Todd Rundgren announces virtual 2021 tour; releases bizarre new Christmas single, “Flappie”

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Courtesy of Todd RundgrenAs the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage, Todd Rundgren has unveiled plans for a unique 2021 virtual concert tour that will feature 25 livestreamed shows, each geared toward a specific U.S. city.

Rundgren’s “Clearly Human” tour kicks off February 14 with a concert for the Buffalo, New York, area and winds down March 22 with a show focused on Seattle.

The performances will be streamed live from a Chicago venue, and will feature Todd and a 10-piece band playing his entire 1989 album Nearly Human, plus selections from throughout his 50-year solo career.

Tickets are available now at NoCapShows.com, and can be purchased individually, in five-show bundles and as an all-access, 25-show pass. For single-ticket purchases within the U.S., the buyer must be located in a ZIP code near the metropolitan area that the concert is geared toward. A limited number of in-person tickets for each show can be purchased at ClearlyHumanTickets.com.

Each show will be “localized” to give the viewers a sense of the location for which the concert is intended. For example, local landmarks will appear on the event’s video wall.

Fans “attending” the virtual concerts will be able to view the events from multiple camera angles. VIP upgrades include after-show online meet-and-greets and getting to appear on a video screen as part of a real-time “virtual audience” for the event.

In other news, Rundgren has released a new holiday single, a cover of the 1978 tune “Flappie” that originally was recorded by Dutch comedian Youp van ‘t Hek. The song, available digitally now, tells the macabre tale of a boy whose pet rabbit goes missing on Christmas. Todd also has premiered a “Flappie” lyric video on YouTube.

Here are the dates and cities for Rundgren’s virtual tour:

2/14 — Buffalo, NY
2/16 — Albany, NY
2/17 — New York City, NY
2/19 — Virginia Beach, VA
2/20 — Pittsburgh, PA
2/22 — Cleveland, OH
2/23 — Detroit, MI
2/25 — Indianapolis, IN
2/26 — Chicago, IL
2/28 — Madison/Milwaukee, WI
3/1 — Minneapolis, MN
3/3 — Kansas City, MO
3/4 — St. Louis, MO
3/6 — Nashville, TN
3/7 — Dallas, TX
3/9 — Houston, TX
3/10 — Austin, TX
3/12 — Denver, CO
3/13 — Salt Lake City, UT
3/15 — Phoenix, AZ
3/16 — San Diego, CA
3/18 — Los Angeles, CA
3/19 — San Francisco, CA
3/21 — Portland, OR
3/22 — Seattle, WA

By Matt Friedlander
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