12/27 Blender Theatre//NYC/// Review

An uncommonly mild winter evening, as my wife and I waited in line for admission to the theatre, which turned out(to my surprise) to be mostly a standing only venue, presaged a terrific concert by Todd and the band. Dedicating Black Mariah to "all you lifers out there, and you know who you are", and following "for extra credit" with Nazz's "Open my Eyes" and " I Saw The Light", Todd soon launched into the "Arena" album, each song of which was very well received by a clearly loyal, excited audience. As a peer and a fan of Todd's since 1968 and the first Nazz album, through all of his many musically stylistic incarnations and genres, I loved this kick-ass rock'n'roll at full ear splitting volume, perfect for an already on-it's-feet crowd. The performances of Gun, Today, and Mountaintop were high points, taking the album cuts to the nth power. Todd was in strong, excellent voice and favored us with typically humorous asides. As they took their final bows following JOV, Todd wished us all a Happy New Year,and a great time was had by all.