Hundreds of music lovers descend on Red Bank, NJ’s Count Basie Center for the Arts this Wednesday, July 2, 2025 evening for a “Still Me (Still We)” concert by singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer Todd Rundgren.
A pop/rock cult hero, Rundgren was born and raised in the Philadelphia area and made a name for himself during the late 1960s as lead guitarist for the psychedelic blues group, Nazz. When the ensemble disbanded in the early ’70s, Rundgren scored as a soloist with his 1971 single, “We Gotta Get You a Woman,” and his breakout 1973 album, Something/Anything.
Rundgren achieved continued success in the ’80s with his 1983 single, “Bang the Drum All Day,” and by touring and recording with his band, Utopia. A composer of film and TV scores as well as a producer of albums including Grand Funk Railroad’s We’re an American Band and Meat Loaf’s Bat Out of Hell, Rundgren was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.
Inside the Count Basie auditorium, music blares and lights flash as guitarist Bruce McDaniel, keyboardist Gil Assayas, bassist Kasim Sulton, drummer Prairie Prince, and woodwind player/keyboardist Bobby Strickland take their places on stage.
The audience stands and cheers as Todd Rundgren makes his entrance and opens tonight’s show with the rock ballad, “I Think You Know.”
After singing in his strong, resonant voice, “I can’t explain what’s in my brain/That tells me where to go/But I think you know,” Rundgren impresses with a wailing electric guitar solo.
The crowd reacts with avid applause and Rundgren and Co. segue into the R&B rocker, “Secret Society,” where Rundgren plays intricate runs to the driving beat as he sings, “Don’t you remember me?/We were a secret society,” accompanied by solid support from his bandmates.
Four-part vocal harmonies highlight the slow 6/8 rocker, “Weakness.” Then, Bobby Strickland plays flute as Rundgren dances center stage under flashing lights while singing with power on the infectious pop tune, “Stood Up.”
Rundgren soulfully croons, “When you sang how you felt I’d tell myself/Maybe someday I’ll sing with you,” on “Lost Horizon,” a backbeat rocker featuring strong instrumental playing by bassist Kassim Sulton and drummer Prairie Prince.
Concertgoers cheer as Rundgren stomps into the rocking “Buffalo Grass,” where precision background harmonies support Rundgren’s powerful vocal as he wails, “Like buffalo grass/You crawled across my heart/Oh, like buffalo grass/Wrapped yourself around my heart.”
Prince’s claves start off “Beloved Infidel,” a rock ballad which features Gil Assayas’ swirling keyboard accompanying Rundgren’s smooth vocal. Rundgren follows up by moving about the stage while vocalizing with emotion on “Hit Me Like a Train,” an R&B/funk tune which has music lovers’ heads bopping to the driving rhythm.
Prince plays a marching beat while Rundgren’s pleading voice cries, “Ever wonder where/Or why she had to go?” on the fusion-inspired ballad, “Wouldn’t You Like to Know?” Then, demonstrating his vocal range, Rundgren ad libs on “Sweet,” where concertgoers clap along to the R&B shuffle’s unifying “Sing and shout it, tell the world about it/The truth is sweet” message.
Grabbing a baton, Rundgren conducts the ensemble on his majestic ballad, “Kindness,” which features Strickland adding flute trills before rendering a jazzy oboe solo on this impressive orchestral piece.
Sulton and Bruce McDaniel dance as they play bass and electric guitar and Rundgren bends his guitar strings on the high-energy rocker, “Woman’s World.”
The audience stands and lights flash as Rundgren croons, “It’s all in black and white/They say there’s only one kind of love/You have to choose just right,” on the electronic R&B tune, “Afterlife.”
Rundgren and Co. sail into the humorous reggae number, “Down with the Ship,” where Rundgren plays slide whistle and his crew cries out, “We’re going down with the ship!” Then, Rundgren’s unaccompanied voice starts off “Honest Work” before Sulton and McDaniel join him in vocalizing on this a cappella number.
Strickland plays bari sax and McDaniel is featured on electric guitar as Rundgren jumps around the stage performing the upbeat “Rock Love.”
Afterwards, music lovers cheer and applaud and Rundgren responds with his first spoken word of the evening when he shouts out, “JERSEY!”
Bird calls and pad synth sounds open “God Said” where Rundgren advises listeners to “Just get over yourself” on this ethereal R&B number. Then, Rundgren raps out a lead vocal before sliding his fingers across his guitar strings for effect on the funky hip-hop tune, “Fascist Christ,” and the audience claps along singing, “That old time religion/It’s good enough for me,” on the song’s gospel coda.
Accompanied by four-part vocal harmonies, Rundgren croons the bluesy multi-metered ballad, “Hawking,” where Strickland’s alto sax wails and Todd emotes powerfully and soulfully in his falsetto voice, “Take pity on each other,” to avid audience hoots and hollers.
To conclude tonight’s show, Rundgren’s powerful voice is supported by flute, keyboards, bass, guitar, and drums on the driving rocker, “Worldwide Epiphany.”
Music lovers happily move to the groove before rising to their feet and cheering for the band’s high-energy performance.
“Thank you!” responds Rundgren as he leaves the stage but soon returns to perform an encore medley of hits. After starting off with his Something/Anything pop tune, “I Saw the Light,” Rundgren segues into the rock ballad, “Can We Still Be Friends,” before concluding with a segment of his biggest radio hit, 1973’s “Hello, It’s Me,” which has fans joining in with Todd on the song’s “Think of me” coda.
The crowd stands and cheers and Rundgren and friends gallop into the slow and bluesy rock waltz, “The Last Ride,” where Todd soulfully sings, “It’s the last ride/Our little game is over/It’s the last ride/It’s time to take you home,” before picking out a nimble guitar solo filled with nuance.
Audience members hoot and holler and demand yet another song and Rundgren and Co. respond by delivering the slow pop tune, “A Dream Goes On Forever,” where Todd cries, “How much I love you you’ll never know/‘Till you join me within my dreams,” prior to thanking his bandmates and announcing to the crowd, “We love you! Goodnight!”
As concertgoers make their way out of the Basie auditorium, several comment on Todd Rundgren’s performance tonight. Remarks Larry from Brick, “Todd was wonderful tonight — it was one of the best times I’ve seen him. Honestly, I didn’t know a lot of the songs he did, but his guitar playing was great, his voice was fantastic, and he and his band were so entertaining it made for a great night.”
Ray from Toms River concurs, explaining, “For me, this show really rocked. There were a lot of tunes I didn’t know, but I liked them as much as the stuff I did know. Todd’s voice was incredible — he was spot-on — and his guitar playing was tremendous; watching him really blew my mind because it was effortless!”
Elise from Hillsborough suggests, “I wish he had played some more old stuff, but his voice was good and I enjoyed it,” and her husband, John, agrees, adding, “I wish he’d played more of his older songs — like he did at the end — but he sounded really good.” Matt from Long Island observes, “For a concert where I didn’t know a lot of the material, I thought it was fantastic! I thought it was a very intricate show to put on and Todd’s voice was really terrific.”
Patrick, a musician from Point Pleasant, declares, “Todd Rundgren was spectacular tonight — I wasn’t sure what to expect, but his show was absolutely amazing!” Acknowledging, “As I was watching it, I was thinking there are a few artists, like Prince, whom I’ve seen over the years that I’d put in the pantheon of great live performers, and Todd’s performance tonight put him in that group,” Patrick further notes, “He’s someone whose mark on both pop music and rock music is probably unmatched by any other living artist.”
Lastly, Debbie from Red Bank insists, “I thought Todd was just as fabulous tonight as he always has been — I’ve seen him 15 times and he was just as good tonight as he was the first time I saw him,” prior to exclaiming, “I loved every single minute of everything!”
To learn more about Todd Rundgren, please go to todd-rundgren.com. For info on upcoming great performances at the Basie Center — including Buddy Guy: Damn Right Encore on July 14, Esperanza Spalding on August 8, and The Orchestra Starring ELO and ELO Part II Former Members on September 13 — please click on thebasie.org.
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