Utopia show at The Wiltern Theatre

Review by Steve Adam (Switch to
)
5/31/2018

The Wiltern Theatre in LA is an old art-deco building that used to house a movie theatre, then a rock theatre, then they took the seats out to make it more like a club, then they put seats back in. I was glad to see they had seats in there again. Our seats were not up front, about 1/2 way back, so no close-up shots this time. The "new" Utopia band features Todd on guitar, Kasim Sulton on bass, Willie Wilcox on drums, and a very capable Gil Assayas on keyboards. The show consisted of two sets. The first set featured the incredible music from the 1974 release "Todd Rundgren's Utopia". There were moments in the first set that totally blew me away. Absolutely Stunning Performance. Highlights were the Utopia Theme in all of its 14:53 minutes of glory, the front end of The Icon, Freedom Fighters, and Overture/Communion with the Sun. At this point the show was worth the price of admission, but there was still a 2nd set to go. The second set featured many of your favorite Utopia pop style hits from various Utopia albums. The stage risers were removed for the 2nd set which allowed the band to move around, cut loose and go wild. 2nd set highlights were at the front end: The Road to Utopia, Play This Game, Trapped, Set Me Free. Then we hit this spot in the 2nd set with Love in Action, Hammer in My Heart, Princess of the Universe, & I Will Wait all in a row. Good time to hit the restroom and get a beer, except I already did that during intermission. The mind boggles (or buggles) at what Utopia songs could have been placed in that slot - Mystified? anyone?, Secret Society, Zen Machine, More Light? I could easily think of a dozen better songs to put in that abyss. The following Rock Love, Love Is the Answer, and One World were good, but not much compensation. The show closed as always with Just One Victory. Needed at the time, but the victory was already achieved in the first set.

Other reviews for Todd Rundgren Dates
5/29/2018 - The Wiltern - Los Angeles, CA


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