who surprised and who disappointed

SNS: I guess today we learned that "Timing is everything in life"!

BTW Every time I see The Who (once in each of the lasr four decades) they are better than the last. The most recent show was last year at The Hollywood Bowl and I thought PT really upped his game on the leads.

FWIW Music choices aside, Rundgren is a fantastic player and usually surrounds himself with very capable accompaniment. It's unfortunate that you seem to have caught an exception to that rule.

Big disappointment last night, even though I didn't have any major expectations going in. I won't say who the band was because they were local heroes from the 60's, with one album to their credit, who recently re-formed but with only 2 of 5 members from the original lineup intact. The most recognized among them -- the guitarist who went on to form a hard rock band on a major label which recorded extensively and toured internationally in the 70's, and the bassist who co-founded a very long-running and nationally-known blues/rock band -- both did not participate. Instead on lead guitar was a local hot-shot whose name I've been aware of for over 20 years, who has national recognition in guitar circles with many albums to his credit and is also a teacher and author/columnist, but who I'd never heard or seen before myself (except for one time on local radio). Anyway, I thought the entire show was awful in every respect, including and especially this guitar-god guy, plus the vocalist (one of the original members), so I got up and walked out after only several songs despite the $20 admission, 'cause I just couldn't stand listening another minute. Oh well, c'est la vie...

Barry Manilow is fantastic live. Perfect sound, perfect lighting, rehearsed to perfection.
Paul Simon was just boring. I left halfway.
Julio Iglesias was great 15 years ago. I saw him again 5 years ago. Same old chat and it was like watching a bad rehearsal. The sound was appalling.
Air Supply. Saw them once in 2003, not great live. Russell’s voice has gone.
Jean Michel Jarre. Great outdoors, indoors was crap.
Madonna. Sound was appalling. She makes a little talent go a long way.
Dionne Warwick. No stage presence.
Judy Collins, very good. Didn’t use any sort of stage monitoring or IEMs.
Joni Mitchell. Boring.
Liza Minnelli in 1985. Great.
Art Garfunkel, voice of an angel.
Phil Collins. Perfect sound.
Josh Groban, fantastic.
Celine at Caesar’s Palace. The best live sound I have ever heard. The Coliseum was made for her and the acoustics were out of this world. OMG, that sound!
Elton John. Great sound and superb.