, there was no Wheel/What's Going On, our punishment for wheel guy shouting out "the Wheel" two songs into the show. Also, Hawking was nowhere to be found during the encore which was limited to just Hello, It's Me and A Dream Goes on Forever (I think) on piano. And I was extremely saddened when Black and White wasn't heard.
My personal favorite of the night was Born to Synthesize on guitar. Being that and Beloved Infidel were the only songs performed that I haven't seen him play live before, it was a huge welcome. Plus he added a few little bits of the Marriage of Heaven and Hell, and the Jetson's theme into it.
Overall, it was an excellent night of Todd. It had it's shares of jokes and flubs which add charm to the show, notably Todd knocking over all his bottles of water which rolled around the stage. One person in the front row was nice enough to roll one back. Hey, if that was me I would have kept it. That's Todd Water. He also dropped his MP3 player. His guitar playing wasn't the best, but his voice was in pretty good shape for so far into the tour. And we had one anti-Bush comment. But that's ok. We can let him get away with that just for the sake that Todd is an "educated star." Ah, and thanks to a witty member in the audience, even SARS got brought into the action. And then there was crazy autograph guy who went to the front of the stage to get his King Biscuit album signed after the initial set was over, but got denied and was making some ghetto like gestures at Todd in retaliation as he walked off the stage. But don't worry, crazy autograph guy got what he wanted at the end of the show. And what was the deal with that one lady in the third row?!?!
I love seeing Todd solo, but going out with a band would too good. The H&O openings were incredible, and gave us a slight taste of what many of us thought we'd never see again after the Power TR-Io tour. If traditional trends continue, Todd will go out on a band backing tour when he releases his new album, which should be out pretty soon, so let's keep our fingers crossed.
