Article in The Boston Globe (30th January) about Boston outfit the Rudds, ahead of gig at Lizard Lounge 31 January, and about singer John Powhida's vocal heroes - Daryl Hall, Todd Rundgren, and Cheap Trick's Robin Zander - who have influenced him since his teenage years growing up in Albany, N.Y. "That's the sound to me," Powhida says. "I liked the freeness and wildness that Daryl Hall and Todd Rundgren had. They'd slip into falsetto, take chances, and every time they sang a song it seemed like they were playing with their voices. That's an element of music I like a lot, that experimentation."
I think this was Todd's first appearance at the Forum since he recorded a live album there back in 1994 on the No World Order tour. He was all alone for that one. Tonight, things could not have been more different as Todd brought the Arena tour to London. What can I say. It rocked. Playing the same set that he has been doing for the whole tour - opening with Love in Action, Open my Eyes, Black Maria, I Saw the Light etc, before playing Arena in its entirety - this was guitar rock heaven (and let's face it, probably the last time you'll see Todd doing this kind of tour in the UK). The band were tight, the backing vocals near perfection, and a few ropey moments aside, Todd's vocals strong and good. It was a real joy to see him playing so much lead guitar, after recent years of being more of the 'singer in the band'. There were a few technically issues near the start, when Todd couldn't get the clean guitar sound he wanted, and one amusing moment when he manag...
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