I was surprised to see so many empty seats in the balcony. But then again, Todd still seems to be flying beneath the radar, promotion-wise. There were no small write-ups for the show in any of the event schedule books that I read. Even the HOB full page ad didn't have a picture. No respect, I tell ya!
As prevaricators, my wife and I were escorted to a "skybox" located above the right side of the stage (performers vantage point). The view was real cool from there, but the speakers in the booth were not working. At some shows, this might not be a problem. But there are no amps or monitors on stage for this tour. The band wore in-ear monitors, and I envied them greatly!
SO... The show starts. It's pretty quiet up in our booth, I'm hearing Prairie's drums mostly, not much keys at all. But I can tell that Todd is singing his ass off tonight. By the time God Said begins, I come to a realization: I HAVE TO GET OUT OF THIS DAMN BOX!!!
I run downstairs and catch the rest of the show by the soundboard, it sounds heavenly. The crowd is pretty cool, especially up in front. All the incessant talkers mill around toward the back of the bar. I have a theory that Todd creates a sound that dumb people simply cannot hear... maybe I'm crazy.
My wife joins me downstairs. I've brought a bag with some old TR/Utopia/Tubes/Kasim albums as I truly hoped to meet OH. Nevertheless, the show is so excellent, Todd's singing is so freakin' perfect, I find am transported to some perfect place where worldly concerns don't apply.
Hello It's Me starts and we make our way to stagefront. HOB security tries to shoo us away but Todd yells, "AW, C'MON! This is the only sex I'll be getting tonight!" It seems to work because by midsong I'm shaking his hand. Just One Victory is a wonderful release of optimism at the end of a show with a lot of points to make.
Alternately angry, galvanising, hilarious, melancholic: you name it, it's in Todd's trick bag. Truly one of a kind.
Go see the show, take a friend. You never know when the Todd experience will take with a newcomer. And if you have a VIP pass, I certainly hope you get more from that experience than I did.
