todd Rundgren has been a favorite of mine forever but he is eclectic and his concerts have always been a mixed bag. Mr. Rundgren has had many hits throughout the years but is loathe to play them usually. The great artist creates new music and wants the music he has most recently worked so hard on to be heard. The trick for artists with longevity is to find a balance between playing the songs their fans have grown to love and identify with throughout their lives against the true musician’s strong desire to grow and evolve artistically. 

Neil Young has the cache to play what he wants however he wants and his core audience knows to expect the unexpected when they buy the ticket. I just saw Chicago with Earth Wind and Fire this weekend at Jones Beach, which is a fun double bill, and you know that Chicago is pretty much going to give you the same set list year after year. While I am sure that at least some of the Chicago band members would like to explore new musical territory in concert, most of their fans come back year after year with certain expectations and love the band for its reliability.

I knew this evening at The Paramount in Huntington was going to be different then the last time I saw Rundgren with a band at Westbury as a DJ booth was situated high center stage with giant video screens dominating the scene.

Todd Rundgren and two Afro wigged young ladies stepped on stage without a band in sight. After a technical mishap had Todd and the girls leave the stage mid first song delaying the concert momentarily, for the next hour and a half plus Todd Rundgren played a synth heavy new project pretty much in its entirety. Rundgren was working hard, obviously heavily invested in the project, and the 3/4 full hall appreciated his efforts and were enthusiastic, particularily during the clap along segments which were numerous. The concert was very “1980s” in feel,  sort of like Howard Jones on steroids. The passage of time and global concerns were a central theme to the musical topics for the evening and the show was also heavily choreographed in conjunction with many video effects throughout the show. 

It could have been disastrous, and many audiences expecting the “greatest hits” will hate it, but on this night it seemed to work and the Paramount crowd seemed receptive for the most part.

Except for a Utopia tune thrown in the mix toward the middle, it was a night dominated by new music and ended with a trio of synthesized hits including “I Saw the Light” and “Hello It’s Me” channeling Neil Young’s Trans-era “Mr. Soul”.

I admire the risk taking and the show worked for me on its own merits, but it left me wondering how an artist like Todd Rundgren fits into today’s music scene. Who will purchase his new music, if anyone, and in what format? It is a complicated environment but Todd Rundgren is fighting the good fight even if ultimately he may be pissing in the wind.

Global

Rock on

GQ