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Walls Came Down Black Maria Open My eyes Lunatic Fringe I Saw The Light Mad Afraid Mercenary Gun Courage Weakness Strike Pissin Today Bardo Mountaintop Panic Manup
Couldn't I just Tell You 
Review by RMAC:
If there ever was a special occasion to spend a holiday weekend in New York City, it had to be at a Todd Arena Show. The best part was seeing both Todd and Kasim in back-to-back shows right in my backyard at The Blender. The weather for both nights was ideal and the crowds were in great holiday spirits. As I approached the venue on 23rd Street slightly off Lexington Avenue, I noticed the Todd faithful lining up around the building waiting with great anticipation to see Todd, Jesse, Prairie, Rachel and, of course, Kasim Sulton to provide all with their version of a holiday Christmas card – Rock Style.
To begin the night’s festivities, Welsh singer, Paul Freeman, was the opening act for both nights performing for approximately 30 minutes. I must say Paul’s singing and personable style did captivate the audience with his witty lyrics and comedic delivery. I foresee that Paul has a future ahead of him. Keep rocking Mate!
 At about 9:15, the lights dimmed and Todd and Company took center stage. Todd began with Love in Action, Walls Came Down, Black Maria, Open My Eyes just to name a few followed by I Saw The Light as the usual palate cleanser. The energy on stage was intensified with stage lights of yellow, blue, red, purple and white that made the entire experience a true holiday event. As usual, Kasim was on stage right working keyboard, guitar, percussion and backup vocals. Dressed in black both nights, Kasim with his sharp and melodic voice provided cool, style and rock ‘n roll power and paid meticulous attention to every detail from sound to instrument positioning. Kasim was a definite plus to the Arena Tour. Throughout both shows, Kasim appeared in good holiday feeling while providing guitar excellence. Kasim also made continuous eye contact with various members of the audience while throwing guitar picks and smiling from ear-to-ear. It is one thing to pay attention to the technical details and your voice be at optimal perfection, but it is another thing when a talented musician takes a few seconds to make eye contact at a familiar face and flashes a quick smile just to let you know that your presence was appreciated. Kasim made certain that this was known. On the first night of the two-night bill, Todd wore his signature bulls eye tee shirt and brought electricity and excitement that a true Todd fan appreciated. On the second night, Todd, in a sleeveless black shirt and leather pants, delivered great showmanship and the usual comic relief that normally accompanies a Todd show. Todd had difficulty with the sound system Friday night but eventually was able to overcome the problem. Kasim was experiencing technical difficulties as well and tried every thing possible to troubleshoot the situation. Despite this minor issue, the show went on and in full force. However, there were no sound problems on the second night. All was in harmonious sync.
 During the course of both concerts, Todd made reference to his recent appearance on the David Letterman Show where Strike was performed. Todd indicated that on the Letterman Show he could not request audience participation in a studio setting, but at The Blender audience participation was definitely a must. In order to prevent atrophy, all were urged to raise their arms straight up in the air and not in any other direction. The same was also required by raising one’s figure in the air while Todd and Company performed Mountaintop which Todd designated as the new national anthem. As you probably have guessed, everyone at The Blender followed Todd’s lead. Overall, the power of Todd’s voice, his presence and the intensity of the music elevated the audience to a different plateau. Indeed, this was a rare Toddstock Event for the holidays. The two back-to-back shows was the best Christmas Card Todd and Kasim fans could have received. On behalf of Todd and Kasim fans here and around the world, many thanks for a job well done. Happy New Year!
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Many thanks to RMAC for the review and all the photos on this page.
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