When are you too old for rock 'n' roll? That's the age-old question these days, as the Rolling Stones, The Who, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, and countless others who put the sex in sexagenarian continue to take their acts on the road long after hitting The Big 6-0.
Talk about old school. Todd Rundgren just turned 60 on June 22, but that isn't
stopping him from exploring new ground, finding new friends, and continuing to inspire young and old alike. Just ask his legion of fans, who were invited to attend "Toddstock," his 60th birthday bash on the island of Kauai, where A Wizard/A True Star provided a week of fun (a custom comic book by Ryan Estrada 
was even commissioned for the celebration), games, and music. It was capped with a sneak preview of his touring group that went on to perform his new CD, Arena, in its entirety.
Sure, rock 'n' roll might remain a young man's game but Rundgren doesn't act his age. He remains vigorous, excitable, creative, innovative, and productive, while still looking the part of Rock Star with the two-toned 'do, ever-present shades and black leather pants.
Forget Madonna turning 50. Rundgren, the Blue-Eyed Soul Brother, invented the reinvention. Glam Rock, Prog Rock, Heavy Metal (Kids) Rock, Techno-Todd Rock, Power Pop Rock, Soft Rock, Classic Rock, you name it and he can do it.
He and his group that includes erstwhile touring buds Jesse Gress (guitar) and Prairie
Prince (drums), along with recent additions Rachel Haden (bass, formerly of The Rentals) and Matt Bolton (keyboards, guitar), hit the ground running at the Boulder Theater in Colorado on July 14. He was tanned, rested, and ready to please.
It was a special occasion for the summer tour, with the show recorded by HDNet for a DVD release that is expected to be available (with bundle options) when Arena drops in the U.S. on Sept. 30. Will Hoge played an extended set and performed admirably. And despite sitting through some delays because of a few technical glitches involving the video production, a patient general-admission crowd at the Boulder Theater enthusiastically greeted Rundgren and Co.
Rundgren apologized upfront for the delay, then made everyone forget about it with a flurry of many of his fan favorites, including "Love in Action," "Black Maria," The Nazz's "Open My Eyes" and "I Saw the Light," along with recently added '80s covers, The Call's "When the Walls Came Down" and Red Rider's "Lunatic Fringe."
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