Todd Rundgren, Davey Lane @ Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide 7/3/2025

Todd Rundgren is a bona fide Rock N Roll legend, despite many of my friends say “Who?” when I say I am going to see him. He formed the legendary garage band Nazz in 1967 and in 1973 formed the prog/rock band Utopia. With neither band had any major success here in Australia, Todd is probably best known as a producer. Without Todd producing, Meatloaf’s Bat Out of Hell album may not have been the massive seller it was and The New York Dolls may have remained an underground New York band. He also produced Australia’s Dragon’s Dreams of Ordinary Men album, playing guitar on the album as well.

As a solo artist, Todd Rundgren has also released over two dozen solo albums, so he has not been resting on his laurels.

Davey Lane (from You Am I) opened proceedings, standing extreme stage right and solo, with This is Hell, a beautiful piece from the 2017 album, I’m Gonna Burn Out Bright. Thinking that the support spot would be solo, we were all pleasantly surprised when “the band” walked out on stage and started rocking out, complete with Talei Wolfgramm on backing vocals.

Over and Over, God I’m Fked Up All Over and You’re the Cops, I’m the Crime were played, highlighting just how good Davey’s solo career is. “This is a brand-new song, unlike the other songs which are old, but you still probably had never heard them before” said Davey, but I feel he was underselling himself, judging by the response he received from each of the “old songs”. Not An Option for Now and Saint closed out a wonderful but far too short set.

The Davey Lane band, with Davey, walked back on stage some thirty minutes later (with extra male backing singer) to back Todd Rundgren. Todd maybe nearly seventy seven years of age but he has not lost his voice at all. Sure, the movements around the stage maybe a bit slower, but he never stopped moving from side to side across the stage. 1974’s I Think I Know You was rolled out first up and it is hard to believe this song is now over fifty years old. The next song was even older, Utopia’s Secret Society and had the crowd singing along.

We then moved forward to the current century for Weakness (2008) with its turbulent twin guitar intro, and Sweet (2004), for which Todd put down his guitar and just became lead singer. Davey was “musical director” for the show, leading the band into songs, pointing to the drummer to count the band in on other songs. The sound was of a band that had played together for years, not one that had been formed just for this tour. But then Davey Lane would never do anything by halves.

It was five songs before we got a comment from Todd. “It’s a bit warm in here. You feeling it?” before Love of the Common Man. Afterlife slowed the mood down a bit and then Todd told us “It is gratifying to see younger people in the crowd” before giving the younger people another taste of Utopia with Lysistrata and then a real rock history lesson with Nazz’s Open My Eyes. Of course, to us baby Boomers it was just pure magic to hear these songs live after all these years.

But these comments were far and few between songs. We often say “the artist let the music do the talking” but this was a fine example of just this. He was lucky to say a dozen sentences in the twenty-song set. He certainly was packing the music in.

Drive (from 1982, not the REM song) rocked, but it was Utopia’s Love in Action that rocked the hardest for the evening, complete with false ending. Todd tried dancing during Stood Up, which was amusing to watch, but we loved it.

“A song made for a sing-a-long” gave us Sons of 1984 (from 1974) and indeed it was made for singing along. When Todd and Davey played guitar against each other, as in the final song Worldwide Epiphany, it was just beautiful to watch and listen to. A sonic barrage forming a soundscape that just had to be heard. A perfect conclusion to the main set.

With hardly time for a drink, the band were back on stage. International Feel resounded from the speakers as the band fired up once again. A medley of I Saw the Light/ Can We Still Be Friends/ Hello It’s Me followed with Can We Still Be Friends getting the loudest cheer of the evening. The song was also a hit for Robert Palmer in 1979 finishing on Fade Away from 1978s Hermit of Mink Hollow. A Dream Goes on Forever was listed on the set list but not played.

Todd Rundgren is a Bonafide Rock N Roll legend and it was certainly delightful to get see the legend in a reasonably intimate setting.

Live Review By Geoff Jenke