Anyway, Todd early on established the fact that someone needed to step up to the plate and take charge of the show...without his banter and comic performance, the show would have no personality at all. From his declaration of "Let the spinning commence", the show was underway to an audience about 3/4's full. Highlights from the show:
- Is Mark Farner for real...or a caricature of some sort? I've never seen him perform before, and it was hard for me to tell if his whole thing was an act or serious. Either way, it was fun to watch him. Though he was very scary during Todd's set when he was off the stage, but standing in front of Todd in the audience dancing in front of him like an adoring fan. I couldn't tell if he was trying to get Todd to crack up...or maybe just acting out some type of fantasy.
- Todd's mini solo set (Hello It's Me, Open My Eyes, Rain) was well received though I wished it was later on when the band and audience was warmed up. Kind of caught the crowd off-guard...especially when we then lost him for the next 45 minutes of so. Without him on stage, the show seemed to of lost its credibility as it really does need a leader of sorts.
- Jack Bruce's poor stage equipment (amp, wireless receiver) was the subject of several swift right-foots as it was clear that he was not a happy man that evening. Rather than try to communicate with his roadies, Jack decided to let them try to read his mind as he was having some problems just as his solo set was starting. Of course the crowd thought that it was witnesses some great "Keith Moon" type of performance and only applauded louder as his set finished. Unfortunately the "in-the-round" setup did not work to the groups advantage as it often took a while for the roadies to react. But after reading of the Todd/Jack matchup a few nights later, Jack was not really enjoying the tour or sharing the stage with his bandmates.
- Christopher Cross looked more like a NASCAR racer than a musician, but his solo set scored big points...he handled his axe well during the evening and he was just there to have some good ole Texan fun, not to try and steal the show. He's a great team player. I do feel though that his sharing lead vocals with Todd...kind of like Deface the Music style...just singing the same without any harmonization took away from some of the songs. Even if that was John and Paul's style, it didn't help the songs any...it would of been better to just have one guy handle the vocals.
- I Robot was always one of my favorite albums, so getting to see Alan was a treat. I did sort of feel some pain for him because I know he was uncomfortable on the stage. But I give him credit for getting out there and giving it a shot.
- The backup band (Townsend and friends) were the real heros during the show. The "in-the-round" setting afforded all of us the opportunity to see who really was carrying the show. I guess because the tour was to include all the Todd and Eric swaps,Townsend had to learn all the difficult guitar parts for continuity...and he did a great job with them!
- Final Todd note....he needs some help with his clothing....desperately! Are touring artists so poor that they can't vary their wardrobe at all? As my wife noted, his pants (the kind that middle-aged Long Island housewives might wear) and his shirt and shoes just didn't belong on him. I notice that on the last few tours, Todd sticks with a look on each tour....any reason for that? Hopefully in the future, some better judgment in that area.
All in all, a fun show...and I'm glad that it came off during my brief visit to NY. Hope all my NY friends get to enjoy the show with H&O.
