|
Black and White Black Maria Trapped I Saw The Light Mad Afraid Gun Courage Weakness Strike Pissin Today Bardo Mountaintop Panic Manup
Couldn't I Just Tell You 
Review by RMAC:
At 8:19 pm, a bluish haze filled as Jesse, Todd, Rachel, Prairie and the treasured Kasim Sulton appeared on stage. Love In Action, Black and White followed by Black Maria, Trapped and Open My Eyes got the evening off on a high note.
 Kasim, the "timeless" rock journeyman, sang Trapped effortlessly and with bravado that made everyone in the audience stand and mouth the words. Kasim dressed all in black and wearing sunglasses was upbeat and having a wonderful time with the band and made eye contact with familiar faces in the audience. The multi-talented Kasim at keyboards, percussion, guitar and backup vocals once again demonstrated to everyone that he could do it all. Kasim appeared extremely unperturbed and well within his groove. Always exhibiting power and precision, Kasim’s singing of Trapped elevated the show to a level of even more enthusiasm that the crowd truly loved and respected especially the devout Utopia fans. As usual, Trapped was the signal for Todd’s "palette cleanser" I Saw The Light followed by Mad, Afraid, Courage and Mercenary. As Todd sang Courage, a guitar string suddenly broke that forced Todd to switch to a black guitar as the broken string was being replaced. Eventually, Todd’s signature green Fender guitar reappeared on stage after the broken string was replaced. At one point into the show, Todd spoke to the audience about a new technology called the "Millimeter Wave Scanner" (also called whole body imaging) which is an imaging device used for airport security screening in that you can be scanned without you even knowing it. Todd indicated that this is an invasion of one’s privacy, and he suggested that the next time we travel by plane that we should demand the traditional “pat down” in order to achieve the best "personal" satisfaction. In answer to this invasion of privacy, the Strike song was adopted as the new protest song. Need I say more?
 After performing the remainder of the Arena album, Todd, Kasim and the crew left the stage momentarily to return for an encore of Couldn’t I Just Tell You which lead to the finale Just One Victory. The audience was on its feet and applauded as each band member was named one-by-one with Kasim receiving the most applause. Kasim has and forever will be unforgettable. The everlasting memories from this performance remained with me in my two-hour drive back to New York City.
Comments by fans posted to various messageboards and mailing lists include:
Other websites:
The venue (taken from the KasimInfo.com Blog that day):
The gig tonight is at Infinity Hall in Norfolk, CT. Infinity Hall is described on the venue's website as "Built in 1883 in picturesque Norfolk in northwest Connecticut, Infinity Hall is an intimate music, dining and entertainment destination beyond compare. Newly renovated, the historic building features its original proscenium stage and wood, as well as many other notable details. Whether it’s dinner and a show, high quality casual dining or simply drinks and music you’re seeking, Infinity Music Hall & Bistro — just 34 miles from Hartford, 20 miles from Great Barrington, MA and 50 miles from Poughkeepsie, NY. The music hall seats 300, ensuring each and every seat provides front row entertainment. Newly renovated, the hall hosts more than 200 music and entertainment shows by quality national and regional artists annually."
The gig tonight starts at 8pm and it is sold out! Tickets for the gig cost $55, $65 or $75 (plus charges). The address of the venue is 20 Greenwoods Rd W, Norfolk, CT 06058.
Many thanks to RMAC for all the photos on this page.
 All Rights Reserved |