New Cars in Boston

The New Cars & Blondie played at the Bank of America Pavilion Wednesday night. This venue has an outdoor setting with a permanent tent covering and wonderful views of the Boston skyline. It holds approximately 4000. Despite absolutely horrific weather (pelting rain & temps in the 50's!), the arena was roughly three quarters full. Blondie did a fine opening set & I was amazed at Ms. Harry's energy. There were significant Blondie fanatics who loved her every move. While I'm not a huge fan, I did enjoy their set. Enter The New Cars. While I've enjoyed the Cars music back in the day, I was never inspired to actually buy any of their albums. The set list was basically the same as other shows & they rocked the house! Elliot Easton is a fantastic guitar player; he and Todd clearly enjoyed each other's company. Todd looked better than he has in quite a while & his guitar and vocals were outstanding. The band has definitely gelled; I think even Ocasek would have smiled at this rendition. Greg Hawkes & Prairie Prince performed admirably, but Kaz, despite a spirited job, seemed to be an afterthought with the lighting crew. Dressed in maroon clothes & the darkness of his spot on stage, it was almost as if he was invisible. He finally received the much deserved spot light during 'Drive' and 'In the Mix'. He sang both wonderfully, and I always scratch my head he never could carve himself a solo career. His voice remains amazing. The Cars catalog is indeed impressive, and the audience ate it up. They also enjoyed 'I Saw the Light' (best guitar solo live with Todd & Elliot) and 'Bang the Drum', but were muted during 'Black Maria' and 'Open My Eyes'. Those songs were lost on the majority, but all us Todd heads loved them. Todd was very animated & commented a time or two on the weather. Living in Hawaii, it probably felt like an Alaska concert to him. But, to their credit, they didn't cut the show. Naturally, all their energy and professionalism warmed the place considerably. Don't know what the future holds for Todd (who does), but it was great to see him play at a decent sized hall with a great band an appreciative audience. If you like the Cars, you'll be happy with this show. If you like Blondie & the Cars, you'll really enjoy yourself. If you like Todd, Blondie and the Cars, you're in for a real treat! Hopefully you'll have warmer climes in your neck of the woods!