Knowing that Todd would be doing a solo acoustic set I dug out an old tape I'd recorded off Radio 1 from his '82 british tour - he actually played 7 of the 12 songs from that tape. In general I was really pleased with his song selection, picking out a few more obscure ones along with the classics - before this tour I never thought I'd hear him play the Lord Chancellor's Nightmare Song (or that I'd enjoy it as much). It was also great to hear him throw in You've Got To Hide Your Love Away by The Beatles (not sure how often he does this one). Overall, I'd say his playing and singing were both in pretty good form - we all know that Todd is not the perfectionist live that he is on record, and I would say that the audience were quite forgiving of this, and in a way it added more to the human interaction with the crowd (he certainly saw the funny side of making a few mistakes with words during Tiny Demons - but his performance of Chancellor was phenomenal with no sign of a mistake).
When everyone came back on they performed a brilliant Soul Brother, but I was a bit disappointed with While My Guitar Gently Weeps (guitar solos played on violins while Todd played rhythm guitar !?!) - certainly not the superb ending of last years show (I suppose he must get sick of finishing with One More Victory - but I never will). Overall then I just can't believe my luck to have seen Todd twice in the space of a year, once with a band and once solo - I'll just keep my eyes peeled for any sign of a Utopia tour - here's hoping.
Here is an approximate set list, if anyone can help with the exact running order or any missing songs (my memory isn't as good as it used to be) I'd appreciate an update.
Lysistrata I Don’t Want To Tie You Down Cliché Black And White I Saw The Light Tiny Demons Love Of The Common Man Song Of The Viking Compassion Hello It’s Me The Wheel Afterlife Bang The Drum All Day You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away Lord Chancellor’s Nightmare Song Pretending To Care Soul Brother While My Guitar Gently Weeps
