When do you really first hear a singer or group? Is that time you hear them on the radio and stick around in the hopes that the disc jockey identities what he just played? Perhaps when they appear as the musical guest on your favorite variety show? How many times have you caught an act on Saturday Night Live and didn’t turn the channel? For quite a few people, the first time you really hear a band is when you sit down and listen to their album from the needle drop until the tone arm lifts up on the second side and the turntable stops. When it comes to Todd Rundgren, I probably heard one of his numerous hits on American Top 40 when Casey Kasem was counting down. I already knew who he was when he appeared on Saturday Night Live in 1981 during the ill-fated sixth season. How did I find him between these moments? My local library had a bin of vinyl albums you could check out. I’m not sure how they created the collection. They were not popular titles for the time. Judging from how rough the covers appeared, the records were probably donated by people who didn’t want to be bothered with a yardsale. Our town didn’t have a used record store at the time. People dumped their records at the library with their copies of Future Shock. In that bin the library was six or so Todd Rundgren albums including Todd. I checked them all out, took them home and played them on my radio-cassette-turntable home entertainment system. I learned quickly that Todd Rundgren created a lot of music they didn’t played on my local rock radio station and should have.
During the Fall of 2010, Todd Rundgren did a special six date mini tour where he performed his albums Todd and Healing. None of the shows came near me. Todd did record the performance at the Keswick Theater in Glenside, Pennsylvania on September 14 for a Pay-Per-View Special. He brought together a top-notch backing band for these dates that included Utopia bassist Kasim Sulton and Tubes drummer Prairie Prince as the rhythm section. The lead keyboardist is Greg Hawkes from The Cars. Joining Todd on guitar is Jesse Gress from Tony Levin’s band. Saxophonist/keyboardist Bobby Stickland had been with Todd for a while at this point. Unlike Healing that was a just Rundgren on the record, Todd mixed-up his one-man band songs with bringing in musicians. It’s record that’s perfect to play live.
Todd is not a conceptual double album when it came out in 1974. The songs do have a natural flow. The show is rather tight with Todd and the band fixed on the music and not doing much banter. Todd does warn the audience to not touch something unless they want to go blind. When there’s a slight screw up on stage, Todd jokes that they’ll get it right by the seventh show. Prairie Prince comes from behind his drum kit to perform a few dance steps during one song. This is not the complete Todd album being performed since they skip over “In and Out the Chakras We Go (Formerly: Shaft Goes to Outer Space).” The track that opens side four is a strange bit of studio weirdness that would have changed things up a bit too much for the audience. Nobody in the crowd came racing up to the stage with their copy of Todd complaining that he skipped a track. It’s not like he decided against “The Last Ride.” The concert ends with the encore after the performance of Healing. The choir from the Barbara Ingram School for the Arts has joined them on the stage. I do appreciate that Todd, the band and the choir keeps performing after the curtains close to the stage. The audience takes over the chorus with singing and clapping out the beat. What a great way to end the night. The show elevates Todd as an album by hearing it fresh.
| The songs included in the concert are: How About A Little Fanfare? I Think You Know The Spark Of Life An Elpee’s Worth Of Toons A Dream Goes on Forever Lord Chancellor’s Nightmare Song Drunken Blue Rooster The Last Ride Everybody’s Going To Heaven/ King Kong Reggae No. 1 Lowest Common Denominator Useless Begging Sidewalk Cafe Izzat Love? Heavy Metal Kids Don’t You Ever Learn? Songs of 1984 |
The Video is 2:1 anamorphic. You’ll get a detailed look at Rundgren’s trippy guitar. The Audio is LPCM 2.0 stereo. Todd did the music mix so you feel like you’re in the best seat. There’s also a Dolby Digital 2.0 mix.
Todd Rundgren interviewed by Roy Firestone – Part One (78:32) is a sit-down chat before an audience at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania done on September 13, 2010. He introduces members of the band that are in the gallery. Firestone compares Todd Rundgren to fellow Philly guy Ben Frankin. Because this is the first part, you get to see the video history of Todd Rundgren that opened the film including his Nazz music video and his Midnight Special appearance. Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere and the Raiders introduces the Nazz for the first time on a TV show. Todd explains how the Nazz fell apart. He mentions meeting The Who at a Holiday Inn early on and his relationship with Laura Nyro. Firestone brings out the best in Todd recounting his album.
Cleopatra Records present: Todd Rundgren – Healing Live. Directed by Chase Pierson. Songs by Todd Rundgren. Starring Todd Rundgren, Jesse Gress, Prairie Prince, Kasim Sulton, Greg Hawkes, Bobby Stickland and Roy Firestone. Running Time: 72 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: October 18, 2024.
