|
Black and White Black Maria Trapped I Saw The Light Mad Afraid Gun Courage Weakness Strike Pissin Today Bardo Mountaintop Panic Manup
Couldn't I Just Tell You 
Review by SueW:
After seeing 4 gigs by The Kasim Sulton Band which were just brilliant, I went to this gig really wishing that it was another KSB gig but in fact I had a great time tonight! I’ve seen probably 10 or so Todd Rundgren Arena gigs and although it’s not my favourite album of his, I think this was my favourite Arena gig that I’ve seen.
It may have been because I hadn’t heard the songs for a while (I was amazed at how well I remembered them all) or maybe just because it was a lovely venue and all the band seemed relaxed on stage tonight, even Sara Lee came across that way.
The venue was easy to find and I had a great seat as I’d booked as soon as the tickets went on sale. As Kasim faces into the stage when he’s playing the keyboards, I’d opted for a seat on stage right and I ended up right in front of Todd in the second row. As the seats were well banked it meant that everyone had a perfect view (my eyes were in line with Todd’s groin!). As I sat there I thought that it would be a perfect place for The Kasim Sulton Band to play as it wasn’t too large and the seating was great.
The gig started almost exactly at 7pm but first over the tannoy there was an amusing announcement that could we please turn up our cell phones so that everyone would be able to hear them ring during the gig! They then said that no smoking was allowed in the venue at the precise moment that a whiff of dope came across the first few rows! (Presumably it came from backstage.)
I think it was during just the second song that Todd broke a guitar string on his green guitar (Foamy) so he swapped to another. Phil soon repaired his first guitar but Todd said that he’d been having some problems with it so he stuck with the second guitar until the encore. Todd's voice sounded really clear and strong tonight.
As usual, Todd was quite chatty during the set. He assumed that we all knew the running order of an Arena gig so skimmed through things like saying that he would be playing the whole album and what movement to make during Strike. He did say that he thought these would be the final Arena gigs. He also said that they didn’t quite make it to arenas although they are playing one in Philadelphia and there they’ll only be allowed to play for thirty five minutes!
Todd also spoke early on about H1. That’s not a phrase we really use in the UK (I thought he meant something to do with hydrogen!) so I was slightly confused until I realised that he meant the strain of Swine Flu. This then led on to him talking about different initials and someone in the front row suggested so B1 and handed him a bottle of some type of alcohol and later Todd took a few mouthfuls of it.
Considering this was Sara Lee’s first gig with the band (Todd said on stage that they’d only had once chance to run through all the songs that afternoon), I thought she did really well! She had a crib-sheet on her mike stand but rarely used it. She had a very relaxed attitude about playing on stage (although she wore her bass quite high) and only sang a few songs. It was obvious that she made one mistake as they all laughed about it but she did really well. However I was surprised that there appeared to be little support for her on stage. The band and Todd seemed to have very much a sink-or-swim attitude towards her.
Kasim appeared (at least to me) slightly tired on stage and more subdued than normal. He did make eye contact with the audience but I felt as though his energy was less than normal. However he did sing a verse of Trapped with a big smile on his face so I’m not quite sure what happened there! He also had a kind of game of cricket (or baseball) with Prairie’s drumsticks and the top from his water bottle!
All the audience stood for the two song encore tonight.
Comments by fans posted to various messageboards and mailing lists include:
"The boys sounded great!!! Oppps .... girl too. Sara Lee stepped in and did a GREAT job on bass. I think she was a little enthralled being out on stage with the Wizard... but she sounded great and she was having fun. Todd did mention that the band had only one rehearsal and Sara pulled through with flying colors."
"It's a nice little place. Everyone was up close, the lighting was fine and other than a little flub with Foamy at the start, the band sounded great!!"
"Great show last night .. very impressed with Sara Lee. On a sad note this is one of the last few ARENA shows that Todd will play."
"The show was GREAT!!!! I have to say it was probably the best sounding show ive seen with the Arena Tour."
Other websites:
Robin Roar has posted a video of Bardo from this gig here.
The venue (taken from the KasimInfo.com Blog that day):
The address of this venue is 37 West Main Street, Bay Shore, NY and the gig starts at 7pm. Click here for tickets but they sold out a couple of weeks ago so returns on the door may be the only way to purchase any.
Kasim last played at this venue on 19th December 2008 (again with Todd Rundgren). The YMCA Boulton Center has been constructed within the former Regent Movie Theater that was built in 1929. The venue describes itself as "The YMCA Boulton Center for the Performing Arts of the Great South Bay YMCA seeks to establish itself as a premier cultural institution on Long Island. The YMCA Boulton Center’s mission is to provide high quality arts programs that entertain, educate and inspire the culturally, racially and economically diverse population of Long Island. The 261 seat stadium style theater offers the audience and performers an intimate environment and excellent site lines. The stage is 25 feet deep and 40 feet wide; there are backstage dressing rooms." All Rights Reserved |