Living in Australia I always knew that the chances of ever seeing Todd live would be slim to none, so when I heard that he was playing AWATs in Amsterdam I just had to go.
We arrived 30 mins before the doors opened and I was surprised to see a crowd already gathering. I was sort of hoping that TR might be a little obscure in Amsterdam and that I'd have him all to myself, but it turned out to be a PACKED HOUSE at the Paradiso!
TR started with the Johnson set. For me it was a buzz just seeing TR in the flesh after being such a huge fan since 93 ( a late bloomer! ). That alone was a thrill !
Todd was playing some AWESOME guitar -- I had forgotten just what a great player he really is! The band where flying by the seat of their pants a little....a lot of "is this the ending" looks back and forth, but the crowd enjoyed the spontaneity all the same.
Then came the AWATS set ! Wow....i couldn't believe this was happening ! My fav TR album taking place in front of my eyes....Todd 6 feet away from me.....I was torn between capturing it all on my camera or just standing there taking it in.....
Todd's microphone head-piece kept cutting in and out for Int.Feel and Never Never Land, which I have seen it do before during some of the Pay Per View AWATs concerts, so I don't know why he persists with it....by the time he came out for You Need Your Head he just opted to use the old fashioned microphone on a stand....much better! He was in GREAT voice, if only it had been louder in the mix.
The rest of the set went without a hitch.....the crowd went crazy....i am sure TR would have been feeling the love !
This show was totally worth the 18 hour flight over from Sydney.....the ONLY downer for me was that Michelle Rundgren offered via email to introduce me to Todd (a life long dream) when I told he that I was thinking of making the trip over....then as they day came closer she chose to ignore my emails.....that was really disappointing.
The show however....INSANELY GREAT ! TR you are an absolute genius.
