The band -- Todd (guitar and vocals), Kasim Sultan (bass and vocals), Jesse Gress (guitar and vocals), John Ferenzik (keyboards and vocals) and Prairie Prince (drums) -- added a couple more songs not yet performed to this show. "Secret Society" and "One World" were at the end, along with the crowd favorite "Hello It's Me," wrapping a spirited two-hour production of nearly continuous music. A couple of breaks did take place and Todd mentioned the "coma" that many people seemed to have experienced over the past "45 years," remembering "Hello It's Me" as the last song they can recall. Todd said early on that some folks are billing this as a "greatest hits tour" which would have been over after about "20 minutes." "Bang the Drum All Day" was back in the set list after a long, long absence. Other than hearing play it on Ringo's All Starr tour, I don't think I've heard it since the mid-1990s.
The band was tight and the highlights for me included a moving "God Said" -- the only song from LIARS and "Sometimes I Don't Know What to Feel" from AWATS. The full-band arrangements of "Rise" and "Soothe" from 2015's GLOBAL sounded great and transferred well from electronic recordings to real guitars. Todd's scorching guitar solo in "Black Maria" took me over the top and re-established OH as my favorite rock guitarist.
If they really do have "fifty songs" in the works, that means they'll be working in about twenty or so more by the end of the tour. I'm going to guess that something from NEARLY HUMAN, ARENA, and STATE should show up. It would be cool if he grabbed at least one tune from every solo record. If you're a Todd Rundgren fan who's been in that aforementioned coma, it's time for you to get out and experience damn near a half a century of solid pop and rock 'n' roll. Thank you, Todd, for coming to Nebraska, uh, I mean Iowa!
The Set List:
I Saw the Light Love of the Common Man Open My Eyes Sometimes I Don't Know What to Feel Love Science Can We Still Be Friends Hammer in My Heart Lost Horizon Rise Black & White God Said Love in Action Lysistrata Soothe Bang the Drum All Day I'm So Proud / Ooh Baby Baby I Want You Black Maria Drive Couldn't I Just Tell You Secret Society One World Hello It's Me
