Todd Rundgren to bring 'Damned If I Do Tour' to NT

West Herr Riviera Theatre press release & graphic

The West Herr Riviera Theatre proudly announces Todd Rundgren, performing live at 7:30 p.m. Monday, July 6, as a part of the “Damned If I Do Tour.”

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, March 27. Visit https://rivieratheatre.org/event/todd-rundgren/.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Rundgren began playing guitar as a teenager, going on to found and front The Nazz, the quintessential ’60's psychedelic group. In 1969, he left the band to pursue a solo career, recording his debut offering, the legendary “Runt.” 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 Rundgren into the superstar limelight, prompting the press to unanimously dub him “Rock's New Wunderkind.”

That was followed by such landmark LPs as “The Hermit of Mink Hollow” and “A Wizard, A True Star,” as well as such hit singles as “I Saw The Light,” “Hello It's Me,” “Can We Still Be Friends” and “Bang The Drum.”

In 1974, Rundgren formed Todd Rundgren’s Utopia (renamed and reconfigured in 1976 as Utopia), an entirely new approach to the concept of interactive musicianship, and embarked on an extensive round of touring and recording. Standout Utopia offerings included “Oops! Wrong Planet,” “Adventures in Utopia” and “Oblivion.” Along the way, Rundgren’s Utopia combined technical virtuosity and creative passion to create music that initially, for millions, defined the term "progressive rock,” and subsequently, as Utopia, the term “power pop.”

Rundgren's myriad production projects include albums by Patti Smith, Cheap Trick, Psychedelic Furs, Meat Loaf, XTC, Grand Funk Railroad and Darrly Hall & John Oates. Rounding out his reputation as “rock's renaissance man,” Rundgren composed all the music and lyrics for Joe Papp's 1989 Off-Broadway production of “Joe Orton's Up Against It” (the screenplay commissioned by The Beatles for what was meant to have been their third motion picture). He also composed the music for the hit film “Dumb and Dumber,” as well as a number of television series, including “Pee Wee’s Playhouse” and “Crime Story.”

In 2009, Rundgren performed his iconic 1973 album, “A Wizard, A True Star,” in concert in its entirety for the first time ever, and several years later did the same with a double bill: Todd & Healing. He has toured with Ringo Starr as an erstwhile member of the All-Starr Band since 1989, and continues to perform with symphony orchestras both domestically and internationally. In 2018 he toured North America with original Utopians Kasim Sulton and Willie Wilcox for the first time in 33 years. After the release of his long-awaited autobiography, “The Individualist,” Rundgren spearheaded the world’s first hybrid concert/book tour, highlighting music across his 50-plus-year career.

The Riviera Theatre is located at 67 Webster St., North Tonawanda.