But back to the bars (of music). The music was GREAT, terrific. The album was really enhanced seeing it performed live. It showcased the rock-opera-ness of the music. It all really hung together as a piece. Zen Archer killed (but, oh, that costume again). And When The Shit Hits the Fan was awesome.
I remember the first time I saw International Feel and much of AWATS performed live. It was at Villanova University in PA in 1971. From what I knew about Todd in those days I expected someone to come out in bluejeans and sit at a piano. Instead, the lights went down and suddenly these four guys were on giant cubes with colored smoke billowing out. And they were all wearing SPACE SUITS. With HELMETS! And double neck guitars. And there must have been 200 speakers around the balcony swooshing around for the opening of International Feel. And that's about the only thing I remember from 1971. The first set...ehhh. The irony of it was you could go across the bridge to Oakland and hear better blues at any number of clubs. And everybody knows all the words to all the Robert Johnson songs in Oakland. Even the white people.