Review by Janet Spahr (Pebbles):
I Want More!

I will start my review in reverse this - with comments from my older brother who has never seen Todd live - but maybe has wondered all these years what has drawn me to him. So I get him and his wife to this show - along with my other sister who has not seen Todd. So all 3 of my siblings are gathered for this event - it was GREAT.

My brother:

"Does Todd always rock like this?

Why don't we hear Todd on the radio?

How did this band form? They sound better than the originals! What is the connection?

Todd has a presence when he's on stage

Todd sings these songs like their his own - sounds great"

I first have to talk about the energy that comes from this line up. You can just tell that they want to be playing - that they admire each other - love the music - are having fun - and most of all - they are rockin the house down. The energy is high - from start to finish. I can tell you I saw the Cars in 1982 or there abouts - and I confess - I thought they were a horrible live band. I'm sorry. But these guys are putting their collective careers - all their musical talent - and knowledge to work - to make an incredible sound.

I never sat down - never stopped dancing - jumping the whole time. Well - ok - for Drive - I did slow down - long enough to take in a beautiful sound - and passion coming our one and only Kasim. His voice did fill the pavillion - the night air - the whole park. And the guy next to me - happened to look over at me - and said "you're crying". Dang - Kasim got me again. He just touches my soul and I cannot help it. I don't know if it's the lyrics - the voice - my life - or what - but it hits me hard.

So then - "the mission". I am as far back in the pavillion as you can get - and I want to be up front where the action is. Yes the Andy Frain ushers turned militia - were in full force. I had to find a way.......so as people were walking up the aisle - I asked for their ticket. No - really I begged for their ticket. And low and behold - a poor fella took pity on me and let me have his. WOOOO HOOOO - I was in!!!

Got right in Kasim's face - haha! Sorry Kasim. I think Debbie and I made him crack up - he was smiling - yet trying to concentrate on his playing. He has a way of making everyone down front feel special - it is amazing. He knelt down and gave "Chloe" ( little girl who won 2 front row tickets just before the show) a guitar pick. 2 boys by me - about 12 years old - said "what did he just give her - what is he doing?".....so I try my best to motion to Kasim that I would like a pic - and the gracious man he his - handed me one. I in turn - gave it to the boy in front me and he was so darn excited and happy - I cannot tell you. It was so great. Maybe 2 new fans are in the works.

It was just one of the magical nights that can only happen when love is in the air - and hearts are open. This is my night - my experience. Thanks to the band for making it happen.

I would give just about anything to hear "Warm" live!! Get the new CD - and enjoy!

Kasim Sulton:
Click here to read Kasim's opinion about this concert. He includes the comments "We played our first completely sold out show tonight. It was really cool. There was about 14,000 people in attendance at a venue here that I haven't had the pleasure of performing at before" and "It's been a great first two weeks and we have twelve shows under our collective belts. Just as I predicted, the band has gone from being somewhat cautiously tentative, to comfortably assured. We're all familiar enough with the set and our individual parts that we can now just enjoy the show without having to think too much about it.".

Comments about this gig posted on messageboards and mailing lists include:

Pre concert press
NWITimes.com had an interesting pre-concert article as follows (as it will disappear at some point):
"New Cars revs its engines - Supergroup races to Ravinia's stage with new music

BY TIM SHELLBERG

Times Correspondent

This story ran on nwitimes.com on Friday, June 2, 2006 12:19 AM CDT

Todd Rundgren, legendary tunesmith, producer and frontman for the New Cars, is taking a wait-and-see stance when it comes to long-term plans for his new supergroup.

"We have a hearty touring schedule to take care of before we think about getting into the studio," he said. "Then we have this new record coming out, our first demonstration of the new hybrid. If people respond well to that, it'll be more likely that we would continue to another new record. If they respond poorly to that, we just might end up having only this one record out."

Kicking off the 2006 season Saturday at Highland Park's Ravinia Festival with fellow new wave favorites Blondie, Rundgren was one of several names short-listed by original Cars lead guitarist Elliot Easton and keyboardist Greg Hawkes when they decided to put the band back together last year.

Original leader Ric Ocasek and drummer David Robinson took a pass on the resurrected band and singer-bassist Ben Orr passed away of cancer in 2000.

Rundgren, after being approached by Easton and Hawkes last July, was interested in the prospect in reviving the Boston-based act, which had a hearty run of hits in the '70s and '80s with songs such as "Good Times Roll," "Shake it Up" and "Just What I Needed," to name just a few.

While the idea of the hitmaker behind gems such as "Hello It's Me" and "I Saw The Light" and producer of classic albums such as Meat Loaf's "Bat Out of Hell" and XTC's "Skylarking" joining forces with the Cars, which had been out of service for more than a decade and a half, may have confounded fans of both musical camps, Rundgren said the pairing isn't far fetched at all in his eyes.

"We were contemporaries (in the '70s and '80s)," he said Tuesday, en route to a performance in Denver. "We played together on stages and got to see each other up close and dig each other's music … I think we were fond of what each other was doing. It's not such a strange idea for this particular group of musicians to get together. I was also a big fan."

The trio got down to business, Rundgren said, by writing three songs that appear at the tail end on the New Cars' debut, the in-concert "It's Alive," which will be released Tuesday. They rounded out their lineup with singer-bassist Kasim Sulton, who backed Rundgren in the past as member of his Utopia, and Prairie Prince, who pounded the skins for The Tubes.

The New Cars announced their return to the road in late 2005, and test-drove their new lineup with a series of West Coast shows earlier this year. Their current schedule has the band wrapping up their current leg June 14 in Clearwater, Fla., but Rundgren sees a lot more shows on his new band's horizons.

"We're only just in the beginning of the first leg of what we expect will be eight to 12 months of touring altogether," he said.

The New Cars' tourmates, Blondie, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year and released a CD/DVD compilation, "Greatest Hits: Sound & Vision," in March.

The New Cars, Blondie

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: Ravinia Festival, 200 Ravinia Park Road, Highland Park

Cost: $85 pavilion, $20 lawn"

The New Cars Road Rage Tour