What a show!
Approximately 1 month before this show I asked my son, who is 17 years old, if he would be interested in traveling to St. Louis to see a Cardinals baseball game on June 4th, (as part of his High School graduation gift). However, I explained to him that there would be one condition. He asked what the condition would be and I told him that he would accompany me to the Todd show at the Pageant. He agreed, although, somewhat reluctantly. My son was raised listening to Todd by default, and he has occasionally shown some appreciation for Todd's music, but he is more inclined to listen to music of his generation. By the way, he had never been to a concert in his life. On to the show.
We arrived at the Pageant about an hour before show time and there was approximately 30-40 fans already in line. The Pageant has reserved and General Admission (GA) seating. The reserved seating is for 21 and older and is located in the balcony, the GA has a 20'x30' dance floor and cabaret-style seating around the floor. We found 2 seats at a table just in front of the mixing board, right behind the dance floor about 20' from the stage, great seats. The stage set-up was very cool, blue lights projected on translucent screens behind each musician's "pod". The pre-show music was something you would expect to hear coming from a Hindu Temple and was really adversely effecting my son. I have to admit also that it was pretty horrible. Luckily, I knew we would only have to endure it for a short while.
Pre-recorded opening strains of "Truth" started and Todd took center-stage singing. While he was singing the opening verse, Jesse, Kaz, John and PP entered and found their way to their respective "pods". As the second verse began, the pre-recorded music faded away and the band kicked it up. Unbelievable! The sound was incredible and the mix was perfect. While I think the new CD is brilliant, it does not compare with the sound created by this band. The set list is was basically the same as has been previously posted in this forum so I won't go into heavy detail. We did not get "Unloved Children" or "World Wide Epiphany", instead, we got "Flaw". For those that know this song, you can imagine what a great sing-a-long it can be and Todd seemed to enjoy letting us do so by holding the microphone out to the audience during the chorus. I glanced at my son throughout the show to see him totally grooving to the music. He was completely blown away by Todd's guitar solos and gave standing ovations after each of them. The entire show was excellent but the high point for me was "Just One Victory". It has been along time since I have heard Todd play this live and this was the best. Jesse plays the guitar throughout the song except the final solo which only Todd can do. He grabbed Foamy and went to town. It was fun to see a man of his age hopping up and down on one foot and spinning (just like the old days) while hitting all the right notes. The crowd was great, the band was outstanding and the show rocked. I hope to see a live album cut from this tour. If you get a chance to see this show, go.
What a great weekend. A great Todd show and a Cardinals win the following night. What made it even better was that I was able to spend it with my son.
