To some degree, you know what you are getting when you see the name "Todd Rundgren." The man's music is almost a flavor all its own. He seamlessly moves between genres, but yet it all bears unmistakable trademarks that tell you it's Rundgren. This new double CD with bonus DVD set is a live testament to his music. I should mention that, while not everything Rundgren does is prog, the very artsy nature of it qualifies him, as far as I'm concerned, so that's where the reviews go for Rundgren.

This performance is strong and features a nice cross-section of Rundgren music. His band includes Utopia bassist Kasim Sulton and keyboardist Greg Hawkes, part of the New Cars band, which featured Rundgren. In addition to the concert video, the DVD includes Q&As that Rundgren did on this 2019 tour. Those videos are from cell phone footage, but for my money, they make up the coolest bonus feature here. It's an interesting touch.

I should add that, since video and CD reviews are very different at MSJ, it's always a bit of a question where hybrid products like this belong. Since the CDs come first here, and seem to be the primary part of the package, I've done this as a CD review. Were the video treated more as the main item here, this would have gone under the video heading, as the Big Big Train live album review in this issue did.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2023  Volume 2. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2023.

A weird looped voice gives way to some frantic keyboard sounds. That crescendos and a full band arrangement emerges from there. This sounds a lot like David Bowie to me.

This is another favorite for me. The cut has a great classic Rundgren sound. This performance definitely does it justice.

Weird keyboard sounds get this track going. The cut builds out from there with a lot of style. Flute dances across the arrangement. This song is so artsy and trippy. There are raps in it. It makes its way into pure jazz territory. There are space rock parts. This is not the catchiest thing here, but is among the most creative and proggy of the album.