PR: Awats west coast show begin this week

Todd Rundgren's California AWATS Live tour begins this week
Todd Rundgren's "A Wizard, A True Star" album tour in California begins this week. The concerts will include an opening set featuring some songs he's never performed before live. Stops include San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, and Ventura.

Todd Rundgren during an AWATS Live soul medley
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PR Log (Press Release) – Nov 29, 2009 – Todd Rundgren's full-album performances tour in California begins this week. The concerts will include an opening set featuring some songs he's never performed before live ---- Keeping his fans guessing, Todd has chosen not to comment on whether these songs are new material for an upcoming release or songs from previous albums.

Beginning December 1, at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre in San Francisco, Todd and his six-piece star-studded band will play the 1973 classic album "A Wizard, A True Star" in its entirety for the first time ever on the West Coast. Band members include: Utopia and Meatloaf bassist, Kasim Sulton; Tubes and Jefferson Starship drummer, Prairie Prince; keyboardist and founding member of The Cars, Greg Hawkes; Todd Rundgren's Utopia keyboardist, Ralph Schuckett; percussionist and horn player, Bobby Strickland; and lead guitarist and former music editor of Guitar Player magazine, Jesse Gress.

Rundgren has only performed the AWATS album live in its entirety seven times. The first ever performance on September 6th of this year was presented in Akron, OH, by two fans-turned-promoters from RundgrenRadio.com. The results were a sold out show, critical raves and unbridled fan demand for more performances.

The AWATS Live performance features not only the music but an elaborate stage extravaganza with multiple costume changes. According to Rundgren, the album was from an era when most artists were offering production-oriented live performances. "People were wearing costumes and they had special effects and lasers and that sort of stuff to enhance the shows. We'll truck a bunch of that out as well ... it's not just the music of the era; it's a presentation in the style of that era."

The California mini-tour :

December 1st in San Francisco at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre

December 2nd in Sacramento at the Crest Theatre

December 4th in Los Angeles at the Orpheum Theatre

December 5th in Ventura at the Majestic Theatre.

Ticket ordering information is available on http://www.awatslive.com. Todd and the band will take the show overseas in February 2010.

"A Wizard, A True Star" was included in the 2006 musical reference book, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. In 2003, British music critic Barney Hoskyns wrote in MOJO magazine that Rundgren's "A Wizard, A True Star" is simply the greatest album ever made.