Performing at Arcada Theater in St Charles Illinois March 10 2022 by Jim Snyder
Utopia was an innovative pop pop band for the late 1970’s thru 1985 who break all the rules. The band was always changing their performance style from album to album and they managed to consistently keep my interest because I never knew what to expect out of them. They were a strong four piece band with vocals, edgy guitar and keybord work.
The band is now called Kasim Sulton’s Utopia and is comprised of Lloyd Laudesman on keyboards , Matt Beck on guitars, Andy Ascolose on drums, and multi-instrumentalist Kasim Sulton on bass and lead vocals. This is Kasims second version of Utopia he has been touring on and of over the last 3-4 years since there final tour with Todd in 2018.
On this night the band performed at The Arcada Theatre in St Charles Illinois. I really enjoy this room as it is on the smaller side, with about 800 seats. This theatre features good sound and a nice high stage large enough to allow the band to spread out and truly perform.
A funny thing, and also not so funny, for me is that a week before this show I broke my leg and had to take photographs on one leg, perhaps a first for me in a long history of shooting shows.
Read Dave Diamond’s review of Todd Rundgren and Utopia from 2018 in Huntington NY here.
Kasim is always so at home in Chicago and he makes everyone feel so warm and welcome. The band performed some of my favorites including “Fix My Gaze,” and I am in love with the song “Caravan.” I had not seen a show for over four months so it charged my battery and reminded me alot of my youth when I first cut my teeth on Utopia.
SETLIST:
I Just Want to Touch You
Call It What You Will
Lysistrata
Libertine
Love With a Thinker
Swing to the Right
Hoi Poloi
Princess of the Universe
The Ikon
The Road to Utopia
Cliché (Todd Rundgren cover) (Live debut)
The Verb “To Love” (Todd Rundgren cover)
Fix Your Gaze
Caravan
Monument
More Light
Encore:
Set Me Free
One World
KASIM SULTON’S UTOPIA Summer Tour Dates:
Sony Hall New York, NY
July 27 Wed
Ardmore Music Hall Ardmore PA
July 28
Suffolk Theater Riverhead NY
29 Jul
Read Dave Diamond’s review of Todd Rundgren and Utopia from 2018 in Huntington NY here.
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