Todd Rundgren

Todd Rundgren turned sixty in June: this is the age when most men pick up gardening and consider retiring. Rundgren instead celebrates the September 30th release of a new album, which he subtly called Arena. Perhaps I invoked this sexagenarian stereotype because of its personal relevance. My father, who is retired and gardens, was Todd Rundgren's junior high classmate in Philadelphia. Thus, I was constantly barraged by tidbits about this aging rocker, whose recordings and, umm, diverse styles began in the sixties and look to continue well past the end of our still-unnamed decade. After I heard "It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference" from the Almost Famous soundtrack and then "Can We Still Be Friends" from Vanilla Sky's, I caved in to the recommendations of Cameron Crowe and my dad, finally deciding that Rundgren merited a perfunctory listen. Oh yeah, and supposedly he used to sit in the back of math class, bored and unchallenged, and knit. Come and check out which version of Rundgren makes his tour stop at the Triple Door.
Wed., Oct. 1, 8 p.m., 2008