A Dream Comes True - Todd Rundgren at the Paramount Arts Center

I first saw Todd (Rundgren's Utopia) in Portsmouth, Ohio about 45 miles from Ashland, Ky. That was August 13th 1975 and an amazing show to say the least. Ashland is where I grew up and for a small industrial town had/has an incredibly progressive music scene. It had a band that toured with Yes and played the Utopia Theme as a cover (Appalachian Mainline). Not to mention Ashland natives Billy Ray Cyrus, The Judds, and Chuck Woolery.

It has long been a dream for me and a small group of hard-core Todd fans there to see him at the Paramount. It has the best acoustics of any theater in the mid west. It is also where I saw my 2nd concert ever, The Raspberrys. Also one of the best concerts I have ever seen. Needless to say this was going to be one of the most important concert ever for me. After being forced to hear Todd relentlessly thru the 70's, The least I could do was buy my mother a ticket too. She is an artist and musician also, so she recognized Todd's genius early on.

Set List:

Lysistratta
Cliche
I Don't Want to Tie You Down
Hammer in my Heart
Love of the Common Man
Tiny Demons
West Virginia Gals
It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference
Song of the Viking
Compassion
Free, Male and 21
Hello It's Me
Bang on the Drum All Day
Beloved Infidel
Hey, You Got To Hide Your Love Away
I've Just Seen A Face
Black and White 
I Saw The Light
Influenza
Can We Still Be Friends
I Want You
One World
Hawking 
A Dream Goes on Forever
The Wheel
What's Going On

The 1st high point for me was "I Don't Want to Tie You Down". I love this song an he did a wonderful version. the 2nd was "West Virginia Gals" simply because it was a song I'd never heard Todd play. I'm apparently one of the few fans I know who really loves "Free, Male and 21". Actually most of the "Up Against It" music I think is great. Compassion was beautiful. "Hello It's Me" followed. I know Todd dislikes performing this song, but he doesn't seem to realize how important it is to the non-hardcore fans. I personally would like to see him do "I Saw The Light" on piano as well. Black and White was great too, I loved the distortion effect on the acoustic guitar. The Twist material was very nice and probably my mom's favorite. Great versions of "The Wheel" and "What's Goin' On" were a perfect ending to this dream concert. He was very accommodating after the show with autographs and chatting with the fans. This was a big event for Ashland and a dream come true for many of us. Please come back to the Paramount next tour.