On Saturday (Oct. 13), deep in the redwoods of Northern California, Todd Rundgren ran ahead of a group of 40 or so fans following him along an overgrown, precarious path to see if the trail might lead somewhere interesting, before snaking back to say that we'd made a wrong turn. His followers looked unperturbed; we were quite happy to be lost in the woods with Todd as part of this year's Toddstock celebration.
Toddstock was born out of Rundgren’s appreciation for his uniquely devoted fanbase: in 2008, he generously invited fans to camp out in his backyard in Hawaii to celebrate his 60th birthday for the first ever gathering. The tradition continued five years later, when Rundgren celebrated his 65th with fans in Nottaway, Louisiana. This year, for his 70th, Rundgren spread the love over four events in Virginia, Scotland, California and Australia. If Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honorees were chosen based on mutual loyalty, Rundgren – a first time nominee this year – would be a shoo-in. For now, the vote remains organic. The Wi-Fi on site was robust, and those in attendance were closely monitoring the Hall of Fame standings and reminding each other to vote over breakfast biscuits.