Music fans in search of sweeter memories make their way to the Ocean City Music Pier in Ocean City, NJ this August 11, 2026 evening for a Damned If I Do tour performance by singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer Todd Rundgren.
A pop/rock cult hero, Rundgren was born and raised in the Philadelphia suburb of Upper Darby, PA. Leaving his home on his 18th birthday, he headed directly to Ocean City where he met drummer Joe DiCarlo who eventually invited Todd to join his first band, the psychedelic blues-rock ensemble, Woody’s Truck Stop.
Settling into living in a South Jersey suburb near Camden, Rundgren 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 with 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 historic Music Pier auditorium, woodwind player/keyboardist Bobby Strickland, keyboardist Gil Assayas, bassist Kasim Sulton, drummer Prairie Prince, and guitarist Bruce McDaniel take their places on stage. The audience stands and cheers as Todd Rundgren, 78, makes his entrance and opens tonight’s show performing “Evrybody.” With his strong pop/rock voice, Rundgren cries, “Eevrybody’s here so we just don’t care,” on this electronic rocker.
Concertgoers react with avid applause and Rundgren segues into the Utopia R&B rocker, “Secret Society,” where he renders intricate guitar runs to the arrangement’s driving beat.
Fans cheer when they recognize Rundgren’s Something/Anything pop tune, “I Saw the Light,” where Bruce McDaniel plays slide guitar and four-part harmonies ring out on the infectious “‘Cause I saw the light/In your eyes” chorus.
Bobby Strickland plays a modified flute as Rundgren dances center stage under flashing lights on the appealing pop song, “Stood Up.” Then, Rundgren sings with power before switching into his falsetto voice on “Lost Horizon,” a backbeat rocker featuring strong instrumental playing by Strickland, keyboardist Gil Assayas, and bassist Kassim Sulton.
Rundgren delivers a fast and furious guitar solo on the Nazz rock tune, “Open My Eyes,” and audience members cheer as Rundgren stomps into the rocking “Buffalo Grass,” where precision background harmonies support his powerful vocal as he wails, “Like buffalo grass/You crawled across my heart.”
Rundgren vocally 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. Then, 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!”
Strickland plays baritone sax on “Black and White,” a psychedelic rocker with a strong backbeat, and Rundgren cries, “Black Maria, you scare me so,” on the heavy blues number, “Black Maria,” before concluding Act I by singing with emotion on his 1995 rocker, “Woman’s World.”
Following a short intermission, Rundgren and the band return and take seats at the edge of the stage for a mainly unplugged set. Rundgren plays acoustic guitar as he sings the pop/rock tune, “Love of the Common Man,” and on the soft-rocker, “Cliche,” McDaniel supports Rundgren’s lead with a tremolo mandolin part. Then, Strickland’s fluttering tenor sax and Prairie Prince’s rhythmic bongo playing contrast with Rundgren’s smooth vocal on the art-rock tune, “Tiny Demons.”
Rundgren pops into his falsetto voice on the ballad, “I Don’t Want to Tie You Down,” and scats vocally on a swinging interpretation of “I Was Born to Synthesize,” a number which spotlights his bandmates on keyboard, guitar, bass, bari sax, and bongos while the audience happily claps along.
As the musicians make their way back to their former spots on stage, Rundgren’s unaccompanied voice starts off “Honest Work” and Sulton and McDaniel stand and join him in vocalizing on this a cappella number.
The crowd cheers and Rundgren explains, “The last time I played this song was ten years ago when I played it with Ringo.” Here, Beth, the winner of Rundgren’s contest to raise funds for school music education programs, takes the stage to play percussion on “Bang the Drum All Day,” and Todd and the audience sing along on the song’s ubiquitous “I don’t want to work/I want to bang on the drum all day” chorus.
Rundgren sizzles on the progressive rock tune, “№1 Lowest Common Denominator,” where he shreds a guitar solo under flashing lights. He follows up by conducting the ensemble on the majestic orchestral ballad, “Kindness.”
A highlight of tonight’s show is a medley of classic R&B tunes which kicks off with Todd’s soulful rendition of The Impressions’ ballad, “I’m So Proud.” Continuing with a sultry version of The Miracles’ Motown ballad, “Ooo Baby Baby,” the medley concludes with a Latin-inspired arrangement of Marvin Gaye’s “I Want You” where Rundgren cries, “I want you/The right way,” prior to soulfully ad libbing with his voice to energetic cheers and applause.
Rundgren tells the audience how he recently worked with The Call to re-record their song, “The Walls Came Down,” and performs the new arrangement, rocking out on guitar on this new wave number.
To conclude tonight’s performance, Rundgren gets concertgoers double clapping in rhythm to Utopia’s power-pop tune, “One World,” before asking them to sing along on the song’s “One world, whoa, it’s our world, yeah, yeah” refrain.
The crowd stands and cheers as Rundgren and Co. leave the stage but soon return for an encore of “Can We Still Be Friends” where Todd’ invites the audience to join him in singing the soft rocker’s “La la la” bridge.
Following up with a swing version of Rundgren’s biggest radio hit, 1973’s “Hello, It’s Me,” fans join in with Todd on the song’s “It’s important to me/That you know you are free/‘Cause I never want to make you change for me” refrain prior to whistling, cheering, and applauding.
For a final encore, Rundgren and friends stream into “Sweeter Memories” where Todd croons, “Take a few of these, the sweeter memories/Don’t forget them please, the sweeter memories,” before exiting the stage to a warm standing ovation.
To learn more about Todd Rundgren, please go to todd-rundgren.com. For information on upcoming shows at the Ocean City Music Pier — including 10,000 Maniacs on August 24 — please go to ocnj.us.
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