After a thirty-year-plus hiatus, Todd Rundgren’s Utopia graced the Chicago Theatre stage, with the hopes of promising fans an extraordinary, other-worldly concert experience. The original 70’s-formed band established a stellar reputation for stretching the prog rock/pop envelope and infusing their mostly original material with verve and state-of-the-art technique. On this occasion the band featured Todd Rundgren, Kasim Sulton, Willie Wilcox and Gil Assayas.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Todd Rundgren began playing guitar as a teenager, going on to found and front Nazz, the quintessential 1960’s psychedelic group. In 1969, he left the band to pursue a solo career, recording his debut offering, Runt. But it was 1972’s seminal Something/Anything?, on which he played all the instruments, sang all the vocal parts, and acted as his own producer, that catapulted Todd into the superstar limelight, prompting the press to unanimously dub him ‘Rock’s New Wunderkind’. It was followed by such landmark LPs as A Wizard, A True Star and The Hermit of Mink Hollow, as well as such hit singles as “I Saw The Light, “Hello It’s Me,” “Can We Still Be Friends,” and “Bang The Drum.”
Rundgren has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the band Utopia. He is known for his sophisticated and often-unorthodox music, flamboyant stage outfits, and his later experiments with interactive entertainment. He also produced innovative music videos, pioneered forms of multimedia, and was an early adopter and promoter of various computer technologies.
This beautiful deluxe 4 disc digipack includes a Blu-Ray, DVD and 2 CDs. Look for the vinyl companion to be released in a gatefold jacket with 2 GREEN LPs on April 19!
Track Listing
1. Utopia Theme 2. The Ikon 3. Another Life 4. Do Ya 5. Freedom Fighters 6. The Wheel 7. Back on the Street 8. Something’s Coming 9. Monument 10. Overture Communion with the Sun 11. Last of the New Wave Riders 12. Road To Utopia 13. Play This Game 14. Swing to the Right 15. Trapped 16. Set Me Free 17. Love In Action 18. Hammer In My Heart 19. Princess of the Universe 20. I Will Wait 21. Rock Love 22. Love is the Answer 23. One World 24. Just One Victory
April 3 – Paradiso – Amsterdam, Netherlands April 6 – Eventim Apollo – London, UK April 10 – Buckhead Theatre – Atlanta, GA April 11 – Buckhead Theatre – Atlanta, GA April 13 – State Theatre – Washington, DC April 14 – State Theatre – Washington, DC April 16 – Town Hall – New York, NY April 17 – Town Hall – New York, NY April 19 – Berklee Performance Center – Boston, MA April 20 – Berklee Performance Center – Boston, MA April 23 – Athenaeum Theatre – Chicago, IL April 24 – Athenaeum Theatre – Chicago, IL April 27 – Danforth Music Hall – Toronto, ON April 28 – Danforth Music Hall – Toronto, ON May 01 – Fillmore – Philadelphia, PA May 02 – Fillmore – Philadelphia, PA May 05 – Ohio Theatre at Playhouse Square – Cleveland, OH May 06 – Ohio Theatre at Playhouse Square – Cleveland, OH May 09 – The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA May 10 – The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA May 12 – Palace of Fine Arts – San Francisco, CA May 13 – Palace of Fine Arts – San Francisco, CA May 22 – Sumida Triphony Hall – Tokyo, Japan May 23 – NHK Hall – Osaka, Japan
Tickets On Sale December 10, 2018, at 10 AM Local Time
Citi Presale Begins December 04, 2018 at 10 AM Local Time
Los Angeles – Current Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominee Todd Rundgren will be embarking on the world’s first hybrid concert/book tour this spring, highlighting both his hits as well as “deep tracks” spanning his 50-year career.
Produced by Live Nation and presented by SiriusXM, the North American leg of the tour starts in Atlanta, GA and hits major markets before wrapping in San Francisco, CA. The North American dates will be preceded by dates in Europe/UK and followed by dates in Japan. The full itinerary is below.
Rundgren’s long-awaited autobiography, The Individualist: digressions, dreams, and dissertations, is being released by Cleopatra Press on December 21, documenting his life through his 50th birthday. The concert set list will mirror that time period, consisting of song selections from the inception of his musical career through 1996, with intros & stories behind the songs and Rundgren’s impressive career.
He will be playing back-to-back shows in the ten North American markets in order to be available for books signings and local TV and radio appearances on the second show day in each city. Tickets go on sale Monday, December 10 at 10 AM Local Time. Two-day ticket packages, along with single-day tickets, will be available in each North American market.
Citi is the official presale credit card of the Todd Rundgren – The Individualist Tour. As such, Citi cardmembers will have access to purchase presale tickets beginning Tuesday, December 4th at 10 AM local time until Sunday, December 9th at 10 PM local time through Citi’s Private Pass program. For complete presale details, visit www.citiprivatepass.com
TODD RUNDGREN “THE INDIVIDUALIST TOUR”
April 1 – Theater am Mareintor – Duisburg, Germany
April 2 – Laeiszhalle – Hamburg, Germany
April 3 – Paradiso – Amsterdam, Netherlands
April 6 – Eventim Apollo – London, UK
April 10 – Buckhead Theatre – Atlanta, GA
April 11 – Buckhead Theatre – Atlanta, GA
April 13 – State Theatre – Washington, DC
April 14 – State Theatre – Washington, DC
April 16 – Town Hall – New York, NY
April 17 – Town Hall – New York, NY
April 19 – Berklee Performance Center – Boston, MA
April 20 – Berklee Performance Center – Boston, MA
April 23 – Athenaeum Theatre – Chicago, IL
April 24 – Athenaeum Theatre – Chicago, IL
April 27 – Danforth Music Hall – Toronto, ON
April 28 – Danforth Music Hall – Toronto, ON
May 01 – Fillmore – Philadelphia, PA
May 02 – Fillmore – Philadelphia, PA
May 05 – Ohio Theatre at Playhouse Square – Cleveland, OH
May 06 – Ohio Theatre at Playhouse Square – Cleveland, OH
May 09 – The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA
May 10 – The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA
May 12 – Palace of Fine Arts – San Francisco, CA
May 13 – Palace of Fine Arts – San Francisco, CA
May 22 – Sumida Triphony Hall – Tokyo, Japan
May 23 – NHK Hall – Osaka, Japan
TODD RUNDGREN
A Wizard, A True Star. The title of Todd Rundgren’s 1973 solo album aptly sums up the contributions of this multi-faceted artist to state-of-the-art music. As a songwriter, video pioneer, producer, recording artist, computer software developer, conceptualist, and interactive artist (re-designated TR-i), Rundgren has made a lasting impact on both the form and content of popular music.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Rundgren began playing guitar as a teenager, going on to found and front The Nazz, the quintessential `60’s psychedelic group. In 1969, he left the band to pursue a solo career, recording his debut offering, the legendary Runt. But it was 1972’s seminal Something/Anything?, on which he played all the instruments, sang all the vocal parts, and acted as his own producer, that catapulted Todd into the superstar limelight, prompting the press to unanimously dub him ‘Rock’s New Wunderkind’. It was followed by such landmark LPs as The Hermit of Mink Hollow and the above mentioned A Wizard, A True Star, as well as such hit singles as “I Saw The Light,” “Hello It’s Me,” “Can We Still Be Friends,” and “Bang The Drum.”
In 1974, Todd formed Todd Rundgren’s Utopia (renamed and reconfigured in 1976 as Utopia), an entirely new approach to the concept of interactive musicianship, and embarked on an extensive round of touring and recording. Standout Utopia offerings included Oops! Wrong Planet, Adventures in Utopia, and Oblivion. Along the way, Todd Rundgren’s Utopia combined technical virtuosity and creative passion to create music that initially, for millions, defined the term “progressive rock”, and subsequently, as Utopia, the term “power pop.”
Rundgren’s myriad production projects include albums by Patti Smith, Cheap Trick, Psychedelic Furs, Meat Loaf, XTC, Grand Funk Railroad, and Hall And Oates. Rounding out his reputation as rock’s Renaissance Man, Rundgren composed all the music and lyrics for Joe Papp’s 1989 Off-Broadway production of Joe Orton’s Up Against It (the screenplay commissioned by The Beatles for what was meant to have been their third motion picture). He also has composed the music for the hit film Dumb and Dumber, as well as a number of television series, including Pee Wee’s Playhouse and Crime Story.
In 2012 Rundgren performed his iconic 1973 album A Wizard A True Star in concert in its entirety for the first time ever, and several years later did the same with a double bill: Todd & Healing. He has toured with Ringo Starr as an erstwhile member of the All-Starr Band since 1989 and continues to perform with symphony orchestras both domestically and internationally. His latest studio album, White Knight, was released last May, and this past spring he toured North America with original Utopians Kasim Sulton and Willie Wilcox for the first time in 33 years. His long-awaited autobiography The Individualist will be in stores on December 21. He embarks on the world’s first hybrid concert/book tour this coming April/May, highlighting music across his 50-year career.
Last year on successive weekends he was awarded honorary doctorates from both the Berklee School of Music and DePauw University.
In 1998 Todd debuted his new PatroNet technology which for the first time allowed fans of a musical artist to subscribe directly to the artist’s musical output via the Internet. This caps a long history of groundbreaking early multimedia “firsts”, including:
• 1978: The first interactive television concert, broadcast live over the Warner/QUBE system in Columbus, Ohio (the home audience chose each song in real time during the concert by voting via QUBE’s 2-way operating system).
• 1978: The first live nationally broadcast stereo radio rock concert (by microwave), linking 40 cities around the country.
• 1979: The opening of Utopia Video Studios, a multi-million dollar state-of-the-art facility. The first project produced by Todd there is Gustav Holst’s The Planets, commissioned by RCA Selecta Vision as the first demonstration software for their new videodisc format.
• 1980: Creation of the first color graphics tablet, which was licensed to Apple and commercially released as The Utopia Graphics Tablet.
• 1981: “Time Heals,” the first music video to utilize state-of-the-art compositing of live action and computer graphics (produced and directed by Todd), becomes the eighth video to be played during the launch of MTV on August 1, 1981.
• 1982: The first live national cablecast of a rock concert (on the USA Network), simulcast in stereo to over 120 radio stations.
• 1982: The first two commercially released music videos, one of which was nominated for the first-ever Grammy awarded for “Best Short Form Video” in 1983.
• 1992: The first commercially available music downloads via CompuServe.
• 1993: The release of No World Order, the world’s first interactive record album on CD-i.
• 1994: The release of The Individualist, the world’s first full-length Enhanced CD.
• 1994: The world’s first interactive concert tour.
• 1998: Launches PatroNet, the world’s first direct artist subscription service — predicts that someday “music will be sold by the pound”.
• 2016: The production of the world’s first full-length concert shot with multiple Virtual Reality 360º cameras.
Spirit of Harmony Foundation Founder and President Todd Rundgren has been nominated to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The RRHOF is offering fans the opportunity to officially participate in the induction selection process. Beginning October 9 and continuing through 11:59 p.m. EST on December 9, 2018, fans can visit rockhall.com to cast votes for who they believe to be most deserving of induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The top five artists, as selected by the public, will comprise a “fans’ ballot” that will be tallied along with the other ballots to choose the 2019 inductees.
Fans will need to login to vote. Voting is capped at one ballot per day.
Please click here for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s bio page about Todd.
Look for US Fall Tour with A Who’s Who of Great Musicians
GODFREY TOWNSEND is the new guitarist for the Yardbirds. A favorite in the Classic Rock World, Godfrey has played with a range of greats from John Entwistle to Jack Bruce.
In fact Eric Clapton’s guitar technician, Lee Dickson commented to John Entwistle, “Hey John, come listen to this guy…he’s got Clapton down better than Clapton!” Entwistle replied, “You twit!…that’s MY guitar player!”
Godfrey Townsend joins a lineup with innovative and legendary musicians— notably, of course the Yardbirds’ leader/drummer/singer/co-founder Jim McCarty, bassist Kenny Aaronson (Bob Dylan, Hall & Oates, Billy Idol, Derringer, Joan Jett), singer/harpist/percussionist Myke Scavone (Ram Jam, The Doughboys), and lead singer/guitarist John Idan (who is on their 2003 CD “Birdland” album which features guest appearances from both Steve Vai and Slash).
Godfrey plays guitar, keyboards, sings, and is the music director of countless live performers, most notably his own “Clapton is God-frey” show and the Happy Together tour.
A favorite in New York City’s Max’s Kansas City and the China Club scenes, Godfrey’s been the guy that got famous rockers on stage to jam with the bands. After a stint in Las Vegas working with Mitch Ryder, Spencer Davis, and Joey Molland of Badfinger, he was recruited by John Entwistle of The Who, with whom he performed a half dozen tours, a studio album, and a live album. Godfrey went on to play with Alan Parsons, Todd Rundgren, Ann Wilson of Heart, Jack Bruce, Mark Farner, Christopher Cross, Flo and Eddie, and Dave Mason.
Since the Yardbirds’ birth from 1963 to 1968, and then its 2003 reformation, the group has been known for its incredible guitarists. In addition to Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, plus rhythm guitarist/bassist Chris Dreja have contributed to the band’s history.
Jim McCarty continues to lead this innovative British rock band that provides the crucial link between British R&B, Psychedelic Rock, and Heavy Metal, while pioneering the use of innovations like fuzztone, feedback and distortion. The drummer/singer/songwriter is responsible for its haunting sound.
The Yardbirds are exclusively represented TCI (Talent Consultants International) for booking concerts. Stay tuned for an announcement soon of U.S. Tour dates for this November.
Goldmine Magazine stated, “the band’s hallmark of top-notch musicianship remains. There are no passengers in this band.”
Reuniting for First North American Tour in 32 years – Releasing Limited Edition “The Road To Utopia” Box Set
FOR 32 YEARS, FANS HAVE BEEN CLAMORING FOR A REUNION – The wait is over.
No longer able to turn a deaf ear to the unceasing requests from fans and the media alike, Todd Rundgren, Kasim Sulton, Willie Wilcox and Ralph Schuckett are reuniting for their first North American tour since the Chernobyl nuclear reactor exploded. Presented by Sirius XM and produced by Live Nation, TODD RUNDGREN’S UTOPIA will be performing across North America beginning on April 18.
In celebration of the upcoming reunion tour, Friday Music will be releasing a 7-disc box set, THE ROAD TO UTOPIA: THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS (1974-82). This limited edition collection will bring each of their seven classic albums to life, now in first-time CD digipak gatefold covers featuring the original album artwork elements, rare inner sleeve art, newly written commentary from the band, and more. The box set has a scheduled street date of April 20. Fans can pre-order now at Friday Music, Amazon and Record Store Day.
Todd Rundgren’s Utopia was formed in 1974 out of Todd’s desire to explore new musical territory. Starting as a prog-rock-progenitor septet the band’s music ranged from extended synth experiments to four-song albums, while their live shows were distinguished by their ahead-of-the-curve video backdrops and computer-generated music.
In 1976 the band evolved into “Utopia”, the shiny mainstream power-pop rock quartet, uniting Todd Rundgren on guitar, Willie Wilcox on drums, Roger Powell on keyboards, and Kasim Sulton on bass. Known for their hallmark lyrics, lush inventive background vocals and a voracious appetite for the highest level of musicianship. Utopia became known as the quintessential “musician’s band”. Every member took his turn singing lead on every album, and all songwriting was collaborative.
By 1980, Utopia had developed into a hit-making entity in its own right. Standout Utopia albums included Oops! Wrong Planet, Adventures in Utopia, and Oblivion, spawning hits including “Rock Love,” “Set Me Free,” “Mated,” and “Love Is The Answer”, which also became a global #1 for England Dan and John Ford Coley.
Utopia’s tours, among the first to aggressively incorporate then-state-of-the-art video technology, produced at Todd’s groundbreaking Utopia Video Studios, featured some of the most lavish and audacious stage productions in rock history. Their headline concerts frequently featured opening acts as future superstars Cheap Trick and The Cars, and the band performed at some of the 70’s most epic rock festivals, including Knebworth Castle in the UK — once with the Rolling Stones in 1976 and twice with Led Zeppelin in 1979, before a combined audience of over 1,200,000 (amongst them a Who’s Who of rock royalty, including Paul McCartney and David Gilmour) .
Always on the bleeding edge, Utopia chalked up a long history of groundbreaking media “firsts”, including:
• 1978: The first interactive television concert, broadcast live over Warner/QUBE, the experimental interactive cable system in Columbus, Ohio (the home television audience chose each song in real time during the concert by voting via QUBE’s 2-way operating system).
• 1978: The first live nationally broadcast stereo radio rock concert (via microwave), linking 40 cities around the country.
• 1982: The first live national cablecast of a rock concert (on the USA Network), simulcast in stereo to over 120 radio stations.
In 1986, after ten years of non-stop recording and arena touring cycles, the band declared they were “going on sabbatical”, and Todd, Willie, Roger and Kas each embarked on their own career paths.
What’s been happening with the Utopians during the world’s longest ever sabbatical?
Todd Rundgren returned to his stellar solo recording and producing career. His myriad production projects ranged from Patti Smith, Cheap Trick, XTC, and Psychedelic Furs to Grand Funk Railroad, Hall & Oates, and Meat Loaf’s seminal Bat Out Of Hell, while his solo offerings catapulted Todd further into the superstar limelight with hits like “Can We Still be Friends”, and “Bang The Drum”; in addition to his own tours, Todd has been an erstwhile member of Ringo Starr’s All Starr Band for the past 28 years.
Kasim Sulton continued touring and recording with a long list of diverse artists including Joan Jett, Hall & Oates, Blue Oyster Cult, Patti Smith, Celine Dion, and Meat Loaf. In 1993 Kasim joined Meat Loaf’s live band after the release of Bat Out Of Hell II, touring extensively and becoming his Musical Director. In 1999 he produced Meat Loaf’s critically acclaimed VH1 Storytellers album. Releasing four solo albums of his own, Kasim has continued his long musical relationship with Todd as the bass player in his solo bands.
Willie Wilcox continued to pursue his songwriting career. Having written songs for & performed with Luther Vandross, Natalie Cole, Bette Midler, Meat Loaf, Hall & Oates, and Kylie Minogue positioned Willie perfectly for his segue into television writing. He was the senior staff composer for NBC Universal in NY for 5 years and composed the current show theme for CNBC’s “Mad Money,” launched a major audio post production facility in Miami with clients MTV & VH1, penned famed boxer Manny Pacquiao’s ring walk music, and continues to maintain his position as senior audio director at Scientific Games, the number one gaming company in the world, where he recently completed the surround sound audio production on the blockbuster Michael Jackson game, “King Of Pop!”
Ralph Schuckett: Ralph’s tenure with Todd Rundgren’s Utopia segued into composing themes & scores for TV & Film including “Kate & Allie” & “Another World.” As chief composer for “4 Kids Productions” he scored numerous feature films & animated TV series including; “Pokémon,” “Yugioh,” “Sonic X,” “Kirby,” & “One Piece.” He has recorded and /or toured with Carole King, Hall & Oates, Whitney Houston, George Benson, and Rodney Crowell, and provided arrangements on recordings for Billy Joel, Michael Bolton. and Joan Osborne. As a songwriter / producer Ralph has worked with Belinda Carlisle, Sophie B. Hawkins, and Clarence Clemons.
As fate would have it, in early April Todd, Kas, Willie and Ralph will find themselves back in Woodstock New York, 32 years later, right where it all started, rehearsing their newest stage spectacle. TODD RUNDGREN’S UTOPIA North American reunion tour, featuring Todd, Kasim, Willie, & Ralph, begins on April 18 and ends on June 5 (tour dates below). Tickets and more information are available at Live Nation, Ticketmaster and all Ticketmaster outlets.
APRIL 18 JIM THORPE PA, PENNS PEAK
APRIL 20 ENGLEWOOD NJ, BERGEN PAC
APRIL 22 HOUSTON TX, HOUSE OF BLUES
APRIL 23 DALLAS TX, MAJESTIC THEATER
APRIL 25 BROWARD FL, BROWARD PAC
APRIL 27 ST PETERSBURG FL, MAHAFFEY THEATER
APRIL 28 ATLANTA GA, TABERNACLE
APRIL 29 DURHAM NC, CAROLINA THEATER
MAY 1 HUNTINGTON NY, PARAMOUNT THEATER
MAY 2 WASHINGTON DC, WARNER THEATER
MAY 3 NEW YORK NY, TOWN HALL
MAY 5 PHILADELPHIA PA, TOWER THEATER
MAY 6 BOSTON MA, ORPHEUM THEATER
MAY 7 RIDGEFIELD CT, RIDGEFIELD PLAYHOUSE
MAY 9 ST LOUIS MO, PEABODY OPERA HOUSE
MAY 10 CINCINNATI OH, TAFT THEATER
MAY 12 MILWAUKEE WI, PABST THEATER
MAY 13 MINNEAPOLIS MN, STATE THEATER
MAY 15 GRAND RAPIDS MI, 20 MONROE LIVE
MAY 16 TORONTO ONT, MASSEY HALL
MAY 17 DETROIT MI, THE FILLMORE
MAY 19 CLEVELAND OH, HARD ROCK LIVE
MAY 20 CLEVELAND OH, HARD ROCK LIVE
MAY 22 CHICAGO IL, CHICAGO THEATER
MAY 24 DENVER CO, PARAMOUNT THEATER
MAY 26 LAS VEGAS NV, THE JOINT @ THE HARD ROCK
MAY 27 PHOENIX AZ, COMERICA THEATER
MAY 29 LOS ANGELES CA, THE WILTERN
MAY 30 SAN FRANCISCO CA, THE MASONIC
JUNE 1 SEATTLE WA, MOORE THEATER
JUNE 2 PORTLAND OR, REVOLUTION THEATER
JUNE 4 SACRAMENTO CA, CREST THEATER
JUNE 5 RIVERSIDE CA, FOX PAC
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