Todd Rundgren – iconic singer/pianist/guitarist/songwriter/producer – is set to perform live dates in the UK for the first time since 2005.
He will play four rare UK concerts to coincide with the September 29 release of his long-awaited 19th studio album, Arena.
The Arena Tour band will consist of Jesse Gress (guitar), Rachel Haden (bass), Matt Bolton (guitar and keyboards), Prairie Prince (drums), and Todd Rundgren (guitar and vocals).
Rundgren, who turned 60 in June, says the Arena album was partially conceived when he joined former Cars members Greg Hawkes and Elliot Easton to create The New Cars in late 2005. He became fixated on simple guitar rock sounds.
“I found myself just going out and doing this sort of guerilla guitar quartet thing,” Rundgren recently observed. “So when it came time to make a record, I thought maybe I’ll just continue in that vein and write something that is appropriate to the guitar, since the fans seem to be enjoying it so much.
“So when I decided to write a new album, I knew beforehand it was going to be this kind of old-school guitar-rock record,” he said. “It’s a definite return to riff-oriented guitar rock.
“The concerts will be a straight-ahead, guitar-rock extravaganza. It’s supposed to make you reflexively pump your fist and wave a lighter in the air.”
Rundgren’s UK fans had better start stocking up with lighter fuel then.
The UK dates are:
- Thursday November 6, 2008: Manchester Academy 2
- Friday November 7: The Picture House, Edinburgh
- Saturday November 22: The Waterfront, Norwich
- Sunday November 23: Kentish Town Forum, London.
Tags: guitar rock, Sh-Boom, The New Cars, Todd Rundgren
