Todd Rundgren has quietly returned to Woodstock’s Utopia Studios Soundstage to begin rehearsals for his “The Individual, the Star” U.S. tour. The legendary multi-instrumentalist received a reported “quiet hero’s welcome” as he returned to the area ahead of his induction into the Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame at the end of October.
Rundgren’s Woodstock Roots
Rundgren, also known for his work with the band Utopia, created the soundstage at Bearsville Theater Complex himself. He commissioned the project for an “innovative video studio” back in 1979, and filmed the video for his single “Time Heals” there. The video would go on to be the second video ever broadcast on MTV. Over the years, the studio has served as a home for many music-related businesses, including Radio Woodstock.
Rundgren made sure to take breaks from rehearsal during his week-long visit. While in town, Rundgren also attended the Woodstock Film Festival for a screening of the documentary Fanny: The Right To Rock. Rundgren himself appears in the documentary, which was screened at the Bearsville Theater.
A Wizard, A True Star
Rundgren’s current tour celebrates his monumental 1973 album, A Wizard, A True Star. Rundgren found inspiration for the project, and a changing point of view, in experimentation with psychedelic drugs in his mid-20s. “I became more aware,” Rundgren once said of making the album, “Of what music and sounds were like in my internal environment, and how different that was from the music I had been making.” Rundgren described the 19-track LP as a hallucinogenic “flight plan.”
Though at the time A Wizard, A True Star isolated much of Rundgren’s audience, it received widespread critical acclaim, and has been recognized in later years for its influence on lo-fi bedroom musicians. Even Frank Ocean sampled synths from the project on his own historic contribution to lo-fi, 2016s Blonde.
Rundgren kicked off his The Individual, The Star Tour on October 1st in Boston. He played three dates at the beginning of October in New York, all at the Gramercy Theater in NYC. The tour will continue through the beginning of November, heading West and closing out November 7th in San Francisco.
Todd Rundgren, The Individualist, a True Star 2021 Tour
Oct. 01 – Boston, MA @ Big Night Live
Oct. 02 – Boston, MA @ Big Night Live
Oct. 04 – Ridgefield, CT @ Ridgefield Playhouse
Oct. 05 – Ridgefield, CT @ Ridgefield Playhouse
Oct. 07 – New York, NY @ Gramercy Theatre
Oct. 08 – New York, NY @ Gramercy Theatre
Oct. 09 – New York, NY @ Gramercy Theatre
Oct. 11 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore
Oct. 12 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore
Oct. 14 – Huntington, NY @ The Paramount
Oct. 17 – Washington DC @ Capital Turnaround
Oct. 18 – Washington DC @ Capital Turnaround
Oct. 20 – Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
Oct. 23 – Miami, FL @ The Fillmore
Oct. 24 – Clearwater, FL @ Capitol Theatre
Oct. 25 – Clearwater, FL @ Capitol Theatre
Oct. 29 – Canton, OH @ Canton Palace
Oct. 30 – Cincinnati, OH @ The Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center
Nov. 01 – Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
Nov. 02 – Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
Nov. 05 – Grand Rapids, MI @ 20 Monroe Live
Nov. 06 – Cleveland, OH @ MGM Northfield Park
Nov. 07 – Cleveland, OH @ MGM Northfield Park
Nov. 10 – Denver, CO @ Paramount
Nov. 12 – Los Angeles, CA @ Belasco
Nov. 13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Belasco
Nov. 14 – Los Angeles, CA @ Belasco
Nov. 16 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
Nov. 17 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore