I don't recall anyone ever suggesting that Todd sit down with us and play every song he's ever written with every instrument he can play. And your argument of time restraint doesn't fly. If you've got 40 minutes in which to perform, and your an alleged professional, and you've got a catalogue that stretches over 35 years, you should be able to find a wealth of material that are performance oriented songs as opposed to studio only compositions. Only Todd knows why he continues to basically perform the same catalogue of songs, year after year after year in his solo shows. Maybe he feels the these are the songs that best represent his solo years. Hard to argue with the man on that one. Maybe he feels that these are his only relevant songs in 2005. Maybe he feels that these are the only songs that he feels comfortable and confident in performing. Whoops, that can't be right as we've seen him screw them up time and time again. Maybe he's lazy. Maybe he doesn't care. Even if he says he's not, that's the way he comes off. Especially on this tour, and especially next to Joe Jackson.
You say, "It ain't easy, it never was." Well that's exactly how Todd makes it look. It's NOT easy to put a little thought and work into your set list. It takes time, it takes rehearsal. If this tour was truly something he was interested in, it would show. I say that because I saw how he approached last year's Liars tour. Well thought out, well paced, and rehearsed. He was obviously into it and it was one of the best Todd shows I've seen. But this tour is an easy way for him to make a buck and he basically goes on auto-pilot and embarrasses himself and insults his fans. If you think this is "his own path for the sake of creativity," then creativity truly IS in the eye of the beholder.
One final observation, after Ethel, Todd should appear next. In that way you might be able to see the saving grace in Todd. But having him follow Joe Jackson is just painful.
