As far as the Keswick show, it was like a good old Todd/Utopia show - something I've missed for quite awhile. The recent tours have been OK - Half Twisted (not the best), With A Twist (weird), The "I" tour was pretty good. The last tour that really turned me on was the big band in 1991 touring in support of 2nd Wind (get the "Live in Chicago '91" CD - it's great). The Keswick show was fun - and rocked. One thing to understand, as far as Kasim playing with Todd, many of these songs are Kasim's, too. By that I mean Kasim was there for the formation of these tunes and they are as much a part of him as they are a part of Todd. It's much different with a hired bassplayer - no matter how good. Kasim is a fantastic bassplayer and wonderful singer. Plus he and Todd played together full time for close to 10 years - and on and off since. This kind of rapport is magical and is a big reason this concert was so enjoyable. Trey did a great job, too.
The only problem I had was with Todd's guitar playing. He has lost a lot of technique through the years. He still plays with the same aggressive emotion but his fingers just don't do what they did in the 60's, 70's, and 80's. I'm sure he'd tell you the same if you asked him. He's playing guitar on this tour out of necessity - not desire. Don't get me wrong, it's still great to see him do his thing but I'll take his older playing any day. His singing was awesome (having the day off before this show definitely helped). 52 and still kicking it out like that is so inspirational to me. I can't wait for the Harrisburg show on August 6th. Can't get too much of a good thing...
