BY BILL HOLMES

Many artists are treading the boards performing album-themed concerts, and Todd Rundgren is no exception. Earlier this year crowds in bigger cities were treated to a run-through of his classic opus A Wizard, a True Star, but the October tour found his quintet focused on his most recent studio album Arena. Accompanying Rundgren were longtime sidemen Kasim Sulton on bass and keyboards, Jessie Gress on guitar, Prarie Prince on drums and Sara Lee (filling in for Rachel Haden, although they look alike to me) on bass.

Opening act Greg Towson, a guitarist in The Hi-Risers, had a congenial, bright presence. His set of mid-tempo folk and blues was punctuated by humor and decent chops on the hollow-body electric, especially on the lengthy instrumental cover of "You Can't Sit Down". Reminded me of my '70s and '80s albums by Ian Gomm and Iain Matthews (and I didn't even have Ians on the brain going in). The set was short and solid, and met with warm response, which is pretty much what you hope for when the audience has clearly come by to see the headliner.

Most Todd Rundgren fans seem to be long-time followers who are deeply aware of his every move. So I was amazed how many people seemed to be expecting an oldies show or a run-through of his hits rather than the album-oriented concert as advertised. I doubt there was a person in the crowd under forty, with a significant number skewed much older. Since recent Todd albums don't get a lick of airplay in this town, perhaps those thirty or so people drifted out midway through the show because they were expecting "Hello It's Me" and "Can We Still Be Friends". Apparently they weren't listening when Todd opened the show by telling everyone that they might as well take their socks off now because he was going to rock them off if they didn't.

I was apprehensive that Todd, now in his sixties, might be moving away from guitar wanking; his last tour in support of Liars found him mostly singing and playing short solos, if any at all. Any fears were laid to rest immediately, as he opened with "Love in Action", "Black and White", "Black Maria" and a vibrant "Open My Eyes" before Kasim stepped up to handle lead vocals on "Trapped". Rundgren and band rocked from the outset, and his vocals were more impressive than in recent memory. In fact, he had greater interaction with the audience than he has in years; whether that was genuine fun or a chance to catch his breath didn't matter.

The bulk of the show was a track-by-track live performance of Arena. Aptly named, this salute to '70s rock bands sounded neutered as a studio recording, and hearing the songs live really proved he should have recorded the songs live in the first place. You could consider this album a subtle follow-up to his classic Faithful or a multi-artist version of Deface the Music, as many tracks are clandestine nods to established bands. "Gun" is a rewrite of ZZ Top's "Tush"; "Strike" is an AC/DC fist-pumping anthem (and indeed, fists were pumping) and the bass line from "Twilight Zone" serves as the spine of "Manup", his most passionate vocal of the evening. Other highlights included "Courage" (probably the closest to a "classic Todd" song), the boogie-rock of "Mountaintop" and "Panic", a cross between "Heart of the City" and P-Funk.

It was an exhausting set in a warm room, but the group toweled off for a spirited encore of "Couldn't I Just Tell You" and "Just One Victory". Hearing the Powerpop National Anthem followed by one of his most uplifting Utopia anthems really highlighted just how much Todd Rundgren has moved away from the melody and hook to focus upon more personal, political lyrics. Where a younger Todd focused on love and hope and personal relationships, his last two albums resonate with challenges towards politics and religion and the environment; basically a call out to people to mold and perpetuate the human legacy and not sit passively by while things are done to them.

And true to that vision, Rundgren continues to create and perform new material rather than rest on his own legacy, even if he occasionally flashes it in public. An impressive and inspiring performance.