Published on: Wednesday, September 16, 2009

By David Cannon, Sentinel Arts Critic

Well, that was different. And a lot of fun, too.

The Music Center at Strathmore kicked off its new season with a very interesting concert by rock legend Todd Rundgren. The concert, presented by the Birchmere, was a trip down memory lane, emphasizing what concerts were like back in the 1970s, in all their glory and excesses. Rundgren, like many artists of the period, went through a period of experimentation and lengthy song suites before settling down to more conventional rock. Both aspects were on display at Strathmore.

The highlight was the second half, where Rundgren performed his landmark album “A Wizard/ A True Star” in its entirety. “Wizard” was such a studio album, full of psychedelic sound effects, constantly shifting musical styles, and multiple synthesizer lines, one wondered if it could be performed live. Backed by a talented sextet of performers, Rundgren proved it could be brought fully to life with minimal changes, even if some of those higher vocal lines are harder to pull off these days.

It was also a reminder of how theatrical early rock concerts could be. Rundgren made nearly a dozen costume changes during this performance, showcasing the period’s love of technology (the astronaut suit), its fascination with Eastern mysticism and just plain goofiness. For the vaudeville style “Just Another Onionhead” Rundgren bounced around in a clownish fat suit, while the giddy “Hungry for Love” had Rundgren in a chef outfit throwing small items to the audience.

It was also a period of elaborate stage shows, and this “Wizard” performance made use of a ton of lighting effects.  Strobe lights, fog effects, constant video projections were used throughout this portion of the concert. The comical instrumental “Dogfight/Giggles” featured clips of a variety of talking heads, ranging from Dick Cheney to Keith Olbermann, bouncing around to the silly musical track. It is a reminder that Rundgren has a sense of humor and a love of tweaking the noses of authority figures.

That period in music was exciting but it could not sustain itself. Like so many others, by the end of the seventies Rundgren and his band Utopia had radically streamlined their sounds. The first half of the concert was basically a Utopia reunion concert. It featured most of the same personnel: Roger Powell on keyboard and Kasim Sulton (who doesn’t seem to have aged a day) on bass, with new drummer Prairie Prince from the Tubes, one of many rock groups Rundgren has served as producer.

The shift in styles could not be more dramatic. Here was basic lighting and none of the special effects of the second half. Performers wore white t-shirts and dark jeans, in contrast to the white suits and fancy costume changes of “Wizard.” The music, mostly from the “Oops Wrong Planet” and “Adventures in Utopia” albums, was much more conventional, straightforward rock and roll with socially conscious lyrics.

Very enjoyable and one wonders if we might see more of Utopia in the future. But if Utopia ended up with its feet firmly on the ground, Rundgren reminded us that at one point he reached for the stars in albums like “Wizard” and in his quirky, inimical way occasionally touched it. In the soul medley that was a highlight of the “Wizard” album, maybe Rundgren missed his true calling as a soul singer.

Thus begins another busy and diverse season at Strathmore Music Center. In the coming weeks, the Baltimore Symphony will kick off their new season with the Tchaikovsky Fourth Symphony on September 26 and the Bartok Concerto for Orchestra on October 1. The National Philharmonic will start their season on Oct. 3 and 4 with an all Beethoven concert. Strathmore itself will host Grammy winner Steve Tyrell on Oct. 2 and Engelbert Humperdink on Oct. 7.

For more information, call 301- 581-5100 or go online to www.strathmore.org.