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originally published: 03/01/2022

(READINGTON, NJ) -- Pop superstar Todd Rundgren, a 2021 inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, will bring some added wizardry to this summer’s New Jersey Lottery Festival of Ballooning. The multi-faceted singer-songwriter-producer (“Hello It’s Me,” “I Saw The Light,” “Can We Still Be Friends,” “Bang The Drum”) will rock the Festival’s Main Stage on Saturday night, July 30 at 8:00pm.

Presented by the New Jersey Lottery, Rundgren’s concert will follow that evening’s mass hot air balloon ascension and take place in conjunction with a spectacular nighttime hot air balloon glow.

A Wizard. A True Star. The title of Rundgren’s 1973 solo album aptly sums up the contributions this jack of all trades has made to state-of-the-art music. As a songwriter, video pioneer, producer, recording artist, computer software developer, conceptualist, and interactive artist, Rundgren has made a lasting impact on both the form and content of popular music.

In addition to a half-century career that’s about as varied as any in pop music, the native of Upper Darby, PA broke new ground in music videos and computer technology in music. He has also produced a long list of great records including Meat Loaf’s Bat Out of Hell as well as albums by Patti Smith, Cheap Trick, Psychedelic Furs, XTC, Grand Funk Railroad, and Hall and Oates.

Rundgren’s list of creative energy and ingenuity includes the first live nationally broadcast stereo radio rock broadcast, creation of the first color graphics tablet, the first music video to utilize state-of-the-art compositing of live action and computer graphics (one of the first videos to be played on MTV), the first live national cablecast of a rock concert, and the world’s first interactive concert tour.  

 

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But it was 1972’s seminal Something/Anything? on which he played all the instruments, sang all the vocal parts, and acted as his own producer, that catapulted Todd Rundgren into superstardom.

“We’re proud to add Todd Rundgren, an amazing artist whose 50-year career and contributions to popular music have been recently rewarded by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, to this year’s concert lineup,” said Festival Executive Producer Howard Freeman.

The three-day New Jersey Lottery Festival of Ballooning, July 29-30-31, features twice-a-day mass ascensions of up to 100 sport and special shaped hot air balloons, its hugely popular concert series appealing to music fans of all ages, family entertainment and attractions, food, fireworks, and more.

Tickets are on sale now at www.balloonfestival.com and include Blue Sky Club VIP packages, Reserved Concert Seats, Concert Chalets, as well as general admission lawn seating.