Jul 03 2009
Rockin’ It Out With Todd
When you think of someone like Todd Rundgren you either have no idea who he is or you do know who he is and equate him with the outer fringes of musical genius. He has written lots of songs that have become hits for other people, and he has even performed some hits on his own. Wednesday, July 1st I finally got the chance to catch him live at the The Tralf here in Buffalo. I hadn’t paid too much attention to his work over the years save for a few tracks here and there out of curiosity. His latest album called Arena is a throwback to arena rick in all it’s glory. That being said, I full expected a full frontal electric assault and that’s exactly what I got at that show. He played plenty from Arena, but he also played some past gems in more electric versions than I would have expected. Some excellent guitar work was shown by Todd and his backup band was excellent.
I almost got the feeling that the majority of crowd in attendance was expecting a somewhat less electric presence from Todd. Most were older than I was and the idea of taking a the full force of well distorted guitars for too long seemed to be too much for some. Many people cut out before the end of the show. The venue itself leaves a lot to be desired in my mind. I’ve seen more shows than I can count at The Tralf and it seems like the place has taken steps backwards as time as gone on. Some of the past owners didn’t help their cause so if anything we should be thankful it’s still around.
In any event, I look forward to what Todd has to offer in the future. For all he has done so far (and it’s a lot), he is too restless and creative to pack it in now. Rock on, Todd!