For those of you who don’t know it, Roger Hodgson was the main singer/songwriter for Supertramp.  I’m sure you have heard the songs but didn’t know the name of the guy who wrote those timeless classics.  I have to say that I was unfamiliar with Hodgson as a solo artist but his Supertramp material did play a part in the soundtrack to my youth.  I remember Breakfast In America being a huge seller with many great hits.  When I got word that he was going to do a few shows in Milwaukee at The Northern Lights Theater (inside the Potawatomi Bingo Casino), I just had to attend.  He doesn’t play many shows, let alone so close to where I live, making it a “must see” event for me.

The show started with the familiar “Take The Long Way Home” and continued with “School” off of Crime Of The Century.  Hodgson played many of the hits for which he was responsible while in Supertramp like “Dreamer,” “The Logical Song” and “Give A Little Bit” but he also performed less familiar material.  “Soapbox Opera” and “Hide In Your Shell” may be not be tracks that most people know, but they are still part of his impressive cannon of work.  Aside from the Supertramp material, Hodgson also pulled out a few of his solo songs.  He played a couple from In The Eye Of The Storm (“In Jeopardy” and “Lovers In The Wind”) and a one from Open The Door (“Along Came Mary”). 

The thing that made this show so enjoyable was that it did not feel like a concert.  It was more like we were in Roger Hodgson’s living room and he was playing for a few close friends.  Between songs he gave a little back-story or told us about someone who wrote him a letter that referenced the song.   The songs speak for themselves but when you hear part of the story behind them, you really come away with a new found respect for that material.  I heard a rumor that he will be touring again this summer so if you get a chance, go see him perform.  You won’t be disappointed.

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