Although I've been a huge fan of TR since I first heard Something/Anything in the 70s, I probably do not qualify as a true Todd-head, or whatever. Monday night's concert was only the third time I have seen him -- once in 1989 with a full band, which was a killer show, and last year solo at an outside venue (a very good show). With that said ... I thought Monday's show was incredible. I enjoyed Ethel's opening set, thought Joe Jackson was very good (though I'm not familiar with any of his material outside of his radio stuff) and Todd was Todd at his best. The thing that impresses me so much about TR is that, unlike some other artists who have been around for decades, e.g. Stephen Stills and Robert Plant, Todd can still hit the high notes. His voice sounds the same as it did in 1975, which is amazing considering his style. He really kicked on guitar, especially on Black & White. The encore set with Joe and Ethel was worth the entire price of admission. Black Maria totally blew me away. It could not have been better -- well, maybe if Todd had showed off a little more of his talent on guitar since it was the only song he played with his green electric, but hats off to TR for not wanting to overshadow the excellent backing by Ethel. The only thing -- it really made me long to see Todd with a full band behind him, just one more time. A few other comments based on some of the previous reviews: yes, the size of the crowd was disappointing, but it sounded like twice as many people during the applauses. Monday is probably the worst night of the week to schedule a concert, but still no excuse for not selling out the Ryman. Also, here is the actual Set List (I jotted down on back of ticket for some reason):
Love of the Common Man
Cliche
I Saw the Light
Beloved Infidel
Black & White
Viking Song
Hello Its Me
Hawking
Bang the Drum
Afterlife
You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
?? -- "No More" maybe? (Wasn't familiar with this one)
With Joe Jackson, Ethel:
Pretending to Care
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Encore:
Black Maria
