_We arrived at the Vogue early enough to see Todd signing autographs out back before sound check. I clicked a quick picture and we kept moving to get in line.
_We stood up against the stage in front of Jesse and TR. Met some nice people from Chicago up front. Saw a lot of familiar faces that hit the midwest shows.
_The first set is all that and a bag o' chips. Surf Talks makes a real cool opener. Todd shredded a string on the green guitar and then proceeded to break the tuning lock. Then broke strings on another guitar. After a brief delay, the tech got the green guitar going. Other than that technical glitch, everything went great. The most powerful set I've seen him do with any line-up. Highlights were; Drive, Fix Your Gaze, Trapped, WWE, and Black and White. Real tight playing and vocally they nailed everything. Cool guitar arrangements covering synth lines.
_People constantly yelling Happy Birthday Todd.
_Bossa Nova set was awesome. The entire house was singing the Motown tunes to the point that you almost couldn't hear Todd.
_Todd stopped after I Want You and mentioned, "We're taking baby steps up here", when Jesse, Kaz, and John apparently blew some backups. He then turned his back to the audience and had a quick "discussion" with the band. They seemed amused.
_Actually, all of them were smiling all night and seemed to be enjoying this tour. Todd was especially silly tonite. The ending choruses of Dream Goes On, as Todd exits, always gives me goosebumps.
_I got the opportunity to chat with Prairie for a while after the show! I . He was extremely gracious, and told me he really enjoyed meeting me. What a nice guy! My friend Kyle, (it was his birthday) was chatting with John. A great way to end the night. Can't wait for the Chicago show.
Robert Henry
