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Somebody Loves You Yellow Cab Set Me Free Sacrifice Summer's Gone The One Sure Thing Watching The World Go By The God Of Low Over For Now Mimi Gets Mad The Up Sometimes Love Is A Dangerous Thing
Cliché 
 As much as I like the Beachland Ballroom where Kasim has played so many solo gigs since 2001, Wilbert’s was a nice venue right in the centre of Cleveland and the lighting (on Kasim but not so much the rest of the band) was so much better for photos. I was told that you get the best seats if you eat dinner there first so I was disappointed that we were allocated a table right at the back (especially as I was one of the first to book) but thankfully, unbeknown to me, a friend had booked a table too and that was more central so we decided to sit there. The food was adequate although it took quite a while to arrive and there were two mistakes with my order, although the waitress did her best to correct it. The sound at the venue was good too but unfortunately the opening act, Todd Miller I believe, was memorable for all the wrong reasons. Tonight there was a celeb in the audience as Terry Stewart the President and CEO of the Rock’n’Roll Hall Of Fame was watching Kasim’s set! The Kasim Sulton Band took the stage to loads of applause and cheers. I’ll admit that I was slightly worried that, after last night’s amazing gig, that this one might not be as good and unfortunately I think that overall that was the case. However I don’t think it was the band or Kasim’s fault but rather that playing to a crowd of diners sitting at tables makes the audience less lively and harder to get going. It didn’t help that there was also some people talking loudly at the bar who were obviously not there to see Kasim. As most of us had paid a $20 cover charge, I thought it was a shame that the management didn’t ask them to keep quieter. It brought back dreadful memories of the bar crowd at The Bitter End. Despite all that, I really enjoyed the gig as the band sounded great again. Kasim’s voice is remarkably resilient considering all the singing he has done in the past two weeks. Kasim started the gig by again saying that for years he had been "threatening" to put a band together and that these were the guys and then they went straight into Are You Happy Now? As much as I like the solo version of that song, it sounds so much better with Mike and Mark singing background vocals. Tonight Kasim changed the lyrics so that it was "Do you still have long brown hair?" They then went straight into Nik Kershaw’s Somebody Loves You. Kasim next said about how nice it was to be playing downtown before they played Yellow Cab. Tonight there was some echo on the chorus parts which sounded very effective. After Kasim told us a short story about Tommy James, he removed the gum from his mouth and put it on his microphone! He’s done that at another gig too and I’m yet to see him remove it at the end of the gig so I feel sorry for Phil if one of his jobs is to remove it after each gig! Kasim also said that he used to play in Utopia (although I’m sure that there wasn’t a person in the room who didn’t already know that!) and that he wrote their best selling single which neatly lead into The Kasim Sulton Band playing Set Me Free. It's a song like this that I really appreciate Kasim playing with a full band. Both Mark and Mike's banckground vocals really add to the way the song sounds, as does their keyboards and bass and Tad's steady drumbeat.
 The Kasim Sulton Band then went straight into Watching The World Go By. After that Kasim explained that the reason he was playing songs that he used to play when he did his solo acoustic sets was because he wanted us to hear the songs with a full band and that this was a deliberate choice of his. The Kasim Sulton Band (I do still love being able to write that!) then played Kasim’s newest song The God Of Low. Tonight, for the first time, I could really understand the words. Usually Kasim sings so clearly so I’ve been surprised that I haven’t been able to make out most of the words until now. Kasim next spoke about how much he was enjoying touring with his own band but that the responsibility was all his and he compared it to the workload that women have! He then introduced the band and they played Over For Now. Before the song Kasim explained that he had been rehearsing his leads and that he felt that he would probably screw up this one. Although he received some applause during the song, he did screw up the lead so he played it again afterwards…twice and he still didn’t quite nail it! That was a shame as he has played it perfectly at other gigs but I think it still added to the atmosphere at this gig. Kasim next spoke about Utopia and that he was in the band for 10 years, that they did on average 3 tours a year and that they never played his next song which is why he’s playing it tonight. Kasim also told us about hearing the song first up at Bearsville and about how much he wanted to sing lead on it. Of course it was Mimi Gets Mad. It was beautiful to hear but this was the song especially when Kasim couldn’t quite hit the notes tonight. The ending was different as they finished the song and then Kasim counted them in to play a few more bars. The Kasim Sulton Band then went straight into The Up and Kasim hit every note in that song. They then played Sometimes Love Is A Dangerous Thing and I defy anybody to guess which song it is from the way they start that song – it is just so different from Kasim’s acoustic version. I had always wondered why he thought that Meat Loaf might sing that song until I heard this more rocking version and now I can easily visualise him singing it live on stage. The band part of The Kasim Sulton Band then left the stage and Kasim told us before he "promised" that he would be back here again soon. He then played Cliché and I Just Wanna Touch You before the band rejoined him on stage to sing Do You Love Me? Kasim said before that song that everybody can dance to the song and that we must be itching to get up and dance but unfortunately I don’t think anybody did (again due to the table seating). And that ended another great gig by The Kasim Sulton Band! Their fourth and thankfully it won’t be their last as they’ve already announced gigs for Philadelphia in November and December! However I did leave really wishing that tomorrow night’s gig (over on the East Coast) was another Kasim Sulton Band gig and not a Todd Rundgren one!
 The Kasim Sulton Band consisted of: Kasim Sulton on lead guitar and lead vocals Mark Alexander on keyboards and background vocals Mike Chiavaro on bass and background vocals Tad McCully on drums
 Tonight The Kasim Sulton Band play a gig at Wilbert's in Cleveland, Ohio. Although Kasim has already played 8 solo gigs in Cleveland since he relaunched his solo career in 2001, this will be Kasim's first gig at this venue which has the advantage of being in the center of the city (it's less than a mile from the Rock'n'Roll Hall Of Fame). It will also be his first gig in the city with a full band. Doors for the gig tonight open at 7pm with the show starting at 9pm. For the gig tonight, dinner reservations are suggested (e-mail with time and number in party) or tickets can be purchased at the door on the day of the show for $20 but dinner reservations are recommended for the better seats.
The address of the venue is 812 Huron Avenue E. Cleveland, Ohio 44115.
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