This feels very odd but rather than wait for the show that I will be attending next week in Baltimore I feel compelled to write a "diehard fan's plea" to Todd prompted by the outpouring of opinion from the tour opener in Melbourne, Florida.
First...as to establishing some fan credentials for the useless begging that is about to begin. The Baltimore show for me will be #60...dating back to my freshmen year at college in 1973 in Allentown, Pa. Since then I have been a witness to the great, the good and once, the ugly (again in Allentown- but that's another story). The greatest was Todd's 6/22/74 birthday concert in Central Park. Some of the more memorable shows that I've attended included the Second Wind sessions in S.F., one of the nights at the Bottom Line for Back to the Bars, a show at the Troc in Philly that was literally so hot that my then fiancée almost passed out and one very special acoustic performance at the Rams Head in Annapolis a few years back. Obviously it's kind of hard to categorize 59 shows but I believe I've seen more than most.
I have to say I was stunned and somewhat impressed that Todd saw fit to use this forum to let us know that he is not the uncaring, unprofessional lout who is immune to criticism- as he sometimes gives the impression to the less initiated. That said, I'm going to accept everything he said at face value, despite my personal belief that he is so smart and resourceful that he has convinced himself that unprepared or not, somehow he'll just wing it and it will all work out. Maybe because it's worked for him in the past- but if he's anything like me, he should have noticed by now that we're all losing a little of the edge that could save the day when we were younger. The benefit of having such a loyal and devoted (albeit small and cult like) fan base allows for more leeway than most performers are entitled.
Ok, here's my main point. At this stage of his performing career I would hope Todd would recognize that the vast majority of attendees at these shows, or at least the ones he should care about most, are the long time fans. We're the ones who cough up the $50 or more per ticket for each and every tour, because let's face it - it's one of the ways we get some continuity and happiness in our life. I for one am getting tired of some of the same old routine collection of songs. Does any real TR fan put Bang the drum in his top 50 compositions? I read somewhere here recently that Todd is working in a few songs he hasn't performed in a while like Pretending to Care. That's great- but (and here is the Useless Begging) I want to hear some songs that he has never performed live...at least ones I just can't recall hearing in over 20 years. These may not sound like songs that would be obvious for the casual fan- but the hard core out there would truly be in heaven. All of them would accomodate the limitations of performing solo. Here goes:
Too Far Gone Be Nice to me Boat on the Charles Marlene Piss Aaron Lucky GuyTodd.....PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE...play one or a few of these in Baltimore. It will help me justify the grand my wife and I will be dropping for tickets, travel, hotel, meals, kid and dog sitters etc. Thanks.
Your faithful fan,
Eric Lund
