I arrived at the club and made my way in. Thankfully, I quickly met up with Jo (RoknRollJesus) from the boards. She had two friends with her, who’s names escape me sadly! Sorry guys! Jo is really a sweetheart and has similar tastes in music than I so we hit it off right away! She’s been to loads of concerts and has broad tastes in music! We found some seats on the side and waited! At this time, there were only maybe 50-75 people in the club. I was beginning to think.. “This is Todd Rundgren!..with Kasim Sulton!!” where is everyone?? Well..not 5-10 minutes later.. they showed up!! The club packed quickly! I would estimate 300 or more people packed the club.

The stage is something to behold! I’m amazed it fit!! The show began and Todd came out alone and started the show. The band eventually came out one by one clad in the various religious outfits. My favorite has to be Prairie’s Pope robe! Being my first Todd show, I wasn’t as familiar with the set list. But...I can agree with what I’ve heard others say! I enjoyed the songs from the LIARS cd much better live! Todd really knows how to deliver these songs! I was impressed with his vocal range as well. His voice has gotten a bit deeper over the years, but it’s still very strong and clear. The band was tight, despite a couple of technical stage problems with Kasim’s keyboard. Didn’t hinder the playing or the music one bit!! The all were smiling and you can tell they enjoy playing with each others. Jesse is fun to watch with great facial expressions! The background vocals were really clear and I could really hear Kasim’s voice!! That was certainly a big highlight!! My favorite song in the show is Soul Brother. The band has then changed into the “pimp” suits! I also enjoyed the rendition of “Hello, It’s Me”! It had a bit of a bluesy feel to it which I liked a lot! It followed a great intro from Todd. He talked about being back on the road reconnecting with fans and friends. He said he may not remember a lot of names..he likes seeing a lot of the familiar faces. There were also a few funny moments. Todd is also quite funny! The band had a spot where they played a long musical interlude. Todd comes out and says “I was wondering if I had time to take a nap!” He then began “band intros”. He began siging the theme song to “The Jetson” pointing at each band member when he got to a name! Kasim was “his daughter Judy” and struck a cute sideways pose putting his finger up to his chin. I have to say overall I had a blast and really enjoyed this show! Two encores says it all!! I went in not knowing the songs as well as I usually do going into a show. But.. this didn’t matter once the show started! I would definitely see this show again if I could! Great show from Todd, Kasim and the whole band!!

After the show it was great getting to visit and talk with Jo and her friends more. Kasim was gracious as always and was chatting and signing autographs! I was even lucky enough to meet Todd and he was gracious as well! Someone had brought a "special spy" (as Todd called it) guitar to the gig that was a replica of one he and Eric Clapton used to play. He was great with telling stories while signing autographs and posing for pictures. Although.. he said he doesn’t like the North Carolina humidity!! Neither do us North Carolinians for that matter! It was a very warm night. He even complained once his hair “felt like a squid” on his head!! This was a fun show and a great experience to see someone so influential in the music business perform live. Overall, the vocals from Todd, Kasim, Jesse, and ,John were clear and they blended well!! I’m glad I went and I would encourage anyone that hasn’t seen the show to go!! Thanks to Todd, Kasim, Jesse, Prairie, and John for a great show and for braving the North Carolina heat and humidity! Awesome show and a great time had by everyone!

For more reviews of this concert, see TRConnection.com. Comments about Kasim at this concert taken from that site and various mailing lists include:
"There were a number of technical difficulties, mostly involving Kasim, though he seemed to be a good sport about everything and his playing certainly wasn't affected. Twice his keyboard came down when it shouldn't have, taking his mic stand down with it; the second time, Jesse rescued him and his equipment and pointed out to Kasim that he hadn't tightened the knob that keeps it from falling back down. On two other occasions Kasim's bass was not producing sound, but the situation was quickly corrected."

The photo on this page is by Gary "Goat" Goveia from the Redbank gig

Back to Todd Rundgren's Liars Tour