It was such fun. Fun to see Todd in a rock band playing and singing with passion and commitment. Plus, between songs, you get the funny, acerbic, sarcastic Todd--who just can't play the "rock star" identity straight, to his everlasting credit.
I absolutely loved the new work. Powerful, melodic, blistering guitar, funk, blues, searing vocals. At sixty? Yes! And there was nothing false about it. That is what delighted and surprised me the most about the evening and Todd: that someone who has been doing this for so long still remains a vital, restless, original artist. Some of the recent tours, where he played solo and mostly hits, had me wondering. And while I like Liars, its reliance on computers left me wanting something more raw and organic. Well, Arena is it.
Plus, after I got my SRO tickets, I'm walking around the block and who do I see coming down the street? Yes. I shook his hand. A couple of hours later, the stellar band cracked it open with Love In Action.
Great night. I'm really looking forward to the new cd.
