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Yellow Cab Over For Now The God Of Low I Just Wanna Touch You Afraid Himself To Be Sacrifice Drive There Goes My Inspiration Set Me Free Keep It In Mind (That I Love You So) Libertine Cliché The One Sure Thing Love Alone / Eternal Love One World 
Click here for more photos of this gig.
Review by Karen:
With the show being on the weekend and at 5 o'clock, it was perfect! We got there early and saw Kasim before he went in to set up and got to hear his sound check which was so cool! We met Bill who owns the place and he was very kind to us as was all the people that worked there. It was such a relaxed place which was wonderful! The food was great also!
We met some great people from Milwaukee and talked about old times touring to see the different shows in the past, it was so much fun! The place had the Cafe' in front, then the show area with a small stage and seats on both sides of the room, then a porch in the back, it was fantastic and a place I have never experienced before.
They let us go in and get our seats early and we just hung out and talked some more until Kasim came out at 5. It hard for me to express how great the show was because it was so FANTASTIC! I believe Kasim added Cliche at this show, I don't remember him playing it in Chicago. His voice, playing and talking to the crowd was just amazing. After the show he was kind enough to take the time (as he did in Chicago) to talk and take pictures with everyone. I was lucky enough to get the poster of the show and Kasim was kind enough to sign it for me.
He made this weekend very very special for me and he knows why and I will never forget it. You need to see these shows as they are truly a gift.
Review by SueW:
First of all I’m going to have a little rant about the lighting at this venue (and several venues which Kasim plays at)! Why do venue owners / lighting guys think that lighting the artist with a red light is a good idea? We’ve paid good money to SEE Kasim so why not light him up nice and bright and natural looking? Surely a nice bright white or clear light can’t cost more than the red "atmospheric" lights, can they? Often at venues he can be seen more clearly when the "house lights" are up than when the stage lights are on him which is just ridiculous. At this venue whenever Kasim was at either his keyboard or at his guitar microphone his face just looked bright red (see the photo immediately below). The best photos I took were when I realised that he was better lit when he was away from the stage lights for example when he rolled up his sleeves or checked his set list or if I used a flash which I didn't want to do at this venue as it was so small. (I haven’t seen Kasim up close on this tour so possibly he has been badly burnt in the sun and this is actually his natural colour at the moment!)
 Starting a gig at 5pm seems unusual to me but it fitted in well for most people who worked as it was a Sunday evening. Thankfully there was no opening act and Kasim’s set lasted for an hour and 25 minutes. The owner of the club gave Kasim a nice introduction saying how nice it was to have someone of Kasim’s calibre there. Kasim received masses of applause when he walked on stage and said how intimate it was and that that was the reason he liked playing at this venue. Kasim’s first song, as it was last night in Chicago, was Drivin’ Me Mad on the keyboards. Kasim then went straight into Yellow Cab (this song has transferred to the keyboards really well). Kasim then noticed a young girl of maybe about 8 in the audience who was crying. Her mother seemed to think it was her being bashful or maybe hungry so she took her out later to eat in the café part of the venue and they were still there at the end of the gig. The girl said that her favourite album was Quid Pro Quo so Kasim played Over For Now from it. Kasim then switched to his guitar and sang his gentler version of The God Of Low which I really like. This was the song that I left the venue with going round in my head tonight. Kasim said that his last solo gig was in February and that after singing last night he was struggling with his voice so he sucked some cough sweets throughout his gig. I actually thought that his voice on the whole sounded good especially on the lower notes. He then played I Just Wanna Touch You. Next Kasim said that he had last played here in 2004 (it was actually Tuesday 12th February 2002 as I’d already posted on KasimInfo that morning!) and that he had probably played his next song then (he did!) as he played Jason Faulkner’s Afraid Himself To be. I really like this song and Kasim’s voice sounded perfect in it tonight IMHO. There was next some discussion about how people from Wisconsin talk about Chicagoans and apparently call them “fibs” which is something to do with the way they drive. Kasim then played Sacrifice which is always very popular with audiences. Once again it seemed to be a gentler version than he’s played before. Drive was next and Kasim explained that he hadn’t intended to play the song on this tour but he did last night (it was his encore song) so he’d decided to include it in his set list. We then had the heartfelt part of the gig as Kasim explained the major changes he had undergone so far this year. He said how he had left Meat Loaf’s band, that he was going to leave his wife of 29 years but that she become ill so he has had to stay to look after his children. He then went on to say that despite all this he has never felt better in his life, that he had given up smoking almost three months ago after smoking for about 40 years. This lead into Kasim telling us that he was writing a new album but that instead of his average of only writing one song each six months that he’s coming up with loads of ideas for songs. Kasim told us that all his fans will get a chance to have their picture on his new CD and that there will be a competition too. Kasim said that the way to keep in the loop about what he was doing was to join his mailing list or to look at both KasimSulton.com and KasimInfo.com. After There Goes My Inspiration Kasim moved back to his keyboards and played Set Me Free which was followed by loads of applause. Kasim then told us why he was playing Keep It In Mind (That I Love You So) which he told us in Chicago last night but he expanded it slightly to tell us about his (brief!) time in college on Staten Island. I wasn’t over keen on that song last night but on a second hearing it really grew on me as it’s got a very simple melody. Next Kasim returned to his guitar for the audience participation section of the set – Libertine. I wasn’t sure how successful this would be as the audience was a lot smaller but we managed to fill the room with sound okay! Kasim then went straight into Todd Rundgren’s Cliché which he didn’t play in Chicago. Someone asked for a request so Kasim said that it depended on what the request was! He asked for Mimi Gets Mad so Kasim explained that he had played it with his band last October in Chicago. Kasim then chatted to the guy for a while – he was a truck driver which is something that Kasim said he would love to have a go at! Kasim then switched guitars and played his beautiful The One Sure Thing. No matter how many times I hear it I still love the live version that he plays. Kasim said that it was one of his favourite songs. Next Kasim spoke about the Todd gigs in September and again said that he wasn’t 100% sure that he was in the band but that regardless he would be playing one of his solo gigs on the afternoon of the first Todd show in Akron (it’s the 5th September). Kasim then moved back to his keyboards and played Love Alone into a little part of Eternal Love. He used some recorded strings during this song which didn’t go totally perfectly but still sounded effective. It was then time for Kasim’s final song One World with all the audience joining in with the clapping which was lovely to see before Kasim left the stage very quickly afterwards. Roll on Kansas City on Tuesday!
Review by ChrisZ:
There wasn’t an opening act for this show, unless you count Bill, the Café Carpe’s owner. He spoke for a few minutes leading up to introducing Kasim. Bill did suggest that the audience should come back at least once a year for another show, because it would keep the venue in business!
I’m not going to review specific songs as Sue has that covered. I will say that Kasim’s vocals were great throughout the evening. I’m not quite sure if that had to do with the venue, or with Kasim quitting smoking. His high notes really soared, and the softer parts sounded great too.
It was nice to see Kasim close-up for a change at a solo show. I’ve been up front for Todd shows and the New Cars, but never in a smaller setting like this for one of his solo performances. There wasn’t a bad seat in the house. I do wish more fans would’ve come out for this show to encourage Kasim to return again on a future tour. Hats off to those who came from Chicago and other distant areas!
I do encourage everyone to see this tour. Kasim is changing his set list, which is refreshing. I’ve seen one too many artists in concert that rest on their laurels/greatest hits and don’t take any chances. It’s always nice to hear Kasim play something rare, or just one of his favorite songs by another artist. And always cordial, he was very chatty after the show and was happy to sign autographs and take photos with fans. Thanks Kasim for another great concert experience and I’m looking forward to the new album!
The venue (taken from the KasimInfo.com Blog that day):
Kasim Sulton previously played this venue on Tuesday 12th February 2002 during his Have Guitar Will Travel Tour.
Café Carpe is a restaurant, bar, and music club in downtown, right on the river. The address is 18 S. Water Street, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538. The venue has a "talk-free, smoke-free listening room separate from its main bar-dining area." their website continues "The room, which has great acoustics, seats 60 people comfortably but can hold 70 people who are enthralled enough by a performance that they only almost forget they are sweaty, their butts hurt, and they can't move without a serious invasion of someone else's personal space."
The gig tonight starts at 5pm but the restaurant is open earlier if you wish to eat before the gig. Tickets are $15 but they recommend that you reserve your place beforehand by emailing cafecarpe@sbcglobal.net.
Click here to hear Kasim singing a song with Fort Atkinson mentioned in it!
Pre-show page on KasimInfo.com:
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