Howe Squire and White of Yes The Pageant St. Louis, MO Tuesday, December 2, 2008 Section Orchestra Floor, Row 1, Seat 1 $210
A few months ago, I saw Bruce Springsteen in concert. I was most impressed about the energy level throughout the concert, something that was sustained by both the audience and the band. This show is the closest I've ever seen Yes have those conditions. It was a unique experience.
I was thrilled when the tour dates were announced and Yes was going to play at The Pageant. Roy and I live in the Loop, the neighborhood where the Pageant is. But as it got closer to the show, I got a little worried. My seat was in the front row, but would it be too far to the side? The stage is almost as tall as I am, would it affect my view? The bar is in the main listening room and there will be a large standing room only crowd behind the reserved seats, will they really be listening or just partying? My seat was awesome, right in front of Steve Howe. The audience was more than awesome, very high energy and rowdy between songs, but not rude at all.
The day started out nice. It was sunny out and warmer after the last few days. Roy and I went out for breakfast at the hotel where Yes usually stays. There was no sign of them. I was wondering if they were staying downtown somewhere, and I was half-tempted to go to some hotels looking for them. But I didn't know what I'd say to them if I found them, so I stayed back and we took care of some errands. My plan for this tour had been to wear Jon Anderson t-shirts to each of the shows, and I did that for the first two shows. This time, I wore a navy blue top that set off my Yes necklace nicely, so I kept that on. Not sure if there's any significance to that. We went on a walk around noon, walking down to the Pageant. The day was finally here!
I planned to walk over to the Pageant for the show around 3 PM. I bought a tour poster, and I was hoping to get the whole band to autograph it for me. So far, I only had Alan's signature. I figured I'd be able to catch them on their way in to the venue. I was going to meet up and wait with another fan from the Yesfans site. I thought I was going to get there plenty early, so I didn't mind too much that I left after 3. I was sooo annoyed with myself when I saw their white van already pulling away in the parking lot. I didn't know who had arrived, but I missed my chance then.
I was waiting in the shade, and it was getting kind of cold out. My hands were out and ungloved, so I could hold a book. I was glad when Greg got there, at the least so I could put my book away and get my hands warm! Greg had traveled from Kansas for this show, and we met when he asked me some questions about the Pageant, the area, and the setup for the show. He has a cool website http://www.thelope.com/ and he was hoping to have the members of the band take a picture with his jackalope, the mascot for his site. We chatted for a while. He got to interview Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes during the Drama tour!
We saw the white van pull back in, but without any passengers. Oliver Wakeman came out, and he was happy to sign my poster and pose for a picture. He was eating a sandwich with one hand, so I had to hold the poster very taut and he signed it. I'm surprised it turned out as well as it did. We saw Benoit David come out and go right into the van, no luck getting his autograph then. Oliver went in too, and they drove off. We still didn't know where the rest of the band was.
I was going to meet Roy and his cousin Roger for dinner sometime after 5. Shortly before that, we got lucky again. I heard one of the security guards saying something about Steve Howe. We couldn't see the back entrance to the Pageant from where we were standing, so we walked around some trucks. Sure enough, he was there smoking. I've never seen Steve smoking before, and the Pageant is not a non-smoking venue, so he shouldn't have had to go outside to smoke, but there he was. I called out "Excuse me Steve, could you come over here and sign something for me please?" and he yelled back "in a couple minutes". This was the only time at any of the three shows that I saw Steve do any autographs, so I'm really glad I was there. He signed my poster and two records for Greg, but he wasn't in a chatty mood. I had some other CDs of his with me, but it didn't look like he'd want to wait for me to dig them out, so I didn't ask. I'm just glad to have my poster signed.
Roy and Roger arrived, and the three of us went over to Pi Pizza for dinner. My new friends Mike and Pat from the Bloomington show were there, and we got a table next to them. However, we really wanted this dinner to get to talk to Roger. He's one of Roy's closest friends and was best man at our wedding. He had seen Yes once back in the 1970s, but not since then. He's a big fan of groups with vocal harmonies like CSNY, and we thought for sure that he would enjoy the show.
I told Roger the story of how we got the tickets and why I'm not sitting with them. I actually waited at the box office when the tickets went on sale. Unfortunately, the orchestra section and center tiered seats were all put aside for the VIP package, only available online. I was able to pinpoint at the box office exactly what seats I wanted to buy - I got Roy two seats in the front row, right by the stage. He bought me a VIP ticket through Ticketmaster in the front row. His seats weren't much farther from the stage than mine were; his were on Chris' side, one tier up and the next section over. The joke on me was, not many of the VIP tickets were sold and later on Greg even found a front row ticket for $35 instead of the $210 I paid.
I had a little bit of trouble getting into the venue. Apparently, Sharpie markers are banned. I had one in my purse, and they told me I had to either put it in my car or throw it away. I didn't have my car with me and I needed it for autographs. I walked outside as if I was going into my car, and then put the pen in my pants pocket. I hoped it looked like I took enough time, then went back in. It's not like I'm going to use it to vandalize the building. This is why I need to get places early. Once inside, the security was really lax. I walked right up to my front row seat without anyone checking my ticket. I talked to Roy and Roger for awhile and found our friend Ralph sitting in the row behind me.
I had a laugh with the people sitting next to me. I chatted with them a bit. When the husband got up to buy drinks, I said something to the wife about the tickets being worth the price. She had no idea how much they cost. She pulled her ticket out, and I pointed out the $210. She was shocked, but didn't seem too upset. When her husband came back, we just started giggling about it. She teased him about spending so much, and I explained how my husband was sitting in the cheap seats because he didn't want to spend this much.
Firebird Suite started. Everyone stood up and applauded as the band members took the stage. The people in the front row remained standing through the opening of Siberian Khatru, but then started sitting down. I had a dilemma. I love standing up and dancing at Yes concerts, but I'll only do it if it doesn't block people's views. I was on the far left of my section, and the people to my left were on a raised tier, just like Roy was on the other side of the audience. The stage is almost as tall as I am, so I didn't think I'd block anyone's view. I stood for about half of Siberian Khatru, waving to Roy and Roger when I caught their eyes. Then, I sat and danced in my seat. When the song was over, I ran over to the people to my left and asked if they could see when I was standing up. Yes! I took that as permission to stand up for the rest of the show, with no remorse.
The next song was I've Seen All Good People. Everyone in the band took a little solo during the second half of the song, which I think worked well. The live version of this song on Classic Yes has something similar, where Jon Anderson would sing everyone's name like "Mr. Christopher Squire", and they would play a short solo in between the solo. This time, the new singer Benoit would walk up to each band member to indicate it was their turn. This worked well visually, and it gave Benoit something to do when everyone else was playing.
Even after just a couple songs, the audience response was just incredible. The band members seemed surprised at how long and loud the applause was going on. Steve seemed more energetic at this show than the other two I'd seen and the whole band seemed more powerful. Maybe the day off between shows helped to relax them, but I think the audience inspired them too.
It took me through the first half of All Good People to really feel comfortable and warmed up dancing. I didn't see anyone else doing the raised hand peace sign during the part where they sing Give Peace a Chance and I felt a little self-conscious. I sat back down for a couple songs, Astral Traveler and Onward, but by the time Close to the Edge started, I was back up and dancing with no inhibitions. Moving around to the music helps me focus more directly on the music and also helps pull me away from distractions in the audience.
The crowd was so enthusiastic during Steve's solo time. He played his two most well known pieces, Mood for a Day and Clap, along with a song he did on Not Necessarily Acoustic, The Glory of Love. His solo can sometimes be a trigger for some people to have a conversation or get up from their seats, but the audience stayed with him and seemed to really get into it.
I was feeling Chris' bass playing as much as I was hearing it. He was using his bass pedals during And You And I, and the floor and even my jeans were vibrating. Steve looked like he was enjoying himself so much, I saw him singing along when he wasn't even singing into the microphone for backing vocals. Alan stood up again during Starship Trooper and used his drumsticks to get the crowd clapping along and then standing up. Only about half the people on the floor did. Curiously, no one tried to move up towards the stage in front of the front row of seats. There weren't any security people down there to stop it. Chris walked over to Steve's side of the stage and they played off each other for a little bit. I think I felt more comfortable with Benoit as a member of the band, maybe because I'd gotten to talk to him the other night. I watched him more, and not just in a "what's the new guy like?" mode. The first encore, Owner of a Lonely Heart, felt a lot different at this show than in Milwaukee or the other times I've seen it with Steve on lead guitar. Steve was even smiling towards the end of it. What a night!
I met back up with Roy and Roger. Roger enjoyed it and sent an e-mail to us saying: "Roy & Rhea thanks again for inviting me to the concert. I really enjoyed myself. If Yes plays in the midwest again let me know I will try and make it. They are so unique. I cannot believe I let 35 years pass between shows."
This was the show to see.
Roger went home after the show. Roy and I went back outside to wait for the band to leave. Greg joined us. Fans were waiting in a couple different places, because the white van was by the usual back exit, but there was also a tour bus parked by another exit. There was about a dozen people there, which was a good amount. With too many people, the band might not try to accommodate everyone. With too few, you might get to talk to one band member while the others walk by, and there's no one else to stop them.
Steve Howe was the first to leave. He travels separately from the rest of the band. His car pulled right up by the exit, and he got in. People cheered him, and he waved to us as the car pulled away. I'm glad I was able to get his autograph before the show.
I saw Benoit walk out. I waved to him, and he walked right over to me. "I saw you dancing again," he said enthusiastically. I think he's sweet. Benoit signed my poster and chatted with a group of us for a while. He told me he went sightseeing while he was in town and took my recommendation to go to the Arch. I told him about the Yesfans site, and said people were saying nice things about his performances there. He doesn't spend much time on the computer, and he deflected the compliment by adding that most people were just happy the tour could take place. I think he's well aware of how delicate his position is, filling in for someone as beloved as Jon.
While we were talking to Benoit, Alan came out and started signing autographs. People began to leave our group. I didn't. Thankfully, Alan already signed my poster back in Milwaukee, so I didn't need him. Also, Benoit was standing right next to me and talking to me. I'd feel weird slipping away to see someone else in the band. Benoit also told us how he started singing in Yes tribute bands and was discovered by Chris and how the hardest parts to him are remembering the lyrics and getting the timing right.
Chris walked over to our group, and I lent him my Sharpie to sign things for everyone. He didn't say anything about recognizing me from the other night. But Chris usually pays attention to things, even when he doesn't let on that he's doing so. He signed my poster, so I got all of the band on it!
A close-up of the autographs
Oliver was walking around, and actually asked the crowd if anyone else wanted anything from him. Roy went over to chat with him about some mutual friends. The whole band (except Steve) were out signing autographs and chatting with fans. They all seemed like they were in great moods. It had to be because of how well the show went and the reception they got from the crowd.
I didn't need anything signed from Alan, but I went over to talk to him. When he saw me, he said, "Oh, you're here again." Alan is usually so sweet, I hope I didn't annoy him after the Bloomington show. I told him I thought the show was great. He replied, "Even though we didn't play Parallels?" Oy. Then I told him I hoped I didn't come on too strong the other night. "Yeah, well." He shook my hand at least.
The band left. Our friend Ralph had waited for autographs as well, and he gave us a ride home. It was so cold out that Roy didn't want to walk. I was on cloud nine after the show and interaction with the band. I had wishes of spending more time with the band members while they were in town, but we didn't want to try finding their hotel at this point. It was nice just to be home and think of what a great time we had. I took the next day off from work, and it was good to have some time to come back down to Earth before getting back to my real life.
Howe Squire and White of Yes US Cellular Coliseum Bloomington, IL Sunday, November 30, 2008 Section Floor Center, Row 3, Seat 5 $85
We had to go from Milwaukee to Bloomington. It is normally an easy drive. The directions say it will take 3 1/2 hours, and I find I-39 an easy interstate to drive on. I drove this whole distance without a break on another trip.
But this was now our fourth winter in a row of traveling to a show and dealing with snow.
Roy drove. The roads weren't bad, but visibility was. We were both tense from being hyper-aware of the surroundings. Roy wasn't driving much slower, but we had to take a number of breaks to get away from the strain of driving. We had plans to meet some people from the Yesfans website at 5, but we were still just getting off the highway to our hotel. I didn't know if we should skip dinner and just rest up for the show or if the socializing would do us some good. It wasn't going to be a big group of people, which probably would have kept us away. Roy lay down for a little bit at the hotel while I got directions and freshened up.
The dinner was nice. It was at a little bar/restaurant near the venue that served mostly sandwiches. I tried to get something somewhat healthy. I have a huge circle of friends that are Yes fans, and for a long time, I was less interested in meeting new fans than having time to catch up with my friends. But none of them were coming to this show and I'm new to the Yesfans site, so we ventured out to eat with new people. All the people from Yesfans were really friendly. They held off on ordering until we got there. There were Mike and his wife Pat, who are from the St. Louis suburbs, Gary, and Larry. Scott YesChef, who we've known for years, was also there. I had to bring the bad news to the table when I told Scott about Zoey's passing. But the rest of the conversation was nice. Everyone was excited about the show. Gary wanted to be surprised there, so we couldn't talk about the songs. We all talked about the first time we got to see Yes live. Everyone else beat me by a dozen or more years. There were no uncomfortable silences or trying to fill the space and everyone was a good listener as well as a talker. I'm glad we were able to make it.
After dinner, we headed over to the coliseum. I didn't know what the crowd would be like. Why is Yes playing Bloomington anyway? It's an area that doesn't have a huge population, and I don't think Yes has much visibility among the younger people there in the college town. Before I left on this trip, I saw that 6th row floor seats were still available, and cheaper seats were on sale two-for-one. When Roy and I got down to our seats, we saw there were only about eight rows of seats on the floor, and 6 sections of tiered seating - less than even listed on the venue's seating chart as "theater layout". I guess some people who bought tickets didn't show up because of the snow. The seats on either side of us were unused.
We had third row tickets right in front of Squire. One thing that was really nice was the amount of room between the rows. We were a decent amount of space back from the people in the second row. It really helped with potential tall-people-in-front-of-me siteline problems, and it also made me feel like I had a lot of personal space. I can get a little claustrophobic sometimes, and this helped to relax me. Everything at this show was going to be alright.
This show just put me in my happy place. I just felt joyful the whole time. I was bopping along in my seat all night. Gary from dinner had bought front row seats from someone at Yesfans and was clearly enjoying it. He stood up and beckoned the people behind him to stand during All Good People, so we all got to get up for that. We also got a kick out of him standing up to play with the dry ice drifting off the stage during Close to the Edge, only to have an usher come over and have him move back away from the stage. I had the option to buy those same tickets. I passed on it, but it added to the fun to see him enjoy those seats so much.
Chris Squire made a comment about this being an intimate show. I heard that less than 1000 seats had been sold. I can't help but wonder if there was a better fitting venue in the area, something that would be nicer and smaller. But I thought the sound was excellent for an arena and I liked how much personal space I had.
I love sitting in front of Chris. I never did make eye contact with him, or anyone else in the band, or notice them recognizing me. Chris is such a performer, and being so close to him makes me really focus on his bass playing and backing vocals. I was singing along to his "float your climb" in And You And I and the "coil their said amazement of her story" harmony parts in Close to the Edge. Those backing vocals that he and Steve do were so prominent this time around. I could see Alan well from this seat also. In the other shows, his head was obscured by cymbals, and I could only see him when he was standing up. I barely paid attention to Oliver. He was very stoic and serious looking, not engaging the audience at all.
Steve Howe did All's a Chord from The Steve Howe Album as his first solo piece. I recognized the melody, but I couldn't place it. The song originally had vocals, but he performed it instrumentally. It really sounded nice. Once he announced it, it was like of course, that's what it was.
Steve introduced Starship Trooper as a quintessential Yes song. The crowd stood up this time without Alan's prompting. One thing that frustrated me about Starship Trooper was the harmonies during the "ah ah" part. I remember back on the Masterworks tour, Jon sang it with Igor doing the high harmony parts. This time, Benoit saing it, and Oliver played a keyboard part to harmonize. I missed the vocals there. The crowd stayed standing after the band left the stage. I was surprised when Yes came back on and started playing Roundabout. We could even see Alan singing harmony on it, and I never noticed him doing that before. In Milwaukee, they had played Owner as the first encore. No Owner this night. The show ended right at 10, so I wondered if there was a curfew issue.
We talked to Gary again after the show and bumped into Kevin's friend Greg, whom I had met the night before. We had a bit of luck coming into the venue - we parked in a covered garage and on our way to the entrance walked past the "artist entrance" just as a security guard was mentioning it to some other audience members. Roy and I went back there. We were joined by two other guys. It was cold, but only snowing lightly at this point. I mainly wanted to get my tour poster signed, but I didn't want to bring it out in this weather. We waited for about a half hour outside. One security guard told us the band had left right after the show, but I know they usually stick around for awhile, and I saw their van. We asked another guard, and he told us they were still there and it wouldn't be long.
It seems intimate to only have a few people waiting for autographs, but it didn't work out too well. Chris came out first. I asked him to sign something for me. He was very friendly, even asked what my name was, which he had never done before. He signed my Going for the One CD sleeve "To Rhea, Love, Chris Squire". I asked him if they could please play Parallels at the next show. Chris explained that there were complaints the show was getting too long and that it was a tough song to sing. While we were talking to Chris, Oliver, Benoit, and Alan walked past us and went into the van. I can hardly fault them, it was cold and snowing outside, and they weren't going to wait around to see if we needed anything! So nice of Chris to stay outside for a few extra minutes to make some fans happy.
When Chris had moved on to the other fans, I saw that someone was still standing outside the van. It was Oliver Wakeman. I walked over. Oliver saw me and asked if I was coming to have Alan sign something for me. I said, actually, I have (Oliver's) 3 Ages of Magick with me and I was hoping he could sign it for me. He seemed so happy to see his own CD, like I was doing him a favor. He saw that I did have the White CD sleeve in my pile of stuff, so he took my pen and CD cover into the van for Alan to sign, and then brought it back out to me.
Bloomington didn't have many nice hotels, and I made a guess of where Yes was staying. The band members are usually cool about people coming to their hotel and hanging out in the bar. Benoit saw us and walked over to talk to us. He recognized us from the show and said he wanted to talk to us. He said if he forgot the words to any of the songs, he'd know them by looking at me singing along! That's a nice first impression to make, in both directions.
Benoit chatted with Roy and me for a good ten minutes. We talked about how the tour's gone so far, how long we've been Yes fans, downloading recordings, why Bloomington had such a low turnout, how excited we were for a show in our own neighborhood in St. Louis. He said they try to keep the shows at the same quality level from night to night, even when there's a disappointing turnout, but I told him I enjoyed this night's show better than Milwaukee's. We also talked about St. Louis for a bit too. Yes did not have a show scheduled for the next night. Usually, they'd travel to the next city on their off-day, so they'd have some extra time in St. Louis. Benoit said he liked to do sight-seeing, but not museums, so we told him about the Arch and that he couldn't miss spotting it when they were arriving in the city. I was tickled after the St. Louis show when I got to talk to Benoit again, and he told me they went to the top of the Arch. High expectations and little windows, he said.
This was a longer conversation than I'd ever had with Jon or any of the other current band members. I can't believe how open and friendly this guy is.
I had joked to Roy that I was going to bring up Parallels to each band member I got to speak with. I didn't have to here. Benoit brought it up as a song they had dropped. "I know, and I was really looking forward to that one," I replied. Benoit mentioned that the band was talking about it, actually talking about my request to Chris earlier that night. Benoit brought Roy and me back to talk to the rest of the band; everyone but Steve was there. I'm afraid that when I should have been gracious, I pressed too hard. My goodness, these are my idols here. Everyone shook our hands as we left and were so friendly, it was just surreal. I wondered afterwards if I handled it well.
Roy and I joked later that we'll always have Bloomington. We got our Yes back that night.
Howe Squire and White of Yes Riverside Theater Milwaukee, WI Saturday, November 29, 2008 Section 1 LT, Row F, Seat 12 $75
Eight years ago, YesWorld, the official Yes website, polled its readers. They wanted to know what two songs we wanted to hear live. I voted for Tempus Fugit and Astral Traveler. I finally got to hear them on Saturday. The only catch was, I had to see Yes without Jon Anderson.
Yes has been my favorite band since I was a teenager, and they hadn't toured since 2004. I had seen several of the band members since then in other projects. If you're reading this, you probably know the story. This summer's scheduled tour was canceled due to Jon Anderson's illness. He's on doctor's orders to rest the rest of this year, and no one really knows if he'll be up to touring again. The remaining members of Yes got a new singer and organized a smaller fall tour. Roy and I cut back too, we're only going to three shows - Milwaukee, Bloomington, and here in St. Louis. The new singer is billed as an "understudy", until Jon is well enough to tour again. His name is Benoit David. They are also touring with a new keyboard player, but this is less controversial. It's Rick Wakeman's son Oliver Wakeman.
I've been excited about the shows, but with some trepidation. The setlist would include some different songs from their catalog, songs Jon didn't want to do. But what would the shows feel like? I count ABWH in my number of Yes shows. Would these feel like Yes shows or just like a bunch of band members playing Yes music? And who could replace Jon?
We had a real easy drive up to Milwaukee. It's seven hours away, but with lunch and rest stops, it ends up taking nine hours. I drove most of the way there. I knew what hotel Yes usually stayed at there, so we booked it for ourselves. It was expensive, and really nice, but we didn't see the band there. Maybe they're doing something cheaper.
We had tentative plans to meet up with our friend Kevin for dinner. Unfortately, he got there later and I was anxious to get to the theater, so we didn't have long to catch up. Kevin is such a big Jon Anderson fan, Roy was surprised he went to the show. But one of his patients won tickets to the show and gave them to him. We didn't see him afterwards, but I'd love to know what he thought of the show.
Our seats were in the left section, Steve Howe side, on the aisle across from the center section. This section started with row D, so our Row F seats were only three rows back from the stage. Our row had eight seats across, and all the other people looked young. The crowd had a good mix age-wise. We had an excellent view, even for a short person like me. I bought the tie dyed tour turtle t-shirt and decided to buy a poster after the show, so I wouldn't have to carry it around during the show. The concert started about 15 minutes late.
The setlist was: Firebird Suite Siberian Khatru I've Seen All Good People Tempus Fugit Onward Astral Traveler Close To The Edge Steve Howe solo Clap And You And I Long Distance Runaround The Fish Machine Messiah Aliens (Are Only Us From The Future) Starship Trooper Owner Of A Lonely Heart Roundabout
The stage set was simple, but looked nice. It certainly looked better than the weird inflatables they used in the last tour in 2004. There were some white sheets draped above the drumset and the back of the stage. Different colored lights or patterns would bring different effects. Roy liked the particular shade of green they took on during Close to the Edge, just like the album cover. I paid attention to the lighting more at this show than at the others. Oliver Wakeman's keyboards were to the left of Chris, like the stage setup at SLO with only Alan in the backline, unlike other times when the keyboards would be in back behind Steve.
It took me the first few songs to get into it. I don't know if it's because I was tired from the long drive, rusty from seeing Yes, something to do with their performance, maybe apprehensive about the new singer. Roy and I had already listened to one of the shows from earlier on the tour, and Benoit can sing these songs well. But it wasn't until Tempus Fugit that the show became alive for me. That song lived up to all expectations. I was so happy to hear it. From the moment you tell me ... YES!!!!!
Steve Howe introduced Astral Traveler. He gave a slightly different introduction each night for it, but said he got to learn it when he first joined Yes, and that it was part of the setlist for The Yes Album tour. Alan had a drum solo during it. I love Alan, but the solo hurt the momentum of the song. It was nice to have him stand up from the drumset so everyone could see and applaud him at the end.
The song that really affected me was Close to the Edge. I've seen this song performed live over 20 times, and I don't usually get emotional about it. But this time, it was like reuniting with an old dear friend. The harmony vocals during I Get Up, I Get Down and the music in the end really got to me. I turned to Roy after this song and said this was really Yes. You wouldn't think deciding whether to count these shows in my "official live Yes count" would matter so much to me, but it did.
After this, Steve went into his solo. I've read reviews where the audience was rude during this part, but everyone here was paying attention and enjoying it. The next song was And You And I. I didn't like Benoit's singing on this one. It's funny because And You And I was one of those songs we played on Youtube when we first learned about Benoit, and I felt much better about a new singer after hearing it. But here, I didn't like the tone of his voice, like it was scratchy or something. I noticed the same thing during one of the long notes in the I Get Up, I Get Down portion of Close to the Edge. Roy noticed something funny during And You And I. Steve switches between guitars on this song, and one of the settings must not have been correct. He looked over to his roadie, who ran out on stage and stomped on one of the pedals, with just a second before Steve had to use that guitar. Steve wiped his hand across his forehead, as if to say "whew, just in time".
When the next song started, I got nervous. One of the songs that got me so excited about the setlist for this tour was Parallels. It should have been at the start after intermission. But now it was clear there was no intermission, and they were already into the next set. I've been thinking a lot about this in the last couple days. Because of my age, I never got to see Yes in the 70s or 80s. I'm so excited every time they bring in another song from that era. I've seen them play every song on the Going for the One album, except for this one. And they dropped it just a few days before I had seen it. If I had gone to one of the earlier shows, I probably would have seen it. I know these things happen and I usually try to see a show early in the tour just for this reason. But I didn't this time, because I didn't know what to expect with the new lineup and I wasn't excited enough about/didn't trust my favorite band enough to travel more to see an early show. So there's frustration mixed in with a bit of guilt as well. Yes did something, and I missed it.
I was strangely removed from the rest of the show. I loved hearing Machine Messiah, but the rest didn't have much impact for me. The Fish ended abruptly, and before we were sure it was over, the next song Aliens started, so we never got to applaud just for the Fish. Roy gave Aliens a standing ovation, to honor Chris in general for his spotlight pieces and to cheer them for doing a new song.
Steve introduced Starship Trooper. As the long instrumental end section was starting, Alan stood up from his drums. He led us into clapping and then used his drum sticks to motion us to stand up. Some people started doing the stage rush thing, running up the aisles to stand in front of the stage. I joined them. I love doing this, but I had to really. My whole view of the stage had been from looking across the empty aisle over to the stage. Now that it was growing full of people, it would block my view. I didn't want to leave Roy, but I secured my purse and merchandise bag and went up to the stage. I was in the second row of bodies.
This should have been so excited, but it wasn't. My view was partly blocked, but the weird thing was that I was just standing there. I usually bop around in my seat and I love to get the chance to stand up and dance at concerts, but here, I felt isolated. The performance of Owner in the encore didn't help. It felt perfunctory and I was just watching people around me being more excited. Maybe I was just tired from the long drive up to Milwaukee and it was catching up to me. Or maybe all the people around me were distracting me.
The woman in front of me right up at the stage decided to leave just before Roundabout, and she helped me move into her spot. I was now in the front row, in the aisle in front of Steve. This is where I really missed Jon. I don't know, if asked about this part of the concert, if I would consider this band Yes with the thrilling concert experience that implies. I talked to Roy about it afterwards, and he enjoyed it very much, but it didn't seem like Yes to him either, except for the Drama songs and Aliens. He had trouble getting past the fact that Benoit wasn't Jon. I think we needed this show to accept the new lineup. The next two shows we saw were so different in feel for both of us.
After the show, I bought the tour poster. We talked with a friend of Kevin's for a bit, and some annoying guy who talked like he knew everything, but didn't. I gave Roy our secret signal and we left to wait for autographs. The Riverside Theater has a back alley where the bands exit. A bunch of fans were waiting on the sidewalk, half a block away.
Alan walked right out to our group. He was by himself, no security or managers around, and signed autographs for us. He signed my poster, and I asked him if they could play Parallels in either of the next two shows. They had played it just four days earlier, so it unlikely, but not impossible for them to bring it back. I just wanted them to do it when I would be in the audience. Alan walked off by himself afterwards.
The band's van pulled into the alley. We followed it in, and I saw Benoit David and Oliver Wakeman sign a few autographs before security pushed us back to the sidewalk.
The crowd dwindled down, but we hung around longer and talked a while with another friend of Roy's, a very knowledgeable and opinionated drummer named Tony. He was a blast to talk to. He invited us to a after-show get together with some friends of his, but the place was way too smoky, so Roy and I went back to our hotel. People were telling us Yes usually stays in one of two hotels - the Pfister, where we were staying, and another one. I felt bad about spending so much on a hotel without getting the side benefit of bumping into the band there. We thought about going to the other place to see if they were there, but it was already midnight. We just had something to drink in our hotel lounge and took some time to wind down.
The next morning, we walked over to the other hotel. It was in the middle of renovations and looked like a dump. We saw a tour bus there. There wasn't really a lobby or reception area, but we went up to the top-floor revolving restaurant to take a look at the view of Milwaukee. It was getting close to check out time, so we took a cab back to our hotel and packed and got ready for the (relatively) short drive to Bloomington. It was already starting to flurry a bit.
David Byrne Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno Fox Theatre St. Louis, MO Saturday, October 18th, 2008 Section VIP3, Row L, Seat 107 $75
David Byrne came on stage to a standing ovation. Instead of starting with a song, he talked to us first. Hello, did any of you go to Obama's speech today? was the start of the concert. I yelled yeah and applauded even more. I saw quite a few people with Obama t-shirts and pins in the audience, so I knew I wasn't alone.
I first saw David Byrne live a couple years ago, and I enjoyed that concert a lot. I'm actually a bigger fan now. I went to that earlier Byrne show because Roy wanted to go. I liked the songs I knew from the Talking Heads, but I was only familiar with the songs I'd heard on the radio. I didn't start listening to current rock until after their heyday in the 80s, and I never went back into their catalog to discover them, like I had with so many other bands.
All that changed when Byrne played I Zimbra, from the Talking Heads' Fear of Music album. It was my first time hearing the song, and it immediately reminded me of King Crimson's Thela Hun Ginjeet. I know Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew each played with the Talking Heads prior to the 80s lineup of King Crimson. This is what led me to dig into Roy's Talking Heads albums, to listen for the influences and cross-pollination of sounds from this band to my beloved Discipline-era King Crimson. Fripp played on the studio version of I Zimbra, and Adrian Belew played on their next album and tour for Remain in Light. It makes me wonder who brought what to the table.
When we got to our seats, we started chatting with another fan sitting next to Roy. He was younger than me, and it seemed like he was the only fan in the group of three people he was with. Seemed excited to be talking music with us. We discovered we were all King Crimson fans, so we talked about them.
The last time we saw Byrne was at the Sheldon Theater, a small venue that's known for good sound and good sitelines. Every seat offers a good view, even for short people like me. This show was at the Fox, which is a really nice place. I've always been worried about sitting in the orchestra section on the floor there though. The floor isn't sloped enough, so I'm worried about how blocked my view of the stage will be. I used to always get tickets in the balcony, with its tiered rows. But last year, I got free tickets to Avenue Q; the seats were far back in the orchestra section and I could see fine. And we had such luck getting tickets for Return to Forever up close in the orchestra pit. When tickets went on sale for Byrne, I thought we should try for the floor and get the closest seats we could.
I'm heading back to the balcony next time. We bought tickets as part of the presale, and we ended up in Row L, about 17 rows back. Freakishly tall people sat in front of me. I could see part of the stage looking in between the heads and shoulders of the people in front of me. But they were like lovebirds, constantly leaning towards each other to whisper or do other stuff and block my limited view. Roy suggested I switch seats with him. Right then, the guy in front of me turned away from his girlfriend and turned to the guy to his right to whisper something, and started blocking my new view. I can't win.
After David Byrne took the stage and asked us about attending the Obama speech, he and his band started with a song from his new album Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. This is an album he did with Brian Eno, another musician with a big connection to Robert Fripp. This whole tour was called Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno, focusing on the albums they did together and the first few Talking Heads albums which Eno produced. That's the making of a good setlist. Byrne also did something smart - making his new album available streaming on his website, so people would at least be familiar with all the new music.
The show was also very interesting visually. I remembered that the last time we saw Byrne, he and all his backing musicians wore brown and it kinda reminded me of UPS drivers' uniforms. This time, they were all wearing white. He had a large band with him, Byrne sang and played guitar, and he had a keyboard player, bassist, drummer, percussionist, and three backing vocalists, one of whom also played guitar. He also had three dancers with him. It wasn't like the dancing singer and the backup dancers that you'd see at pop concerts, but they were integrated into the stage performance. The dancers first came out during I Zimbra, and I think they added to the energy of the song. Sometimes, the oddity of seeing them on stage, and even David Byrne joining in with them for a few steps, gave the concert a sense of whimsy. It added to the fun of the show and took nothing away from the music. They must have done a lot of rehearsals, because it looked so natural. Of course I want to dance to this music. The only unfortunate thing is, with all this fun stuff going on on-stage, it was really distracting to have these people's heads in my way.
I'm cheating with the setlist here. I'm writing this up a month after the concert and reading a setlist from a review on the Riverfront Times webpage. After I Zimbra, Byrne played One Fine Day, another song from the new album. He dedicated it to November 4, election day, and that was the last political comment he made.
The complete setlist was: Strange Overtones I Zimbra One Fine Day Help Me Somebody Houses in Motion My Big Nurse My Big Hands (Fall Through the Cracks) Heaven Never Thought The River Crosseyed and Painless Life Is Long Once in A Lifetime Life During Wartime I Feel My Stuff
Encore One: Take Me to the River The Great Curve
Encore Two: Air Burning Down the House Everything That Happens
At some point in the middle of the show, the freakishly tall people in front of me all got up and left, probably to get a drink. They were gone for 4 or 5 songs. Some people in the audience stood up for Heaven, which gave it a bigger reaction than I thought it would. I'm not sure I liked the dancers on Life Is Long. They brought out rolling desk chairs and moved around on those. The song was a slow one and the movements seemed forced.
The people in front of me returned just as Once in a Lifetime started. Here, the whole audience reacted. Everyone on the floor stood up and we all danced along. We stood for the rest of the show. I wonder why it's acceptable to dance to this music, but people never want to join in dancing to Yes or King Crimson. They all move me, and it was fun to be a part of it here. I have no idea what was happening on stage at this point, but after a while, Roy pulled me over to his other side. The people further down on our row must have left and when we moved over, I could actually see between the standing bodies to get a view of the stage. I don't think the bad views would have frustrated me so much if I hadn't also been tired from such a long day. We left home for the Obama rally at 8 that morning, and while I did get to take a little nap in between the events, it was a very full day.
One song on the setlist was a surprise. Burning Down the House was one of the few Talking Heads songs I had been familiar with since I started watching MTV as a teenager and I always liked it. It wasn't from the Byrne/Eno oeuvre and I hadn't seen it listed in the setlists I'd seen for this tour. I don't think he did it the other time we saw him either. It was nice to see performed. The final song was another new, slower song Everything That Happens, which brought an end to the frenetic feeling in the audience. It kinda quieted us down.
I am so glad I went to this show. I was just exhausted when it was over, the results of a couple very full days. There was a Jackson Browne concert at the Fox the next night. Roy and I were both glad we hadn't decided to go to that one, to get a day of rest and recovery before the work week started again. Both times I've seen Byrne, I've been very impressed.
Under the Gateway Arch Jefferson National Expansion Memorial St. Louis, MO Saturday, October 19th, 2008
I don't normally talk about politics on this blog. I try to keep it work friendly. I have strong feelings on the topic, but I don't want to make people uncomfortable. That said, I'm proud of my beliefs. I think some people on the other side have been dangerous to our country. Not everyone, but some of them. Every vote on that side strengthens them.
I've been a lifelong Democrat. My parents are Democrats and I was raised that way, same as I was raised Jewish. What made me *own* it, strengthening my own convictions, was the year I spent student teaching. I had gone to public schools from kindergarten through twelfth grade, and then went on to get a math degree from an Ivy League university. I was going to be a math teacher. I student taught at a school in my city, in the same school district I attended. But the differences were staggering. Only a handful of students were going on to college. Many bright kids could have had the same education experiences that I did, if they had had the same examples that I did of education leading to a good future, a good support system, motivated students around them to provide positive peer pressure.
Some social education classes I took at the same time helped me see the issue as clearly as a math proof. This was a whole generation of kids we were failing to educate. Not based on their intelligence, or even their race, but on their neighborhoods. The affects of red-lining from forty years earlier was still affecting these kids. It's all tied together with white flight to the suburbs, suburban sprawl, decline of public transportation, increased gasoline needs, McMansions, inner city poverty...It's not that middle class whites need to move back to poor neighborhoods to "save" people, but that this mess was created by bankers, mortgage lenders, real estate agents playing to people's worst fears. I don't know the solution, but it's not going to undo itself by telling people to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. It's still a civil rights issue. Aside from the recent economic problems, the biggest political issue for me is support for our nations' cities. It's tied in with fixing education, using infrastructure we already have, and tearing down both racial and economic segregation.
I agree with most of Obama's politics. But for me, the clincher is his experience in Chicago as a community organizer. Even as a campaigner, he's got the ability to organize all these volunteers into a lean operation, focusing their energy. I can't wait to see what good he can do with the whole country if we are smart enough to elect him.
I grew up in Philadelphia, and it seemed that a lot of people there understood that the issues of race, poverty, jobs, etc. were moral issues and more important than people's sex lives. It's different in Missouri, and that's been hard getting used to. I think people here are too far removed from it. Anyway, this is why I support Barack Obama and why Roy and I went to the rally in St. Louis yesterday.
I found out about the rally on Wednesday. The paper said that it was going to take place, but had no details. We weren't sure if it was just a rumor or not. On Friday, we found that it was definite. The gates would open shortly after 10am and the rally would start at noon.
We planned to take the Metrolink down to the Arch grounds. I was afraid the Metrolink trains would be packed with people, so I wanted to get there early. We left home at 8am and walked to the Metrolink station. At the Laclede's Landing stop, there was a guy with a loud speaker explaining where we'd need to go. Roy and I were going to have breakfast first before getting in line, but this was good information.
There was just one entrance to the rally. The Metrolink station was at 2nd and Washington, and everyone would have to walk a block over to Memorial and down another five blocks to Market to get onto the Arch grounds. Googlemaps says this is 0.4 miles. We walked up to the Lumiere Place casino to have breakfast at their buffet and walked back down 2nd Street. It was maybe 9:30am, and the line now went past the Metrolink station.
We had to walk a few blocks' worth into the park to get to the end of the line, which went out by the parking lot and metrolink station and around Washington to Memorial. People were selling bootleg Obama pins and t-shirts. We chatted with the couple in front of us and the line moved quickly. Once we got past the metal detectors, we followed the corralled pathways down to an open area. The pathways went towards the Arch on the south side, and then turned north a few hundred feet before the Arch. It let us through to an open area. Later on, as more people were let in, I think the north-south running path was used as a barricade. There were a lot of people behind us, but our area never got too crowded.
I've been to an event before at the Arch where the stage was down at Sullivan Boulevard, east of the Arch and right by the river, and the steps leading up to Arch formed a natural amphitheater. People could sit on the steps and have a tiered view of the concert. I hoped this would be the case this time, so there'd be a better view of Obama. Not this time. The stage was just on the west of the steps.
At first, we tried to get a spot in the center. Roy mentioned the band playing, and I couldn't even tell there were people on a stage. We settled on a spot on the far north side of the closed-in area. There was a fenced off pathway in front of us, so I wasn't surrounded by people taller than me. We had a side view of the band. I was able to see everyone speaking in profile. I think we were 100-150 feet away from the stage. I was in the de facto second row of our section, behind the people right up at the fence. We're still trying to figure out who the band was. They played a lot of R&B classics, and people were singing along and dancing during the wait. Roy thinks it was a quite famous band, Earth Wind and Fire, but we missed their introduction and haven't been able to confirm that.
I was chatting with the woman next to me, who had her daughter with her, a little girl who looked to be two or three years old. The girl looked bored, and I tried to amuse her, watching her making faces and copying them back. The loud speaker played songs like Bruce Springsteen's "The Rising" and U2's "It's a Beautiful Day". It was a beautiful day, sunny and in the 60s. I brought a jacket, but didn't need it. When the breeze died down, it got kind of warm. Volunteers were passing out free bottled water, for which I was grateful. I even got a little sunburn.
I remember looking back at the crowd behind me. At some point, the organizers must have closed down the one-person-at-a-time metal detectors and the narrow pathways. We just saw huge amounts of people walking down the center of the park. I don't know how far back they went, but it was just a sea of people behind us.
I read that the rally was supposed to start at noon, but the program began around 11. There was a whole array of speakers. I don't remember who went on first, but it was:
Robin Carnahan, the secretary of state of Missouri, talking to the first time voters in the crowd and telling them what to expect Niko Smith, the American Idol guy, singing the National Anthem. I've never watched American Idol, but I guess I've seen one of them now Lacy Clay, a congressman in the St. Louis area Jackie Joyner-Kersee, the Olympic track star Russ Carnhan, another congressman Jay Nixon, Missouri attorney general running for governor Francis Slay, mayor of St. Louis, who got booed Claire McCaskill, senator of Missouri, who introduced...
...not Barack Obama, but Keenan Morris. He was introduced as a math teacher from a city charter school. The guy actually did a good job speaking in front of the large crowd. He had a degree in engineering but became a teacher instead. He had to supplement his income by taking a part-time job. I feel guilty when I hear stories like this, that I'm not doing enough. I never did become a math teacher, after my experiences student teaching. I left grad school before getting my certification or MSEd. I did work for the next few years as a tutor, working one-on-one with students to help them outside of their classrooms. I got so much out of helping students. I took a corporate job when I moved to Missouri and I feel like I should continue to volunteer. But my time off work is so filled up with cooking and exercise to try to keep healthy and lose weight. Even cutting back on the exercise to take some evening classes affected my weight. I can't see making a long commitment right now.
The math teacher finished his talk. My 100,000 new friends and I started chanting for Obama. It was such a relief to talk to new people and to know you're on the same page politically. Not that we all agree on everything, but we agree on what matters most to us. It made for a friendly crowd.
Barack Obama came to the stage looking casual. He was wearing a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a tie. Most of the people before him had been wearing suits. His speech contained a lot of talking points I'd already heard on the debates or in commercials, but it was electrifying to hear it in a setting like this. Being able to cheer and hear all these people cheering with me. I don't feel like such an outsider in Missouri anymore.
Obama's speech focused on the middle class, how he's going to lower taxes for people like teachers, health care, housing, education, and college. He also spoke about folksy stuff like a diner not having sweet potato pie that made him seem a little more approachable. The crux of the speech was this message: "Because if we’ve learned anything from this economic crisis, it’s that we’re all connected; we’re all in this together; and we will rise or fall as one nation – as one people." I couldn't agree more.
I knew there was a large crowd in attendance, but I didn't realize yet that it was the biggest for Obama. I am so proud of St. Louis for that. I think a lot had to do with the fact that it was on a Saturday during the day, the weather was so nice, and it was a convenient location. But it mostly had to do with Barack Obama's message. I feel like I was a part of history.
After the rally, we walked back to the Metrolink station. There was a long line, easily an hour before we'd get on a train. I joked to Roy that it was only a 7 mile walk home. We decided to have lunch downtown and take the train afterwards. The restaurants in Laclede's Landing were already packed, but we walked downtown and found a hotel restaurant on Washington. We caught the train home after that. It was the Shrewsbury line, which doesn't stop at Delmar. But we live close to both lines, it would still be about a mile walk home afterwards. We got home around 4pm. I didn't think we'd be away from home for eight hours for this rally. We still had the David Byrne concert at the Fox Theater that night, so we both decided to take a nap. I didn't want to be exhausted for the night's concert.
Steven Wright Lumiere Theater at Lumiere Place St. Louis, MO Friday, October 17, 2008 General Admission $22.50
I've always liked Steven Wright, ever since a teacher showed a video of him in high school. I don't see many comedians live, but Roy and I decided to go a few days beforehand. This was also my first time going to the new Lumiere Place casino. We had dinner at the Burger Bar there.
Wright was funny. He's famous for deadpan one-liners like "If Miles Davis were in Europe, would people call him Kilometers?" I talked to Roy about it after the show, and we were both feeling that even though the one-liners kept us laughing, we were worried it would get boring. Wisely, Wright broke up the one-liners with some humorous songs. My favorite thing of the night was Wright playing a song on guitar that he said he wrote when he was three. It was the kitten song.
I'm still giggling over it. Here kitty, here kitty. I told Roy that the musical segment is why I had to include this show in my blog, even though it's not strictly a concert.
The show lasted an hour and a half, which was a good length for a one-man comedy performance. We both laughed a lot.
Lindsey Buckingham The Pageant St. Louis, MO Monday September 29, 2008 Section Balcony-Right, Row A, Seat 10 $36.50
I'm using this entry as a place-holder. I plan on writing more about the show in the future.
This was Roy's and my second time seeing Lindsey Buckingham in a solo performance. His strength is his arrangements, all of the songs come across fully realized with nice harmonies. Roy described the performance as honest. To me, the vibe of the show was not what you'd imagine seeing someone who was a rock star for the past 30 years. It was more like Buckingham was a journeyman singer-songwriter still trying to make it and get recognition. Even he called his solo material "more to the left" than his work with Fleetwood Mac and he expressed amazement that the record company wanted to release a single from his new album.
From our seats, we were on the balcony, way over to the right. I could see the front-line musicians well, but I couldn't see the drummer at all. During the introductions, I was surprised to find out the drummer was percussionist Walfredo Reyes Jr. whom I had previously seen on the Traffic reunion tour in 1994. He also played on one of my favorite albums of the 2000s, Steve Winwood's About Time.
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss Fox Theatre St. Louis, MO Wednesday, September 24th, 2008 Box T, Table 1, Seat 1 $55
I've always liked Led Zeppelin, and I've managed to see Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones in concert over the years. Never got around to seeing Robert Plant. I was intrigued when he did an album with Alison Krauss and moreso when he put off touring with a reunited Led Zeppelin so he could tour with her. Roy and I were so happy that they booked a date for the Fox Theater in St. Louis. This is a show I'd like to see. It's not a style of music I really love - I'm going to sound uneducated here and describe it as "old-timey" - but it was a chance to see a musical legend doing something he is clearly happy about in a nice venue. And I enjoyed seeing Alison Krauss last year at the Crossroads Guitar Festival too. We bought their album Raising Sand, so we'd be familiar with the material.
The concert was originally supposed to take place on Thursday, June 19th. It was postponed until September. It was really a bad night for me to be going to a concert. At work, we were having a week long conference. The day of the show, a coworker and I were giving presentations lasting almost the whole day. I figured I'd be exhausted and just want to crawl into bed afterwards to recover. If I had to go to a concert, I'd want something loud and upbeat. I was worried I wouldn't be in the right mood for this performance.
The company I work for owns one of the corporate boxes at the Fox. It's an employee perk that we're allowed to buy tickets for it at the same price as general orchestra seats. The box holds eight people, and I called our recreation office early enough to reserve seats for Roy and me. The boxes are in their own level, just underneath the mezzanine. Having tickets in the Fox Club Box Seats also opens up other Fox Club amenities. We were able to have dinner in the Fox Club Dining Room, great food in a setting that overlooks the lobby.
The box seats have waiter service, so theoretically, I wouldn't have to face the crowds in the lobby. However, I wanted to buy a program. It was really nice, a hard bound book, even though it cost $40. While I was waiting in line, the guy in front of me told me I looked like I didn't want to be there. It had been am upsetting day at work, and it still showed on my face. I chatted with him a bit, no, I really did want to be there, I promise. He and his brother had driven in from Iowa for the show. I think he was expecting a lot of Led Zeppelin material, I wonder what he thought of the show. I still wondered if I were in the right mood for it.
I shouldn't have worried. The show was captivating.
The opening act was a singer named Sharon Little. We liked the set well enough, but I was anxious to hear the headliners.
The pacing of the show worked really well. Plant and Krauss started out sharing vocals on their first song. They did a few songs like this, including a quite reworked Black Dog. Then, they each did some songs with solo vocals.
Robert Plant was a great frontman. He was entertaining, witty, charismatic and regal. He started out by apologizing to the audience for the delayed show, "so sorry, so very Englishly sorry" and described his singing partner Alison Krauss as "the Queen of Everything". I thought his voice sounded great, but he was mostly singing at the lower end of his register.
I wish our seats were close enough to really see both Plant and Krauss. I don't usually like dealing with binoculars at concerts, but I would have liked them for this one. I thought about buying a pair at the Fox, but they were selling cheap plastic ones. The vendor told me to look through them before buying, and it was blurry. Maybe I should buy a pair for the future.
As I mentioned before, the album Plant and Krauss did together, Raising Sand, isn't a style of music I know much about. It was produced by T-Bone Burnett, and like some of his other work, consists of songs with a pre-rock era Americana feel. One of the songs is from the Everly Brothers.
There were three highlights for me, all in a row. They really packed a punch. First was a song that Alison Krauss started singing a capella. For the second verse, Plant and some of the other musicians came back on stage to sing harmony vocals. It sounded beautiful!
Next, Plant announced they were going to do a Townes Van Zandt song. The song started off slow but built with intensity as it went on. I suddenly realized that this "old timey" backing band was playing with the intensity of Led Zeppelin. It felt so natural as the song progressed.
The third song that got to me was the Battle of Evermore. I had read that they were going to play this one, and it seemed like a great idea. The original version had Sandy Denny on vocals, and Alison Krauss certainly has the voice to pull it off. It's definitely the lighter side of Led Zeppelin and it fit in well with the rest of the material without being reworked. Hearing it just gave me tingles.
The concert put me mentally in a much better place. I needed it, because I got home after 11, and had to be at work the next day at 7 for another day of the conference.
Lord of the Rings Symphony Ludwig Wicki, conductor Powell Hall St. Louis, MO Saturday, September 20, 2008 Dress Circle Box X, Seat 3 $65
Roy is a huge fan of the Lord of the Rings story. He has the books in the trilogy, other books Tolkien wrote about Middle Earth, books about the series, the radio series, the DVDs, the special edition DVDs. It was a no-brainer that we'd see the score performed live by the St. Louis Symphony. Me? I liked the movies well enough, but never got past reading The Hobbit. It was kind of exciting to be heading to Powell Hall. This was my first time there, even though I've lived in St. Louis for eight years now. I guess I'm not as cultured as I think.
We got lucky with the tickets. Our seats were in the Dress Circle level, which is the equivalent of front row balcony. It provided an excellent view of all the musicians. Wonderful sound as well. The seats in this section were real chairs too, with lots of leg room and elbow room. Very comfortable.
I had some reservations about this performance coming into it. A movie score is designed to fit what's being shown on screen. Something that's a great score might not work well on its own. And the three movies combined are something like twelve hours long. Different bits of the score were put together to make up this two hour program. They would be showing visuals along with the music, but I still wondered if I'd get bored.
It was such a spectacle. In addition to the orchestra, there was a boys' choir, a choir of adults, solo vocalists. The program notes list well over 100 people. The visuals were illustrations by artists Alan Lee and John Howe.
I'm going to sound so unrefined here, but I got bored. The music was supposed to follow the order of the books, and the artwork was supposed to help. I couldn't follow it at all after the beginning section. Maybe I don't know the story well enough. The artwork was often too abstract for me to follow - pictures of individual characters rather than scenes. I liked the second half better than the first. I really liked the featured vocal soloists. Kaitlyn Lusk, the featured soprano, had a beautiful voice and the boy soprano did a good job too.
Everyone else in the theater loved it, and gave it a long standing ovation. I wasn't disappointed; I figured I wouldn't get much out of two hours of scenery music, no matter how well executed it was. It was a nice evening to get dressed up and go to a fancy venue and nice for Roy to get to add another LOTR event to his fan experience.
ProgDay Day 2 Storybook Farm Chatham County (Chapel Hill), NC Sunday, August 31, 2008 General Admission
The first day of ProgDay this year had been alright, you know, it was good to see everyone and be at Storybook Farm again, none of the bands really excited me live. Day 2 however, was one of my all-time favorite festival days.
The day started out well. It was Roy's and my sixth anniversary. We actually got married at ProgDay in 2002, so our anniversary falls on or near the festival. People come up to us all weekend to wish us a happy anniversary. It's sweet. Anyway, we went to Foster's Market for a nice breakfast and then we drove down to Storybook Farm.
We set our chairs up in the second row of people. We were in the sun at first, but after noon, the sun shifted and we'd be in the shade for most of the day. This day's lineup was different than usual. There were five bands playing, and some bands were playing very short sets - less than an hour.
The first band, Cheer Accident, was great for a festival. They had so many different sounds, from more traditional songs to noise, that never got same-y sounding. They were interesting to watch too, with a lot of visual elements too. At one point a band member who wasn't playing on a particular song did a goofy dance on stage to the music. They looked like they were having fun, and they kept my interest the whole time. At first, I was worried the morning ProgDay crowd was too sedate for them. Then at the end of one song, they stopped playing but one note still lingered on. After the note died down, we all applauded. I hoped they could tell that we were really *listening*.
The next band Pinnacle, I didn't know anything about. They were one of the bands with a 45 minute slot. They were one of the big surprises of the festival for me. Nothing hugely special, but they were a power trio with vocals and harmonies. The bass player played upfront melodic lines, and that reminded me of Yes. I like things that remind me of Yes. They played with a lot of enthusiasm. It was a nice change of pace from some of the heavier or more experimental bands. I'm sure the short set helped, because I never felt like they wore out their welcome. They got to do an encore, and it was a cover of Peter Gabriel's Here Comes the Flood.
I grabbed lunch after Pinnacle's set. The next band was Canvas Solaris, a prog metal band. This type of music normally leaves me cold, but their MP3 samples showed some dynamics to their sound. I was sitting under the pavilion chatting with Richard and Mike, and they both left to watch the band, so I did too. This was the one band that day that didn't too much for me. The band's speed and heaviness just made it easier for me to zone out. I think I sat there by the stage for their entire set, but I wasn't really paying attention. Their set was also just 45 minutes, at their request. I heard different stories, that that's all the music they had prepared or that they notice the audience starting to zone out around then.
The next band was one I was really looking forward to, Mirthandir. I should explain that when I started going to festivals, Roy would buy CDs from all the bands' playing and I'd listen to those. Now, I'm not keeping up with the scene and I've gotten lazy. I might not even listen to MP3 samples beforehand, but Roy knows my tastes. If he tells me he thinks I'll like a particular band, he's usually right. Mirthrandir was a real 1970s symphonic progressive rock band that recorded an album that Roy considers a lost classic. He also said they'd remind me of Yes. That's always a good thing. Just before they started, it started to ever so lightly rain. I went to the car and got my raincoat this time.
I thought Mirthrandir were great. The thing that reminded me of Yes was their rhythms. Too many American bands seem to use a regular blues based backing to their music, but Mirthrandir's rhythms just skipped along. I'll mercilessly tease bands if I think they're influenced too much by Yes (like, when I can recognize what song they're trying to copy) but little parts like what Mirthrandir did made me happy. I thought they were a band that could have had a hit like Roundabout - something that found a mass audience but still was true to their sound. We recognized one guy in the band as having played ProgDay last year with the band Advent.
And then, here comes the flood. About halfway through their set, it started to rain. I have this cute little rainhat with a brim to keep water off my face and glasses. I use that at outdoor concerts. I put it on and my raincoat as well. Like the day before, most people moved undercover, either back to their tents or to the pavilion. Roadies covered the speakers and monitors with tarps. Sitting out there, you almost don't notice how much heavier the rain is getting. It wasn't until I looked through the stage to the back side of it and saw the rain coming down hard there.
There were only about six people left sitting in the audience in front of the band. The atmosphere got this epic quality to it, as if we were die-hard fans willing to whatever it takes for this band. And the band too, for playing through the distractions of the audience running to take shelter and the roadies moving around on stage. It was a special moment and it elevated the excitement level of sitting there and getting soaked.
Here's a picture that Debbie Sears took of the band. You almost can't see me. I'm wearing a black raincoat, sitting in a pink chair on the left. Roy's next to me with his umbrella up. Just this little group of people staying close by the stage.
During one song, we heard some thunder. Now a rainstorm, ProgDay can handle, but you don't want to play around with lightning. One of the stagehands came out and had the band stop in the middle of a song. Quite a few people bring their laptops to ProgDay and blog throughout the day. They asked if someone could check the weather reports to see if a thunderstorm was moving in. It looked like we were safe, so Mirthrandir continued. They picked up their song right where they had to stop it before.
After their performance, I went to the pavilion to get out of the rain. Bought a snack to tide me over to dinner. One thing I didn't do was move my chair out of the rain, or at least turn it over. A big pool of water was in my seat. Even though the rain eventually stopped and I tried to dry it off first, I got soaked all the way through.
The final band was Secret Oyster, another band from the 1970s that broke up a long time ago and recently reunited. They were a jazz fusion band, and were even on a major record label. The experience showed. Their polish, stage presence, presentation of music, it was all miles ahead of any other band at the festival this year. But it was fun and sincere too and the music was just wonderful. It was one of the strongest performances at a festival that I've seen. They actually go called back fo a second encore - some of the band members had already wandered away from the stage and had to come back to play some more.
I think I'm going to call Mirthrandir my favorite band at the festival this year, and Secret Oyster second. The festival ended with Steve Sly, the organizer, coming up and giving credits to all the volunteers who made ProgDay happen this year. Then, at the very end, Geoff Lodgson, one of the stagehands, came to the microphone to wish Roy and me a happy anniversary. A group of people behind us applauded. I'm not even sure who they all were, but it's so nice to be a part of this community.
I never really want the festival to end. After the show, Gerhard came over. He wanted to introduce us to his new girlfriend. A group of us stayed around and chatted for over an hour. We ended up not going out to dinner with anyone else, but Roy pointed out later that this was very similar. A group of friends catching up with a low key conversation. It's just what we would be doing waiting for the food to come. It's just nice to have this time together.
Roy and I went back to the hotel. By this point, we both wanted dinner quickly. There's an Outback in the hotel parking lot, so that was it. Roy got there first, in case there was a wait, and I went to the hotel room to put on some warm dry clothing. There's a big party by the hotel pool every year. I'm not much of a party person, but we checked in when we got back from dinner. It was still small and low-key and we knew everyone, so we hung out a while and talked. Once more people came, between the smoke and too many conversations going on at once, we said our goodbyes and went up to our room. That was the end of another fun ProgDay.
ProgDay Day 1 Storybook Farm Chatham County (Chapel Hill), NC Saturday, August 30, 2008 General Admission Patron Pass: $140
Welcome to my review of ProgDay, otherwise known as the 12th edition of Rhea versus the heat. I wrote up my general thoughts on ProgDay here last year and why it's so special among all the various progressive rock festivals.
Roy and I flew into Chapel Hill on Friday afternoon. We met another ProgDay person just as we were checking into the hotel. Mike was from the band Kinetic Element and was playing at the preshow that night. We chatted for a bit and he hoped we would go to the Local 506 for the preshow. We hadn't decided yet, but on the whole, I don't like going to preshows. It can make for a late night, and I like being refreshed for the festival itself. Plus, I like this area and there are better things to do than hang out in a smoky club. We ended up going to downtown Chapel Hill for dinner and looking around at the shops. Ironically, we walked right past the Local 506, but we were back at the hotel by the time the bands started.
On Saturday morning, we had breakfast and headed off to Storybook Farm. This is the first time in years that I didn't volunteer for any shifts. I like doing the early morning gate duty, talking to everyone as they arrive. Everyone's always so excited. I wanted to see the opening bands each day this time, so I took the year off. We did buy Patron passes to help out the fest. I always buy my ProgDay tickets right when they go on sale. Having low numbers on my tickets doesn't really mean anything. But Debbie needed to check off what tickets we were and it was fun to yell out that we were #1 and 2.
Roy and I set up our chairs in our usual spot, about ten feet from the stage. It was overcast, so it didn't feel too hot. Von Frickle were the first band. They are an instrumental band, with two guitarists, bassist, and drummer. What was far more exotic was how the looked. All four of them were dressed in white jumpsuits, with white head coverings and white masks. Roy called them "The White Man Group". Some people I talked to afterwards commented that the costumes pushed them to focus more on the music, since they couldn't watch the performer's facial expressions. I was the opposite; I watched for any bit of individuality like small hand gestures. The band had a good mix of sounds, some of the heavier bits were broken up by some more melodic stuff. I swear I heard a little of King Crimson's Vrooom being quoted. I enjoyed their set, but I had had enough after the first hour. Their set lasted about 90 minutes, and I was ready for them to be over.
I spent some time at ProgDay seeing how everyone else experiences the festival. Since Roy and I fly there, we can't bring along a tent and cooler. I wonder what it would be like to spend the whole festival sitting further back, always in the shade and comfortable, but with more distractions. Is the music more of a background to the whole festival atmosphere? I prefer to sit closer and really focus on the bands when I want to, and then escape to the shade when I need a break. Even getting our chairs was kind of ridiculous for us this year - it was actually cheaper to buy new collapsible lawn chairs at Kroger than to bring our own. The new ones were 2 for $10 and we would have had to check ours in for $15 each way on our flight. It seems like a waste to buy new ones when we have perfectly good lawn chairs at home.
I talked to a few friends during the next break. Richard and I talked about Yes, and then a little bit later, Cherry, Fred and I talked about the same thing. I'm writing this so far after the fact that the rumor has been confirmed. But at the time, it was just a rumor that they were going to tour without Jon Anderson, and that they were getting a singer from a tribute band. I have mixed feelings about this. I love the album Drama that they did without Jon, but it was much easier for me to accept an album that came out years before I had become a fan. This is happening now. So much energy at a Yes concert is focused on Jon. I wonder what the vibe would be like without him. I hoped they'd get someone who can really hit his notes, even if the singer doesn't have the same vocal qualities as Jon. I don't blame them at all for wanting to continue. But I won't be going to five shows and paying scalper's prices for tickets like I had planned to for the canceled summer tour.
The next band is one that Roy and I were both looking forward to. Holding Pattern was one of the first bands Roy got into in the early 90s, when he first got on-line and discovered a lot of lesser known or new prog bands. I had only heard their MP3s on the ProgDay website, but I liked it. Holding Pattern was a guitar/bass/drum trio led by the well-regarded guitarist Tony Spada.
Roy and I went back to our chairs to watch this set. It was a getting sunny out, and I didn't feel like dealing with the heat. The roof of the stage provides some shade to the people right in front. There was a "front row" of lawn chairs taking advantage of it. I sat on the grass behind them. The ground was cool, and I was protected by the shade so it was still pleasant sitting outside.
Pleasant is about all I can say for Holding Pattern. Their music sounded nice, but the performance didn't have a lot of energy. Lots of guitar soloing without a lot of structure. When Roy came over and told me he was ready for lunch, I joined him. That's the beauty of ProgDay - we can walk to the covered pavilion and eat and still be able to hear the music.
Next up was Abigail's Ghost, the only band with vocals the whole day. They weren't really proggy; to me they sounded more like modern alternative rock with some keyboards. I've heard them being compared to Porcupine Tree, but they only sounded like Porky's less proggy material. Anyway, it was a good change of pace to hear real songs. I've served on the band committee at ProgDay in the past and I know how hard it is to put a lineup together of bands that people will like and who also will want to play the festival. Still, it seems like traditional symphonic prog and song-based arty rock music haven't gotten enough representation. And, I haven't always enjoyed all their choices in these styles. But Abigail's Ghost was good music, performed with a lot of enthusiasm.
While I was getting lunch, some people moved their chairs to the spot where I had been sitting. I didn't put anything down to hold it. I moved my chair to an open spot in the shade, but further to the side near the speakers. About halfway through Abigail's Ghost's set, I was ready for a break. Storybook Farm has a big line of trees on its western perimeter. As the day goes on, they provide some shade on the lawn near the edge of the field. I went over there, spread my sweatshirt out like a blanket, and lay down on the grass to read and listen to music. And to duck from frisbees.
I was really looking forward to the last band of the day, Ain Soph. Like the rest of the bands that day, I wasn't familiar with their material, but I knew their reputation and Roy thought I'd like them a lot. Descriptions like "Camel-esque" and "Canterbury". I've been struggling with what to say here, part of the reason my blogging is so far behind. I don't want to sound like I didn't enjoy them. I liked Ain Soph's music, but the performance was so laid back. I didn't really connect with them. Roy and I thought maybe our expectations were too high.
Anyway, during Ain Soph's performance, it started to rain. I brought my raincoat with me, but it was in the car. I just threw my sweatshirt around my shoulders and put the hood on. (I had an umbrella, but I used it to keep my stuff dry. Lots of places don't let you open umbrellas because they block the view of the people behind you.) Ain Soph announced their last song. Roy ended up going to the pavilion for shelter from the rain. I didn't really notice how heavy it got until after the performance was over. He brought the car up to the pavilion and we loaded our chairs and other stuff in.
I was thinking at first that Ain Soph had managed to finish their set. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. They had a lengthy encore planned. This was their first show ever in the United States, and I think they had played Baja Prog, so their second in North America. It's too bad they couldn't play a complete set. Honestly, it was just as well for me.
We didn't have plans for dinner with anyone. This is really unusual for ProgDay, but our usual group of friends either didn't come this year or had other plans. Roy and I went to the Japanese Steak Huose by the hotel. We talked to some other people in the lobby whom we recognized from the festival, but we didn't sit at the table with anyone we knew. Still, it was a fun dinner.
My friend Zoey and I went to so many concerts together. I've already mentioned her name a bunch of times in my blog. You can see them here: http://rheayes.blogspot.com/search?q=zoey. Without a doubt, I'll bring her up many more times when I write up my memories of the past. I won't be able to go to any more concerts with her. Zoey passed away a couple weeks ago.
We were part of a group of friends with a tight bond. Back in 1996, a group of us Yes fans got together for lunch after a Yes event. Zoey and I met that day. A mutual friend, Dawn, decided we shouldn't wait for the band to do something as a reason for us to get together. She hosted the first YesTogether in June 1996, and there were four of us who got together every month. It lasted until June of 2000, when I moved to St. Louis and another member, Jerry, moved to Ohio. The last time we all got together was at my wedding, six years ago. We were all there for the funeral too.
Jerry, Zoey, Sarah, Terry, and Dawn
In keeping with the theme of this blog, I'm going to post a review that Zoey wrote. It's her story of my wedding and ProgDay 2002, by way of JRR Tolkein. It says far more about Zoey's personality than I could convey. ______________________________________________________
This is the story of the wedding journey undertaken by two hobbits, plus one elf and the adventures they had on their travels.
A few days prior to the wedding journey, the hobbit Mrs. Frodo sprained her ankle whilst dancing. Though she went to a skilled healer, she is saddled with a cast upon her leg. Galadnen, the elf, had readied all she needed for the trip beforehand but knew that the trip could be canceled at a moments notice. She had never been packed for a trip beforehand, so this did not bode well and she was suspicious that the journey was jinxed.
The day of the journey, Galadnen receives a message that the quest has been postponed, so she takes a seat and listens to Izz for a bit, then loads up the remaining items and begins to travel to the homely house of the Ladybugs. When Galadnen arrives, she finds Mrs. Frodo unhappily sitting upon the floor, looking for pieces of her broken spectacles; it was not a good scene. Galadnen felt badly for Mrs. Frodo and after she had put together her spectacles, Galadnen gave to Mrs. Frodo a special pin. The pin cheers the Mrs. and she now has a renewed interest in the journey at hand.
So, Mrs. Frodo begins packing, as she has spent the night before at the healers and hadn't the chance to get ready. So she packs quickly and the hobbit and the elf load Bill the Pony and start off on their journey. Their meanderings through the countryside of Pennsylvania and Maryland go by fast as wind but once in Virginia they they go off course for the first time. Galadnen catches it and they return to the path quickly. All the villagers they meet in the Southern lands give Mrs. Frodo and Galadnen queer looks, making them very rather uncomfortable.
At long last, they finally come to the borders of North Carolina; no sooner have they done so, they are set off course again but they get back on the path soon enough. Finally around 11:30 pm they arrive exhausted at their lodgings and fall into a deep sleep, only to be awakened early, so they can complete the rest of the journey with another hobbit, Jerry. Breakfast at the lodge is taken in quickly and the travelers leave early in the pouring rain.
Countless times did our travelers get lost that morning, until at last they find the backup venue referred to as "Cat's Cradle". Not finding a soul there, they walk the streets in the rain back to faithful Bill and begin to travel to the farm. Mrs. Frodo, Jerry and Galadnen become lost a few more times and at long last find Storybook Farm but they don't see anyone present with their first glances. They pull up to a pavilion and two men are seated within. Mrs. Frodo gets out to ask directions with Galadnen following behind out of curiosity. Then they start off once again searching for the Riverside where they will find their friends and the glorious wedding.
Perhaps they got lost one more time before finally arriving at the Riverside. Although, once inside the doors they see the King and Queen, Roy and Rhea in wedding garb and think for a moment that maybe they haven't missed the wedding. Rhea looked radiant, with a beautiful circlet of flowers about her head and floating gown. Galadnen loved Rhea's bouquet and secretly hoped that she would be able to catch it at the reception. Mrs. Frodo, Jerry and Galadnen were saddened when they heard they had missed the wedding but were quickly served delicious wedding cake, that was light on the tongue and sweet. Our travelers are glad to see their friends and they talked together for a few moments before heading into the auditorium to see the musicians perform.
Mrs. Frodo, Jerry and Galadnen enjoy the bands they have seen, and Galadnen especially loves Izz, as she had been looking forward to seeing them for quite a long time. Just before the Muffins set they realize how very cold they are, so they nip out to find a store, where they can find warm clothing. Our travelers arrive in their warm garb, just in time to see Kraan, whom they enjoy greatly.
Then Mrs. Frodo, Jerry and Galadnen make for the village of Chapel Hill where they are to meet for the wondrous wedding reception. You already know the story, don't you my friend? Yes, indeed, they become lost again and find themselves in the village of Durham, so they turn about and head back to find their mistake. They arrive at Spanky's just in the nick of time, albeit a half hour late but in some circles that is quite fashionable and well accepted, so they find comfort in that thought.
Our friends find that they are seated at the "King Crimson" table, which lifts Galadnen's spirits. Soon they realize the reception room is filled with old friends from their past. As weary as they are, they have a wonderful time conversing with friends until the toasts are made and dinner begins. There is all manner of delectable food set out on tables and the guests begin to help themselves and make merry. What a wonderful reception it was, Galadnen never had food this delicious at a wedding reception before, so she was in awe and wonder and found that her eyes were bigger than her stomach that night.
Steve, Zoey, Dawn, Jerry, and Dave
Miraculously enough, after the reception our travelers found themselves back at their lodgings without becoming lost. Again they feel into a deep sleep, remembering the day that had just passed them by in a flash. They were awakened from their pleasant dreams early and began to slowly get ready. Jerry decided to get to the festival bright and early, while Mrs. Frodo and Galadnen decided to take the day as it came to them and not to rush but savor every moment.
First on the agenda was breakfast, for they were both ravenous. They passed by many awful waffle houses but they wanted something a bit more pleasant, so they drove about until they found a little place by the name of "The Mad Hatter". All sorts of pastries had they but Galadnen wanted what she referred to as "The Southern Experience". She got her eggs, bacon, grits and biscuit and it was quite tasty. A guitarist performed while they ate and Mrs. Frodo and Galadnen were very relaxed and happy.
Then Mrs. Frodo and Galadnen found their way to the venue without a hitch. They were late but they enjoyed themselves well enough; Mrs. Frodo worked on a writing project during Djam Karet and Galadnen worked on a nap while they played with her ears opened, listening. Mrs. Frodo, Jerry and Galadnen enjoyed seeing Happy the Man in all their quirkiness and it was quite cheering. The day passed by in a flash once more and our travelers, in separate modes of transportation tried to make their way once again into Chapel Hill. Jerry succeeded but Mrs. Frodo and Galadnen became lost or had an inkling that they were not going the proper route.
After a long time on the road, the two of them decided to stop at any decent restaurant that appeared along the road. Galadnen directed Mrs. Frodo to a restaurant she remembered seeing, so they waited outside and finally were admitted. The meal was absolutely perfect and the waiter quite handsome and attentive, so they enjoyed themselves. Strangely enough, they had the odd luck of sitting beside Tempano, it was as if they were following Mrs. Frodo about all day. Galadnen and Mrs. Frodo made it back to their lodgings late at night, where Jerry was waiting, worried sick about the girls. He was relieved to see them and decided that the two of them must have gotten lost once more. By this time getting lost was quite normal and acceptable.
The next day Galadnen was disappointed that she hadn't given her friends all good-bye hugs and she wanted to speak to them again but that was not meant to be and they bid Jerry farewell, then headed out Monday morning for home. The two of them were both sad and quiet on the journey back home, getting lost at least once, for lack of road signs. Mrs. Frodo and Galadnen had their song for their travels home, which was: "Spinnin' Round" by Izz. After getting out of the South, the journey back began to fly by. They arrived back home late but were quite happy to be back where they belonged, where they could sleep as long as they wished in their own beds in a familiar setting. This was the end of the quest, journey, wedding, thing. ;-)
