Musician, songwriter, singer, and record producer. A pioneer in electronics, internet music, and video technology. Some of the most endearing and enduring pop ballads of the 1970s. 27 solo albums and nine with the Utopia band. A member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Todd Rundgren, what a career! Despite this pedigree, I’ve been largely unaware of his musical achievements. One of the few shows for me without having any albums by the performer. (I did purchase The Very Best of Todd Rundgren a couple months before the concert.) I can attest that he is still an engaging performer with a timeless array of songs.
The Philly native began his musical journey in 1967 with the psychedelic band Nazz. After three albums with them, he started his solo act in 1970 and had an immediate hit with “We Gotta Get You a Woman.” 1972’s Something/Anything? produced some of his most memorable songs, including “Hello It’s Me,” “I Saw the Light,” and “Couldn’t I Just Tell You.” It wasn’t the first time he would play every part by himself. The following year, he released the experimental and influential album, A Wizard, a True Star. Hermit of Mink Hollow in 1978 delivered another hit, “Can We Still Be Friends.” “Bang the Drum All Day” was a surprise smash off The Ever Popular Tortured Artist Effect in 1983. The throw-away song has been a tradition for about 30 years in Lambeau Field after the Green Bay Packers score a touchdown.
Numerous bands have benefited from having Todd Rundgren as their producer and engineer. Working with other bands allowed him to continue experimenting with new sound techniques as he implemented their vision. The Psychedelic Furs’ Forever Now, Grand Funk’s We’re an American Band, New York Dolls’ eponymous debut, Meat Loaf’s Bat Out of Hell, and XTC’s Skylarking are just the highlights from a long list.
Rundgren opened the show with “I Think You Know” and its intro “How About a Little Fanfare?” from the 1974 Todd album. I was immediately captivated by him and his band. The upgrade to dead center front row seats certainly elevated the experience. (My friend Chico came through again – see Neil Young’s Solo Acoustic Tour: An Intimate Evening of Deep Tracks for another of his front row ticket triumphs.) The second song, the beguiling “Secret Society,” from Utopia’s last LP POV in 1985, announced early on that this would be an initiation into the deeper tracks of Rundgren-land.
He played 24 songs from 15 albums in a surprising 2:10 set (Dave Mason and Neil Young – two other septuagenarians I recently saw in concert – ended their shows at exactly 90 minutes). The performance was a showcase for longevity and diversity – from 1972’s Something/Anything? to 2022’s Space Force. 50 years of musical adventure. Four songs from 2004’s Liars were the most from one album. “Buffalo Grass,” “Woman’s World,” and “Worldwide Epiphany” rocked the house down while “Lost Horizon’s” A Capella and “God Said’s” spirituality evoked the solemnity of a cathedral. Rundgren also lightened the mood by channeling Leonard Bernstein as he “conducted” the band and pirate Captain Jack Sparrow on “Down with the Ship.”
His sound is so unique. A blend of rock, ballads, psychedelic, prog, and …what? He can’t be pigeon-holed. It’s a musical cocktail that only he can mix. He didn’t play to convention either, by holding his big hits (“I Saw the Light,” “Can We Still Be Friends” and “Hello It’s Me”) until the encore, and then delivering them in an abbreviated medley fashion. He bookended the concert by closing with another one from Todd, “A Dream Goes on Forever.” “The days and the years will go streaking by, Time has stopped in my dream, But a dream lives on forever.” Exquisite.
(Rundgren’s ME/WE Tour continues on to Tacoma, Portland, Laughlin, and Tuscon before taking a break. The tour resumes on September 19th through October 26th at a variety of locations around the country. If he’s in your region, it’s worth it.)
D² Rating ◼◼◼◼☐
Trivia: Liv Rundgren, born by Playboy Playmate Bebe Buell while she was in a long-term relationship with Todd, would change her surname to what when she was 11 years old?
Answer below
Answer: Tyler, as in Liv Tyler. Buell had a short fling with Steven Tyler while she was with Rundgren. She claimed Rundgren was the father because she didn’t want her child associated with the lead singer of Aerosmith while he was in throes of drug addiction. Rundgren paid for Liv’s private school and remains close with her today.