Review by SueW:
The Century Lounge in Providence, Rhode Island was not far from the centre of the city but was in a street with lots of closed up buildings. There was a hand made sign on the door so that made it quite easy to find. It was in a basement of a building and it looked as though the larger club was upstairs. Thankfully there were no metal bands playing there tonight!

The last time that Kasim played a solo gig in Rhode Island it was in Westerly and the place was packed, mainly due to David and June Killarney getting several newspaper articles and even a local TV station to record the gig. Unfortunately there weren't as many people there tonight but Kasim still put on as great a show, if not better.

The club apparently holds 194 people (it was similar in size to The Bitter End) but everybody sat around the edges and towards the back so as soon Kasim got on stage he asked us to all move our tables and chairs forward so we all had a great view! The lighting wasn't the brightest tonight (it also was red-based which isn't ideal for photos) but at least his face was lit tonight and he HAS shaved off his beard (which I think makes him look younger!). I did take a few photos using my flash when I didn't think it would bother people too much and I deliberately waited until Kasim had his eyes closed so as not to blind him.

Kasim stated by asking us all our names and then remembered them throughout the evening which was very impressive! Maybe that's something Kasim should do at all his shows as it involves everyone in the gig.....although when he's selling out 5,000 seat venues in a couple of years it may make for a long gig! (Not that I'd complain!)

Kasim explained that he wasn't going to use a set list tonight and would just play what he fancied. He did end up playing about all his set list on this tour but it was great seeing the order he chose off the cuff. Kasim started playing Nik Kershaw's Somebody Loves You but stopped after a few bars and told us his story about how after his father had bought him his first electric guitar that he would make him play it for his aunts and people. Kasim said that he found it far easier to play in front of 10,000 people than small audiences like his family and that he felt nervous like that tonight!

Kasim's voice in Somebody Loves You was REALLY good tonight! Not surprisingly as he'd played a long gig last night too, later in the set there were a couple of times when he seemed to struggle a bit to hit some notes but in his first song, it was incredible. the sound was excellent in this venue too.

Straight after Somebody Loves You, Kasim sang Yellow Cab (but not with as many do-do-dos as last night I thought) and Before She Was Gone which he has been playing a lot later in his set at his recent gigs.

Where Is My Soul was next and towards the end of it Kasim broke one of his guitar strings. He completed the song and said that it should have been called Where Is My D String! Kasim then switched guitars but had to retune that one so while he was doing that he asked who in the audience wanted to bet that he'd break a string on that guitar too! Eventually it was $3 to $1 that he would break another string! Kasim also said that he tends to play two to three solo gigs before he has to change strings and that he "bangs his strings very hard" - it doesn't really look like that from the audience.

There Goes My Inspiration was next after which Kasim introduced Doug Kennedy (Dennis wasn't there again) and called him his security blanket! Time and again at these gigs I've heard people praising Doug - both his guitar playing and about what a nice friendly guy he is as he always chats to people before and after the gigs. Kasim is very lucky to have him and it's nice that he certainly appreciates Doug.

Next they played Libertine with Doug's lovely flourishes in it. Kasim then decided that he preferred the sound of his original guitar so he asked us to indulge him while he changed his string. He asked Doug to entertain us so he played part of I Walk The Line Again! Kasim changed his string really quickly (it actually took him longer to find the string than it did to change it!). While he was doing that he told us that up until a couple of weeks ago he was hoping to be able to play in both The New Cars and Meat Loaf but it just didn't work out so he's had to quit The New Cars....he sounded very wistful when he spoke about it. This neatly lead into his great performance of Drive.

Kasim then played Are You Happy Now. Afterwards he told us that there's a line in the song that goes "You're drinking decaf in Oyster Bay, I'm still in Staten Island a world and a half away" but that he sings the name of the city where he's playing the gig instead of Staten Island (rather like in One World!). I thought I'd picked that up last night and I definitely heard him sing Providence, Rhode Island tonight even before he said it. Are You Happy Now is a lovely upbeat song and the melody reminds me of one of Kasim's other songs but I can't remember which!

There was one young lad in the audience with his Dad so Kasim asked him which bands he liked. When he replied Led Zeppelin Kasim played part of Hangman and said that he would give him $1 if he could tell him which Led Zeppelin album it came from! He guessed their second but Kasim said that it was their third.

Next Kasim told us what a great fan he is of Nik Kershaw and that about a year ago he had e-mailed him but that he had never received a reply. Kasim then said that he himself always takes the time to reply to anyone who e-mails him as he appreciates hearing from people. Despite that he still played Jane Doe by Nik Kershaw with Doug's deep part at the end.

Kasim told us about him working on his next album and said that he'd written two and a half new songs now (brilliant!) and played his poignant Minutes Slipping Past and then went straight into I Don't Mind At All and Sacrifice but tonight with the muted strings part which sounds so great!

Next Kasim gave a very, very, very special performance of The One Sure Thing which he said was one of his favourites! Kasim then joked that a Kasim Sulton Solo Show wouldn't be a Kasim Sulton Solo Show without Don't Hold Me Back before singing his "signature" song.

Kasim said that he was going to play one more song but the crowd persuaded him to agree to play two more. Then Kasim saw that 3 more people had just arrived (he'd been on stage for well over an hour by then!) so he agreed to play three more which was great! He chose Todd Rundgren's It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference and Cliché which were great to hear again.

All too soon (as usual for me!) it was time for the final song, Across The Universe.

I've seen Kasim play in TV studios, large arenas, crowded nightclubs and all sorts of venues in between with loads of different artists but it's a gig like tonight that really brings home why I'm a fan of his. He's playing in a little bar in a downtrodden part of Providence in front of a far smaller audience than he deserves, breaks a string and yet he still puts on a (long!!) professional performance that everybody there loved and made each member of the audience feel special and an integral part of the gig! It takes a special artist to do that.

Review by gRAdy Moates:
A really nice bar with a perfectly-sized stage for Kasim and Doug.

It felt like an intimate evening with close friends sitting around a large living room, playing music for each other.

The sound was the best I've ever heard at a Kasim show, and it really gave him the environment he needed to throw himself into every song with all his heart.

Pretty much the same songs he usually does, several songs from the TR/Utopia days, except he did two "new songs" that were REALLY good, and when he asked one of the people in the audience who his favorite band was, and the answer was "Zeppelin", Kas did an impromptu, acoustic half-verse of "Hangman" ! Then he challenged the guy to name the LP it was from, and Kasim knew it was Zep III, while the guy thought it was II. Kasim had lotsa fun tonight.

I took Lin Sprague with me, who also had a great time.

Comments posted on various mailing lists and messageboards:
"There were only about 15 people in the club, so Kasim had everybody bring the tables and chairs right up to the stage so we were all kind of in a circle. He made a point of saying that he always gives the same amount, no matter how big the crowd. He he did put a lot of energy and soul into his performance.
He's a very engaging guy, and he's good at connecting with the audience, lots of banter and involvement with the listeners. He did this amazing thing where he asked everybody their names, and kept talking with people BY NAME throughout. I'm bad with names, so that really impressed me.
I used to think his singing voice was thin and piercing, but it has aged very nicely. He's kept his range, but his voice gained some weight and body, and he's got excellent pitch."

"The show started with all of 13 people in the audience. Kas joked and said he was more nervous playing to a smaller crowd, broke a string, dealt with the ice machine making unGodly noises and introduced himself and got each of our names. He amazed us all by remembering each and every one of our names."

"At the end of the show, Kas went around and spoke to everyone who had shown up -- including the three that came at the very end. He did solo stuff, Nik Kershaw stuff (who btw doesnt return emails), Utopia/Todd stuff and a kick-ass version of Across the Universe by the Beatles. He even began to play a Zeppelin song "Hang Man's Gallow" to impress a younger audience member. He posed for pictures and signed autographs before leaving the great city of Providence."

"It really is a treasure to witness such fine talent as Kas has to offer."

"It was a show I'd put up there with Pink Floyd, Elton John and Rush. Kas is truly an amazing performer and I think everyone should see him. Oh, and it really helps that he and Doug are two hotties!"

Taken without a flash

Pre-show page on KasimInfo.com:
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Kasim Sulton's 2006 Tour