The first show at the Palace in Stafford Springs was general admission so I was fairly close to the stage. I was close enough to take in the beautifully delicious, never ending smiles from Todd's two backup singers as they danced almost constantly throughout the performance. The closeness however, limited my view somewhat, as I wasn't able to take in the whole overall presentation quite as well as on the later performances where I found myself a bit farther back. Being back a bit allowed me to take in the entire spectacle as a whole, rather than being overwhelmed by being so close.
Todd's voice was excellent, as were those of his backup singers. And Mr. Dam Funk was very cool with his contributions on keyboards, vocals and basically running the machinery. Prior to the show I chatted with Mr. Funk and mentioned how much I had enjoyed the previous two performances and was looking forward to this one. He was gracious and thanked me and I could tell that he really saw Todd as a lot more than just some old guy still doing some old music shtick from days gone bye. He is a fan as well and understands the genius of Mr. Rundgren, as he would mention throughout their performance.
Electronica may not be for everyone, but it is a medium that Todd seems to feel comfortable with for the time being and being the talent that he is, he manages to work it for all it's worth. This is a no holds barred show and it is one loud, mesmerizingly visual journey from start to finish.
As with all of Todd's shows, there are bound to be the usual "Hello it's Me Crowd" types that are looking for the good old favorites as they remember from their LPs. But Todd is an artist that really has his own vision, which doesn't always include the favorites. Although some may have been taken aback somewhat, not expecting what Todd had planned for the evening, many who were at first somewhat bewildered, later found themselves deeply enmeshed in the groove.
This show included most of, but not all of the Global album, two songs from Liars, a bit from State, a couple from No World Order and some other Gems. One World was given a very nice face-lift and worked great with the whole Global presentation. Who would have figured? Nicely done and lot's of fun.
This is a great show and anyone that has not seen it should. And those that have, such as myself, are probably wishing that they could see it again.
