Billy Joel & Elton John
Scottrade Center
St. Louis, MO
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Section 316, Row E, Seat 6
$99.50
My perspective on concert costs have changed over time. I last saw Billy Joel and Elton John together in 1994. I was still in college. Tickets were $46. I didn't need to look that up. I remember it, from fifteen years back, because I agonized over that price. My best friend Angela and I both wanted to see this show, but we were broke college students and we passed. They played three nights at Vet Stadium. After the first show, additional "good" seats were released. There was so much good buzz about the first show. I called Angela and told her I was having second thoughts about skipping this show. So was Angela. We bought tickets at the last minute, went, and had a great time.
This time, Roy and I bought cheap seats for the Face to Face tour, and they were $100 each. After we decided to go, I didn't bat an eyelash at the price.
I was going to pass on this show originally. I had seen them together before, of course, and we just saw Billy Joel a few years ago. Roy saw Elton John as his very first concert, on the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road tour back in 1974. He's said that he's avoided seeing Elton John since then, because it could never live up to that first show. But after 35 years, Roy wanted to see him again. I was up for it and happy to go see them again.
The two singers have toured jointly a number of times since 1994. Any operational kinks have been worked out. They each have their full bands with them, with no lagtime needed to configure the stage between sets. The stage was empty; all of the equipment was underneath the stage, with elevated platforms to bring up the appropriate instruments at the appropriate time. Our view of the stage was unobstructed, but we were so high up, the lighting rigs blocked part of the screens.
The show started about 10 minutes late. A classical piece of music started to play on the loud speaker. We didn't recognize it, but figured this was a way to set the mood. I love how Yes concerts start with the finale from Stravinsky's Firebird Suite; it fills me with anticipation. (In fact, Roy and I walked down the aisle to that same piece.) I wondered if Yes was the first band to start their shows with a classical piece. The music ended and the house lights went down. The show was about to begin!
Billy Joel took the stage, and Elton John followed him. They greeted each other and the audience. Then, they each walked over to a grand piano and began playing. It was the same general setup as the last time I saw them - they did several songs together, each of them did their own set, and then they joined together for the encore.
The first song was Your Song, Elton John's first hit. It got off to a rough start. They traded vocals on it, with Billy taking the first verse. It was jarring; his voice was a lot lower than the original vocal line on the song, and it sounded rough. Elton has a lower register too now. They dealt with this throughout the show - Elton sang lower or let the audience sing along and Billy had a female backing musician do some of his higher parts. I didn't notice it being bad except for this first song, but it made me wonder what the rest of the show would sound like. I talked to Roy about this after the show, and he noticed it as well.
The next song was Billy Joel's Just the Way You Are. The two pianists were joined by a saxophone player. I thought it sounded really nice. The two full bands showed up for the next two songs - Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me and My Life. They had especially nice lighting during Don't Let the Sun; yellow and red glows in the audience.
Elton John played his full set next. Roy raved about the first time he saw Elton John, when the stage was all dark and he opened with the instrumental proggy piece Funeral for a Friend. I saw the setlist ahead of time, but Roy wanted to be surprised. Elton opened this set with that same opening. Roy was thrilled. Elton's guitar player Davey Johnstone is the same guy who played guitar on the album version, and he had a prominent role on stage. This song led into Love Lies Bleeding. Roy gave it a standing ovation.
I like both singers, but I've never gone deep into their catalogs. I'm familiar with all their songs that have gotten radio airplay, plus a few albums from each of them. I'm knocked out by how many well known songs they have. Even with each of them performing some "album tracks", I knew every song they played.
Roy's biggest complaint about the concert was the sound. It's his usual complaint about shows in big arenas. The bass drum dominated. When parts of the mix were inaudible for songs I knew well, I was mentally able to fill-in-the-blanks. I noticed that in a good way during Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, which is my favorite Elton John track. He asked us to sing along, and I happily did, but I was hearing the song in my head as it should be. It actually sounded insignificant and quick in concert, when it should have lush harmonies and a dreamy atmosphere. On the less successful side was a couple tracks from Madman Across the Water, the title track and Burn Down the Mission. I don't know those songs well enough to really be able to play them through in my head and what I heard was lacking. The piano and guitar part of Madman sounded nice though.
Roy's favorite part of the night was Funeral for a Friend. My favorite part of Elton's set was Crocodile Rock. It was so happy. He can't handle some of the notes in there anymore, so he had the audience sing the "Laaaaa la la la la" part. Belting this out made me happy.
After I'm Still Standing, Roy told me that was the first song Elton performed that was from after 1974. Another "newer" song was in the encore. I don't have a good feeling for the chronology of most of Elton John's 1970s-era singles. I first heard them all from the radio decades after their release. But Roy was telling me he was surprised Elton played so many early tracks.
I could see the people on the floor standing up for about half of the songs. People up by the stage were standing and dancing for the entire show. Up in the second tier of seats, we all sat. I bopped around in my seat and sang along, but most of the people in my section sat still. The women next to Roy were talking throughout most of the show. The couple next to me were sending text messages.
I didn't like Rocket Man as much as I did last time. I specifically remember it. The band jammed at the end of it, and it went on for quite a while, and I loved every moment of it. I talked to another friend who went to the 1994 concert, and she hated the part, making fun of how indulgent and long it was. Did it sound similar to last night's version? I thought this one felt dragged out. I don't know if I changed or it did over the years. Roy liked it for about half its length, and then was ready for it to end.
Elton John surprised me a bit in his frontman behavior. I'm guilty of thinking of him more of a star than a musician, more standoffish. He reached out to the fans up front, quite literally, by walking along the front of the stage and shaking hands two different times. I also noticed him signing a couple autographs for people from onstage. He didn't speak to the crowd much, other than introducing a few songs. He did not introduce his band, which is too bad. Some of those people have been playing with him since Roy saw him the first time.
Elton's set was over. His stage set was lowered beneath the stage and wooosh Billy Joel's was raised. We maybe could have used a short break from the music, but there was a lot of music to fit in. Billy Joel's set started with Prelude and Angry Young Man. He's a more demonstrative performer than Elton John, more gestures and a few songs standing at center stage. It could be that Elton is too busy actually playing piano during the performance. Comparing the two, I'd say Billy Joel was in better voice that night (except for Your Song) and was a better frontman. He was certainly funnier. They tend to get lumped together as piano-based pop musicians. But Elton's music was artier and featured more lead guitar than I would expect. Billy Joel's had a lot of horns in the arrangements, which gave it almost a Springsteen-like feel in places. Both have great melodies and so many songs that I like.
Roy really could have used an intermission. He left during Movin' Out and missed part of the next song, Allentown. I didn't spend much time in the city of Allentown, but it's in my home state of Pennsylvania, so hearing it reminds me of home. I also remember the time Angela and I went to a Yes concert in Allentown. I redid the lyrics to "So we're seeing Yes in Allentown". The song reminds me of one of my favorite Yes concerts.
A few songs that stood out to me were:
- Zanzibar, which Billy Joel described as the one album track in the set and asked us not to all leave to go to the bathroom. The song reminded me of Steely Dan with the horns and the "Zanzibar tonight" vocal line.
- Scenes from an Italian Restaurant. I always like hearing that one.
- It's Still Rock & Roll to Me, which started with a different arrangement. I didn't recognize it until the vocals started. It sounded more modern. While it worked with the theme of the song, I'm not sure how much I liked it.
Billy told some of the same jokes that he did last time we saw him, commenting on the people in different parts of the arena. The people sitting behind the stage had a better view than you'd think, because the piano is situated sideways. They get a similar view to the people up front. And the people up front have several tons of lighting equipment up above them. Still humorous, and it made him appear down to earth by realizing we all had to deal with the annoyances of trying to get good concert tickets.
I get the feeling he could have played a set of completely different songs, and I still would have known them all from radio airplay and enjoyed it just as much. He has so many good songs. My favorite time seeing Billy Joel is when he was doing a tour of colleges and came to Penn. He talked to the audience, took questions, and played some songs by himself, just voice and piano. I think that's the only time I saw him play my favorite song of his, "Summer, Highland Falls".
My biggest complaint about the Face to Face show sounds like whining - too much music. This turned out to be a three and a half hour long concert. By the time Billy's main set was complete, it was three hours of music without a break. I'm sorry to say, it was overkill. I didn't need to leave to use the facilities, but a little mental break would have been nice. The first few songs of the encore, with Billy's and Elton's bands playing together, were wasted on me.
I got back into it when they played a couple of lively Beatles' covers, Birthday and Back in the USSR. The show ended with just Billy and Elton on stage playing piano, just like the show started. They played Candle in the Wind and Piano Man.
I think what I enjoyed most about this show was not the performances or the rock stars, but enjoying the songs themselves in a live communal setting. It still astounds me how much of each of their catalogs I know and how wide a variety of songs they each have.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Paul Simon at the Fox
The 21st Annual Bob Costas Benefit
for Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center
with special guest Paul Simon
Fox Theatre
St. Louis, MO
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Section Balcony 4, Row E, Seat 106
$75
The sportscaster Bob Costas hosts a fundraiser every year for a local children's hospital. I knew about it before, but never felt the need to attend. They always get a well known comedian and musical guest. This year, the musical guest was Paul Simon, and Roy definitely wanted to attend. I'm a big fan of Simon and Garfunkel, but I've never listened to much of Simon's solo work. I wasn't sure how many songs I would know, but I was interested in going.
Is it weird that I've never even heard all of Graceland? Roy had a copy, but lent it out long ago and never got it back. Roy played me parts of a couple albums to get familiar with Simon's music: Still Crazy After All These Years and a live album.
This isn't just a concert, but a society event. We got an information sheet in the mail, complete with a dress code. It said business casual. I wore my new brown dress and Roy wore black slacks and a polo shirt with Roger Dean artwork on it. Some people were way more dressed up than that - wearing tuxedos and gowns. The people-watching (and outfit watching) was fun.
I didn't know what the audience would be like during the concert. Were they there for the music, to be part of the scene, or because they were supporters of the hospital? I do know that tickets went on sale long before Paul Simon was announced. we got tickets shortly after that, and a good deal of the orchestra seats were already gone. Our seats were pretty good though, lower balcony, just off the center aisle.
The night started with Bob Costas coming on stage to introduce the event. He made a big deal about how far people traveled for this show. Paul Simon isn't on tour, and apparantly, hasn't done too many live shows recently. He put his full band together for this one-off performance, and lots of fans came to St. Louis to see it. I'm glad they got to see such a nice venue and the Grand Center/Saint Louis University area.
Costas told some jokes and then introduced comedian Robert Klein. I'd never heard of him, but it looks like he's been around for a long time. He told lots of, too many really, growing older jokes. Some were funny, some weren't. He did a few songs and some shtick about not being able to stop his leg. Roy and I both thought Costas was funnier. The people in the row in front of us were laughing loudly at everything Klein said.
There was a long intermission. Then there was a long video thank you to everyone who contributed to the Cardinal Glennon's. All of this build-up was for a good cause, but we were really there for the music.
Simon opened with a song I didn't know. Next, he did the "These are the days of miracle and wonder" song. I recognized it, but Roy had to tell me this song was called Boy in the Bubble. It always reminds me of the ABWH song Quartet, which goes "We are living in days of wonder, Simon says". Of course, this is the song where Simon is saying it.
Things got interesting during the next song, Slip Sliding Away. Not for the performance, but for what was going on around us. Roy and I were the second and third seats in from the aisle. Some guy on the other side of the aisle was talking really loud. Another guy tried to shush him. Loudmouth and Shusher got into an argument. Shusher got up from his seat and brought back a cop. She asked Loudmouth if there was a problem. No, but when she left, Loudmouth started cursing out Shusher. We might be all dressed up, but we're still not civilized, are we? Shusher and quite a few other people in neighboring rows got up and left. He wasn't doing anything wrong, and I only hope they were all able to sit elsewhere and put this behind them for the rest of the show. Loudmouth was mostly quiet after that.
Other people around us were more fun to watch. There were a group of young women next to me, college-aged maybe. They looked too young to know this music, but at least a couple of them were singing along. I had to point out to Roy when at one point, all four of them were taking cell phone pictures of the concert.
The people in front of us looked like a mother and father, adult daughter, and her boyfriend or husband. The father put his arm around his daughter during the Father and Daughter song that was on the Wild Thornberry's movie soundtrack. The daughter was really getting into the show, but she was inappropriately rocking out in the mellowest moments. She'd just start head-banging and it didn't fit the music at all. Nothing rude, but it was distracting and blocking my view a bit. The seat next to Roy by the aisle was still empty, so he had me move over there.
There were a few more songs that I recognized. I knew Mrs. Robinson from the Graduate soundtrack from the start. They started it off just playing that riff and then went into a snippet of Not Fade Away from Buddy Holly. Roy thought the absolute highlight of the night was hearing Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard, with Paul Simon pulling off the whistle part live flawlessly. It's hard to whistle on command like that, hitting all those notes and timing for such a long part.
One of my highlights of the night was Diamonds in the Soles of Her Shoes. I gave it a standing ovation. I felt like a lot of the previous songs had been mellow and soft rock. Nice and well performed, but this song was a good change of pace. The last song of the set was Late in the Evening - another of those songs that I recognized, but didn't know the title.
The encore was strong. Still Crazy After All These Years, The Boxer, and You Can Call Me Al. The young women in my aisle, who looked like they were enjoying the show all night, got up from their seats and walked past us. They weren't leaving now, were they? No! They just moved to the section next to ours. People were up and dancing over there, and there was that whole bunch of empty seats. They moved over there to dance. I can so relate to that. As they went back to their seats, I told one of them, "That was so cool!", meaning watching them enjoy the music. The girl thought I was talking about the show itself and agreed with me.
For the second encore, Paul Simon came out by himself and performed a solo The Sound of Silence. I remember learning this song in elementary song. It was my principal Mr. Romanelli's favorite song, and our music teacher Mrs. Jacobs wanted to surprise him one year. I didn't know who performed it or that it was a "rock" song. It was the mid-80s, so the song had to be about 20 years old at that time. I always liked it, but it was years later that I rediscovered it. That was the other big highlight for me.
I liked the show, but Roy was blown away by it. He is so glad we went, and still amazed that Simon put his whole band together for this one show. It was a special event.
for Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center
with special guest Paul Simon
Fox Theatre
St. Louis, MO
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Section Balcony 4, Row E, Seat 106
$75
The sportscaster Bob Costas hosts a fundraiser every year for a local children's hospital. I knew about it before, but never felt the need to attend. They always get a well known comedian and musical guest. This year, the musical guest was Paul Simon, and Roy definitely wanted to attend. I'm a big fan of Simon and Garfunkel, but I've never listened to much of Simon's solo work. I wasn't sure how many songs I would know, but I was interested in going.
Is it weird that I've never even heard all of Graceland? Roy had a copy, but lent it out long ago and never got it back. Roy played me parts of a couple albums to get familiar with Simon's music: Still Crazy After All These Years and a live album.
This isn't just a concert, but a society event. We got an information sheet in the mail, complete with a dress code. It said business casual. I wore my new brown dress and Roy wore black slacks and a polo shirt with Roger Dean artwork on it. Some people were way more dressed up than that - wearing tuxedos and gowns. The people-watching (and outfit watching) was fun.
I didn't know what the audience would be like during the concert. Were they there for the music, to be part of the scene, or because they were supporters of the hospital? I do know that tickets went on sale long before Paul Simon was announced. we got tickets shortly after that, and a good deal of the orchestra seats were already gone. Our seats were pretty good though, lower balcony, just off the center aisle.
The night started with Bob Costas coming on stage to introduce the event. He made a big deal about how far people traveled for this show. Paul Simon isn't on tour, and apparantly, hasn't done too many live shows recently. He put his full band together for this one-off performance, and lots of fans came to St. Louis to see it. I'm glad they got to see such a nice venue and the Grand Center/Saint Louis University area.
Costas told some jokes and then introduced comedian Robert Klein. I'd never heard of him, but it looks like he's been around for a long time. He told lots of, too many really, growing older jokes. Some were funny, some weren't. He did a few songs and some shtick about not being able to stop his leg. Roy and I both thought Costas was funnier. The people in the row in front of us were laughing loudly at everything Klein said.
There was a long intermission. Then there was a long video thank you to everyone who contributed to the Cardinal Glennon's. All of this build-up was for a good cause, but we were really there for the music.
Simon opened with a song I didn't know. Next, he did the "These are the days of miracle and wonder" song. I recognized it, but Roy had to tell me this song was called Boy in the Bubble. It always reminds me of the ABWH song Quartet, which goes "We are living in days of wonder, Simon says". Of course, this is the song where Simon is saying it.
Things got interesting during the next song, Slip Sliding Away. Not for the performance, but for what was going on around us. Roy and I were the second and third seats in from the aisle. Some guy on the other side of the aisle was talking really loud. Another guy tried to shush him. Loudmouth and Shusher got into an argument. Shusher got up from his seat and brought back a cop. She asked Loudmouth if there was a problem. No, but when she left, Loudmouth started cursing out Shusher. We might be all dressed up, but we're still not civilized, are we? Shusher and quite a few other people in neighboring rows got up and left. He wasn't doing anything wrong, and I only hope they were all able to sit elsewhere and put this behind them for the rest of the show. Loudmouth was mostly quiet after that.
Other people around us were more fun to watch. There were a group of young women next to me, college-aged maybe. They looked too young to know this music, but at least a couple of them were singing along. I had to point out to Roy when at one point, all four of them were taking cell phone pictures of the concert.
The people in front of us looked like a mother and father, adult daughter, and her boyfriend or husband. The father put his arm around his daughter during the Father and Daughter song that was on the Wild Thornberry's movie soundtrack. The daughter was really getting into the show, but she was inappropriately rocking out in the mellowest moments. She'd just start head-banging and it didn't fit the music at all. Nothing rude, but it was distracting and blocking my view a bit. The seat next to Roy by the aisle was still empty, so he had me move over there.
There were a few more songs that I recognized. I knew Mrs. Robinson from the Graduate soundtrack from the start. They started it off just playing that riff and then went into a snippet of Not Fade Away from Buddy Holly. Roy thought the absolute highlight of the night was hearing Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard, with Paul Simon pulling off the whistle part live flawlessly. It's hard to whistle on command like that, hitting all those notes and timing for such a long part.
One of my highlights of the night was Diamonds in the Soles of Her Shoes. I gave it a standing ovation. I felt like a lot of the previous songs had been mellow and soft rock. Nice and well performed, but this song was a good change of pace. The last song of the set was Late in the Evening - another of those songs that I recognized, but didn't know the title.
The encore was strong. Still Crazy After All These Years, The Boxer, and You Can Call Me Al. The young women in my aisle, who looked like they were enjoying the show all night, got up from their seats and walked past us. They weren't leaving now, were they? No! They just moved to the section next to ours. People were up and dancing over there, and there was that whole bunch of empty seats. They moved over there to dance. I can so relate to that. As they went back to their seats, I told one of them, "That was so cool!", meaning watching them enjoy the music. The girl thought I was talking about the show itself and agreed with me.
For the second encore, Paul Simon came out by himself and performed a solo The Sound of Silence. I remember learning this song in elementary song. It was my principal Mr. Romanelli's favorite song, and our music teacher Mrs. Jacobs wanted to surprise him one year. I didn't know who performed it or that it was a "rock" song. It was the mid-80s, so the song had to be about 20 years old at that time. I always liked it, but it was years later that I rediscovered it. That was the other big highlight for me.
I liked the show, but Roy was blown away by it. He is so glad we went, and still amazed that Simon put his whole band together for this one show. It was a special event.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
My Mother and Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp
California Guitar Trio
Opening Act: Los Gauchos Alemanes
Empie Theater
Muhlenberg College
Allentown, PA
Saturday, September 2, 1995
Section Center, Row A, Seat 113
unknown ticket price
My mom does not like rock music. She does not like rock concerts. Back in the days when I could only go to concerts with adult supervision, my dad went or my friends' parents took us. Mom would never go. My mom also doesn't like driving to unfamiliar places. It is so very strange, even fourteen years later, to admit that my mom has seen Robert Fripp in concert. And she drove me to Allentown for that very purpose.
I was 20 years old and had just become a King Crimson fan in the last year or so. I get this feeling when I just discover a new world of music, I have to do everything, lest I never get another chance. Well, Robert Fripp was doing a soundscape tour, and the closest he was coming to home was an hour and a half away in Allentown. And I had to go. In later years, I'd skip some of his soundscape shows that were local to me. But this was my first opportunity to see one as a fan, and what if I never got another chance? I had to go.
One little problem. I didn't drive.
I called my best friend and concert buddy Angela. She didn't share my love of progressive rock. But, she gone with me to the Yes concert in Allentown the year before, because I needed a way to get there. Not this time. I was a good friend, but not worth having to see Robert Fripp and his soundscapes.
I moved back home for the summer. My relationship with my mother was strained. We had a huge fight about my traveling to New York by myself for a King Crimson concert. That was still fresh in our minds one day when we went out to lunch.
I told my mom about the Fripp show, and how Angela didn't want to go. I said the fateful words, "I guess I'll check the Greyhound schedules."
My mom said the even more fateful words, "I could take you."
She was so scared of me traveling somewhere by myself again that she was willing to put up with a concert. She was serious. She didn't even volunteer my dad to take me. Did I want to put up with her enough to have her along with me at the concert? Yeah, I wanted to go and this was convenient. I gave her the same deal I gave Angela - I paid for the tickets, dinner, any ancillary expenses in return for the transportation. I tried to prepare her, by explaining that we'd be seeing a guy playing guitar by himself with lots of sound effects, rather than a full band.
The concert was held in a college auditorium. Tickets were available through the college, instead of Ticketmaster. I called right when tickets went on sale, and got two seats in the front row, center section. They were the second and third seats off the aisle. We get to the venue with no problem. There is no stage; the musicians played on the same floor as our front row seats ten feet away from us.
The first act was Los Gauchos Alemanes. I never heard of them since, but they were students of Fripp's. They played a short set. Then, Fripp came on and started a soundscape. It's hard to describe what a soundscape is: Fripp plays some notes into his machine, and the machine plays them back as background while Fripp plays something new. Soon, it's many layers of sound, sometimes with a melody, sometimes more abstract. Fripp can either play more notes or play with the sounds that he's already created.
"When's he going to start?" my mom whispered to me.
"He has started"
"This is it?!" loud enough for people sitting nearby to hear (and probably Fripp as well). That was followed by, "If I had paid for this, I'd want my money back."
I'm not imagining how loud she was; there's a review of this show on the old King Crimson e-mail list Elephant Talk that mentions my mom's outburst. That reviewer described it:
An impatient woman sitting a row behind us complained audibly during the first soundscape, "I wouldn't have come if I had known it was going to be like this. I thought you said this guy was a guitarist!"
I thought the show was paced very well. It would be tough to listen to hours on end of soundscapes. During this show, Fripp would play a soundscape, then the California Guitar Trio would come out and play a few songs. This repeated a few times. My mom liked CGT better. I did too. I didn't love the soundscapes, but it was fascinating to watch Fripp play them. I could really observe what was going on.
My favorite part of the show was towards the end. Fripp, Los Gauchos, and CGT all walked up the steps of the auditorium. Standing on the steps, all holding acoustic, unamplified guitars, they started playing. It was King Crimson's Vrooom. The juxtaposition of the powerful studio track and the eight acoustic guitars quietly playing the same melody was jarring. I laughed, as did some other people in the audience. My mom wanted to know what was so funny. I tried to explain that we recognized the song, but it didn't usually sound like this!
The band then walked over to the aisle near our seats. They stood on the steps, starting at the front row, and played Thrak. For their last piece, the stood at the front of the audience again, and played a piece I didn't recognize. We had to stand up to see them playing in the far aisle. One guy was still standing, and Fripp gestured to him to sit down.
One thing odd about this show was the no words were said to the audience for the entire show. I heard Fripp counting the band in and saying a song title to the band, but that's only because I was sitting close enough to hear it. Not just Fripp. CGT and Los Gauchos didn't say anything either. The evening ended on a friendly note. The Los Gauchos guys got our attention and gestured to the audience to follow them. We walked out to the lobby, where they played another piece for us. And that was the end. Good way to clear people out of the theater.
I think I blocked the drive home out of my memory. I know my mom didn't hate the entire concert, but she sure did hate the soundscapes. Really, this wasn't a bad show to go to with a parent. It was in a civilized venue and it wasn't loud. I have to say, I've gotten a lot of mileage out of people meeting my mother and then telling them she's seen Fripp in concert.
California Guitar Trio
Opening Act: Los Gauchos Alemanes
Empie Theater
Muhlenberg College
Allentown, PA
Saturday, September 2, 1995
Section Center, Row A, Seat 113
unknown ticket price
My mom does not like rock music. She does not like rock concerts. Back in the days when I could only go to concerts with adult supervision, my dad went or my friends' parents took us. Mom would never go. My mom also doesn't like driving to unfamiliar places. It is so very strange, even fourteen years later, to admit that my mom has seen Robert Fripp in concert. And she drove me to Allentown for that very purpose.
I was 20 years old and had just become a King Crimson fan in the last year or so. I get this feeling when I just discover a new world of music, I have to do everything, lest I never get another chance. Well, Robert Fripp was doing a soundscape tour, and the closest he was coming to home was an hour and a half away in Allentown. And I had to go. In later years, I'd skip some of his soundscape shows that were local to me. But this was my first opportunity to see one as a fan, and what if I never got another chance? I had to go.
One little problem. I didn't drive.
I called my best friend and concert buddy Angela. She didn't share my love of progressive rock. But, she gone with me to the Yes concert in Allentown the year before, because I needed a way to get there. Not this time. I was a good friend, but not worth having to see Robert Fripp and his soundscapes.
I moved back home for the summer. My relationship with my mother was strained. We had a huge fight about my traveling to New York by myself for a King Crimson concert. That was still fresh in our minds one day when we went out to lunch.
I told my mom about the Fripp show, and how Angela didn't want to go. I said the fateful words, "I guess I'll check the Greyhound schedules."
My mom said the even more fateful words, "I could take you."
She was so scared of me traveling somewhere by myself again that she was willing to put up with a concert. She was serious. She didn't even volunteer my dad to take me. Did I want to put up with her enough to have her along with me at the concert? Yeah, I wanted to go and this was convenient. I gave her the same deal I gave Angela - I paid for the tickets, dinner, any ancillary expenses in return for the transportation. I tried to prepare her, by explaining that we'd be seeing a guy playing guitar by himself with lots of sound effects, rather than a full band.
The concert was held in a college auditorium. Tickets were available through the college, instead of Ticketmaster. I called right when tickets went on sale, and got two seats in the front row, center section. They were the second and third seats off the aisle. We get to the venue with no problem. There is no stage; the musicians played on the same floor as our front row seats ten feet away from us.
The first act was Los Gauchos Alemanes. I never heard of them since, but they were students of Fripp's. They played a short set. Then, Fripp came on and started a soundscape. It's hard to describe what a soundscape is: Fripp plays some notes into his machine, and the machine plays them back as background while Fripp plays something new. Soon, it's many layers of sound, sometimes with a melody, sometimes more abstract. Fripp can either play more notes or play with the sounds that he's already created.
"When's he going to start?" my mom whispered to me.
"He has started"
"This is it?!" loud enough for people sitting nearby to hear (and probably Fripp as well). That was followed by, "If I had paid for this, I'd want my money back."
I'm not imagining how loud she was; there's a review of this show on the old King Crimson e-mail list Elephant Talk that mentions my mom's outburst. That reviewer described it:
An impatient woman sitting a row behind us complained audibly during the first soundscape, "I wouldn't have come if I had known it was going to be like this. I thought you said this guy was a guitarist!"
I thought the show was paced very well. It would be tough to listen to hours on end of soundscapes. During this show, Fripp would play a soundscape, then the California Guitar Trio would come out and play a few songs. This repeated a few times. My mom liked CGT better. I did too. I didn't love the soundscapes, but it was fascinating to watch Fripp play them. I could really observe what was going on.
My favorite part of the show was towards the end. Fripp, Los Gauchos, and CGT all walked up the steps of the auditorium. Standing on the steps, all holding acoustic, unamplified guitars, they started playing. It was King Crimson's Vrooom. The juxtaposition of the powerful studio track and the eight acoustic guitars quietly playing the same melody was jarring. I laughed, as did some other people in the audience. My mom wanted to know what was so funny. I tried to explain that we recognized the song, but it didn't usually sound like this!
The band then walked over to the aisle near our seats. They stood on the steps, starting at the front row, and played Thrak. For their last piece, the stood at the front of the audience again, and played a piece I didn't recognize. We had to stand up to see them playing in the far aisle. One guy was still standing, and Fripp gestured to him to sit down.
One thing odd about this show was the no words were said to the audience for the entire show. I heard Fripp counting the band in and saying a song title to the band, but that's only because I was sitting close enough to hear it. Not just Fripp. CGT and Los Gauchos didn't say anything either. The evening ended on a friendly note. The Los Gauchos guys got our attention and gestured to the audience to follow them. We walked out to the lobby, where they played another piece for us. And that was the end. Good way to clear people out of the theater.
I think I blocked the drive home out of my memory. I know my mom didn't hate the entire concert, but she sure did hate the soundscapes. Really, this wasn't a bad show to go to with a parent. It was in a civilized venue and it wasn't loud. I have to say, I've gotten a lot of mileage out of people meeting my mother and then telling them she's seen Fripp in concert.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Encore, Encore!
Adrian Belew Power Trio
Opening Act: Saul Zonana
Blueberry Hill - Duck Room
University City (St. Louis), MO
Thursday, April 16, 2009
General Admission
$20
"Hi Rhea. How you doing?" I had just seen an extraordinary concert from Adrian Belew, and now he was signing autographs for fans. And that was how he greeted me. I am still not used to him knowing my name and not giving us the usual "it's you guys again". I was kinda pleasantly shocked, so I came up with "Hi. Wow. Thanks." in reply and then rushing to say how much I liked the new songs A and B. I need to be cooler next time. Afterwards, I had to ask Roy if I really heard Adrian say it.
Earlier in the day, at work, I went to a lunch-time presentation called "The Polished Professional". The presenter talked about the impact you make calling people by name. That was sure made clear to me after the show. The presentation also went into how you present yourself, clothing, projecting a professional image. I think I broke every rule between yesterday and today:
- I left work early yesterday to go to a rock concert.
- I got into work late today because I stayed up too late at said rock concert.
- Showed up to work with my hair still damp
- They stamped our hands on the way into the show last night, and I couldn't wash it off completely, so there are remains of blue ink on my hand
I was tempted to take today off as a vacation day, but I needed to support a meeting. I joked about all of this with my coworkers and told them I'm going for the eccentric genius image rather than the professional one.
I had worked extra hours earlier in the week so that I could leave early on Thursday. The day went by pretty quickly. I left at 3, and came home to change my clothes and get ready for the concert. And for waiting in line. I have this thing about needing to be in the front row and in my spot. So for general admission concerts, my comfort level is such that I need to be in line long before the next person shows up. No close calls. Roy doesn't love this, but he understands and goes along with it. We walked over to Blueberry Hill around 4 for dinner, and got in line afterwards, around 5. The doors were going to open at 8.
We passed the time by reading and discussing what Yes shows we wanted to see on their summer tour. Only one other fan was there when Adrian and his band arrived. He said hi to us and shook the other guy's hand. More people got in line, and we recognized some of the people towards the front of the line from previous shows. Truthfully, they recognized us. I'm bad with faces, especially when I'm meeting a whole bunch of people at once. But everyone seems to remember me. It puts me at a disadvantage, because people will come over to talk to me and I can't figure out who they are. (But I remember minutia and dates well.)
The doors opened, and Roy and I got our spot. Front row, standing right in front of Adrian's mike stand. This is just about my favorite place to be in the world. There were tables and chairs off to the side, but front and center was set up as a dance floor.
The last time we saw the Power Trio and their opening act, we were in Cleveland. It was during a blizzard, and we were worried about traveling in the bad weather. Now, I was much more relaxed and I enjoyed the opening act Saul Zonana more. He did a cover of the Beatles' Across the Universe and turned it into a singalong.
There was a setlist taped to the floor of the stage. I could see the bottom part of it. I don't think it was used - the songs were played out of order and at least one song I saw was not played.
The band came on just before ten, my usual bedtime. They opened with an instrumental that reminded me of a reworked instrumental Neurotica. It got really good as it went on. Really really good. This first piece was really tracks "A" and "B" of the power trio's upcoming album E. The next song was Young Lions, one of my favorite Adrian songs. Great start to the show.
The rest of the song order is a blur - I know we heard Big Electric Cat, Writing on the Wall, Ampersand, Beat Box Guitar, Madness, Drive, Of Bow and Drum, and some others that I didn't recognize. Adrian had blogged that he'd be playing "some past favorites you haven't heard in a while", but nothing fit that category for me. I saw "Rhino" on the setlist, but they didn't play Lone Rhinoceros. They also played another new piece E. Roy and I had heard that one in Cleveland last year. It meandered and didn't have the punch that the opening songs A and B had.
There were a whole bunch of little issues, but they didn't detract from the experience. One thing that did detract was the heat. It was so warm in there, and there was no air movement. I was sweating even before the show started. Adrian was sweating so much his guitar pick slipped out of his fingers. The biggest mistake of the night was the band fizzling out during Madness. I guess people thought it was the end of the song, because they applauded, but Roy and I just looked at each other. They started the song back up again. It didn't seem to faze the audience. Adrian has such a complicated setup, a couple times he stepped on the wrong pedal and caused a humming sound or got the wrong sound out of his guitar.
Those little things didn't seem to matter. I felt like I was in the moment and really feeling the music rather than letting my mind wander. Adrian's band is great and he's got a wonderful presence on stage. Roy and I talked afterwards about how much eye contact Adrian made with us; it makes me feel like I'm part of the excitement rather than an observer. A couple times, it felt like he was speaking to us rather than to the audience - mentioning how hot it was and asking if we saw where his pick fell. The crowd response was great too. I can only imagine that most of them weren't familiar with all the material, but they were really getting into it. It was that back and forth between the band and audience that made this my favorite of the power trio shows I've seen.
The setlist had a major gap in it. No King Crimson. I had seen part of the setlist, and the main set ended with "3", and Thela was one of the encore songs. But the main set ended without Three of a Perfect Pair. The band came back out and encored with Thela Hun Ginjeet. As much as I love Adrian's solo music, these Crimson songs are the reason I became a fan. I enjoyed that one. And then the show was over.
Or was it? The time was something like quarter-to-midnight, it was a week night, but the crowd wanted more. The audience was still cheering. Adrian's bandmates are a brother and sister. Their dad was at the concert, filming it from the back of the stage. He was gesturing for us to keep cheering. It got loud. I could see the door to the backstage opening a few times and glimpses of the band getting ready to come back on stage.
The whole idea of an encore is that the audience expresses their intent that they enjoyed the performance and would like more. In reality, encores are planned. The band goes off stage, people applaud, then the band comes back on stage. Yes saves Roundabout for the encore. I've seen Springsteen play an hour long encore. I've seen real encores before, generally at festivals when a band plays their allotted time, there is great audience response, and the stage managers give the band more time. This time was different, because the band could set their own performance length, what songs they wanted to play, and they played them.
I have to admit, I wasn't applauding all that loudly. The show was over. But something could happen. I stayed in my spot. The audience did it. Adrian and his bandmates came back on stage. It was such a thrilling moment. Adrian looked overwhelmed by the response and told us that he'd like to play for us all night, but they'd do one more song. It was Three of a Perfect Pair.
After that, the show really was over. When everything goes right, live performances can really be transcendent. This night was like that.
Adrian and his band came out to sign autographs afterwards. Roy and I were going to wait until the crowd got smaller and then walk up. At first, everyone was gathered around Adrian, and he was signing things, but it was all moving very quickly. I prefer when there's a line and then some one-on-one time. Someone else decided that we had been there longer and gave us some space. Adrian saw us and said "Hi Rhea, how you doing?" (I had to write that again.) I'm still not used to that. I wasn't looking at him at the time and was not expecting a hello like that. He signed my Young Lions CD. I told him how much I liked the new pieces A and B and then rambled about how we had seen E last year. Adrian told us that they haven't played the other new pieces C and D live yet. The whole thing was really quick.
We talked to some other fans. One guy liked the show Adrian did here a few years back with his other power trio better, because they played more Crimson songs. I think the current trio is much more exciting.
Roy wanted to tell Adrian a particular story. When the crowd got smaller, Roy went up to him again. We bought a Bears tshirt from their tour in 2002. I call it the Big Electric Bear shirt. Roy happened to be wearing it when we met artist Roger Dean at a festival, and Roger said he liked it. He thought it was a dog. We told him it was a bear, and he said "Even better!" I could hear Roy telling the story, and Adrian replying that Roger Dean knew his art. Roy also talked to Adrian's bandmembers, Eric and Julie Slick, telling them how we saw them last year in Cleveland. Eric remembered the venue was the Beachland Ballroom.
We walked back through the restaurant, and the Talking Heads Burning Down the House was on the jukebox. I sang along, and we walked back home. It was nearly 1 AM. I sent out an e-mail to my boss that I'd be in late the next day. I wasn't ready for sleep, too wound up and excited from the experience. I sent a note to the Adrian Belew Yahoogroup about the extra encore and did a few other things on line.
The next morning, my boss IM'd me to ask if it was a late night and then, if it was worth it. I wrote back "oh yes". Sometimes it feels like I live in two worlds, between the music fandom and my career. I don't know how "professional" it is to share my other life with coworkers, but I'm glad I can and that they take an interest in it. We all have other lives outside of work.
Opening Act: Saul Zonana
Blueberry Hill - Duck Room
University City (St. Louis), MO
Thursday, April 16, 2009
General Admission
$20
"Hi Rhea. How you doing?" I had just seen an extraordinary concert from Adrian Belew, and now he was signing autographs for fans. And that was how he greeted me. I am still not used to him knowing my name and not giving us the usual "it's you guys again". I was kinda pleasantly shocked, so I came up with "Hi. Wow. Thanks." in reply and then rushing to say how much I liked the new songs A and B. I need to be cooler next time. Afterwards, I had to ask Roy if I really heard Adrian say it.
Earlier in the day, at work, I went to a lunch-time presentation called "The Polished Professional". The presenter talked about the impact you make calling people by name. That was sure made clear to me after the show. The presentation also went into how you present yourself, clothing, projecting a professional image. I think I broke every rule between yesterday and today:
- I left work early yesterday to go to a rock concert.
- I got into work late today because I stayed up too late at said rock concert.
- Showed up to work with my hair still damp
- They stamped our hands on the way into the show last night, and I couldn't wash it off completely, so there are remains of blue ink on my hand
I was tempted to take today off as a vacation day, but I needed to support a meeting. I joked about all of this with my coworkers and told them I'm going for the eccentric genius image rather than the professional one.
I had worked extra hours earlier in the week so that I could leave early on Thursday. The day went by pretty quickly. I left at 3, and came home to change my clothes and get ready for the concert. And for waiting in line. I have this thing about needing to be in the front row and in my spot. So for general admission concerts, my comfort level is such that I need to be in line long before the next person shows up. No close calls. Roy doesn't love this, but he understands and goes along with it. We walked over to Blueberry Hill around 4 for dinner, and got in line afterwards, around 5. The doors were going to open at 8.
We passed the time by reading and discussing what Yes shows we wanted to see on their summer tour. Only one other fan was there when Adrian and his band arrived. He said hi to us and shook the other guy's hand. More people got in line, and we recognized some of the people towards the front of the line from previous shows. Truthfully, they recognized us. I'm bad with faces, especially when I'm meeting a whole bunch of people at once. But everyone seems to remember me. It puts me at a disadvantage, because people will come over to talk to me and I can't figure out who they are. (But I remember minutia and dates well.)
The doors opened, and Roy and I got our spot. Front row, standing right in front of Adrian's mike stand. This is just about my favorite place to be in the world. There were tables and chairs off to the side, but front and center was set up as a dance floor.
The last time we saw the Power Trio and their opening act, we were in Cleveland. It was during a blizzard, and we were worried about traveling in the bad weather. Now, I was much more relaxed and I enjoyed the opening act Saul Zonana more. He did a cover of the Beatles' Across the Universe and turned it into a singalong.
There was a setlist taped to the floor of the stage. I could see the bottom part of it. I don't think it was used - the songs were played out of order and at least one song I saw was not played.
The band came on just before ten, my usual bedtime. They opened with an instrumental that reminded me of a reworked instrumental Neurotica. It got really good as it went on. Really really good. This first piece was really tracks "A" and "B" of the power trio's upcoming album E. The next song was Young Lions, one of my favorite Adrian songs. Great start to the show.
The rest of the song order is a blur - I know we heard Big Electric Cat, Writing on the Wall, Ampersand, Beat Box Guitar, Madness, Drive, Of Bow and Drum, and some others that I didn't recognize. Adrian had blogged that he'd be playing "some past favorites you haven't heard in a while", but nothing fit that category for me. I saw "Rhino" on the setlist, but they didn't play Lone Rhinoceros. They also played another new piece E. Roy and I had heard that one in Cleveland last year. It meandered and didn't have the punch that the opening songs A and B had.
There were a whole bunch of little issues, but they didn't detract from the experience. One thing that did detract was the heat. It was so warm in there, and there was no air movement. I was sweating even before the show started. Adrian was sweating so much his guitar pick slipped out of his fingers. The biggest mistake of the night was the band fizzling out during Madness. I guess people thought it was the end of the song, because they applauded, but Roy and I just looked at each other. They started the song back up again. It didn't seem to faze the audience. Adrian has such a complicated setup, a couple times he stepped on the wrong pedal and caused a humming sound or got the wrong sound out of his guitar.
Those little things didn't seem to matter. I felt like I was in the moment and really feeling the music rather than letting my mind wander. Adrian's band is great and he's got a wonderful presence on stage. Roy and I talked afterwards about how much eye contact Adrian made with us; it makes me feel like I'm part of the excitement rather than an observer. A couple times, it felt like he was speaking to us rather than to the audience - mentioning how hot it was and asking if we saw where his pick fell. The crowd response was great too. I can only imagine that most of them weren't familiar with all the material, but they were really getting into it. It was that back and forth between the band and audience that made this my favorite of the power trio shows I've seen.
The setlist had a major gap in it. No King Crimson. I had seen part of the setlist, and the main set ended with "3", and Thela was one of the encore songs. But the main set ended without Three of a Perfect Pair. The band came back out and encored with Thela Hun Ginjeet. As much as I love Adrian's solo music, these Crimson songs are the reason I became a fan. I enjoyed that one. And then the show was over.
Or was it? The time was something like quarter-to-midnight, it was a week night, but the crowd wanted more. The audience was still cheering. Adrian's bandmates are a brother and sister. Their dad was at the concert, filming it from the back of the stage. He was gesturing for us to keep cheering. It got loud. I could see the door to the backstage opening a few times and glimpses of the band getting ready to come back on stage.
The whole idea of an encore is that the audience expresses their intent that they enjoyed the performance and would like more. In reality, encores are planned. The band goes off stage, people applaud, then the band comes back on stage. Yes saves Roundabout for the encore. I've seen Springsteen play an hour long encore. I've seen real encores before, generally at festivals when a band plays their allotted time, there is great audience response, and the stage managers give the band more time. This time was different, because the band could set their own performance length, what songs they wanted to play, and they played them.
I have to admit, I wasn't applauding all that loudly. The show was over. But something could happen. I stayed in my spot. The audience did it. Adrian and his bandmates came back on stage. It was such a thrilling moment. Adrian looked overwhelmed by the response and told us that he'd like to play for us all night, but they'd do one more song. It was Three of a Perfect Pair.
After that, the show really was over. When everything goes right, live performances can really be transcendent. This night was like that.
Adrian and his band came out to sign autographs afterwards. Roy and I were going to wait until the crowd got smaller and then walk up. At first, everyone was gathered around Adrian, and he was signing things, but it was all moving very quickly. I prefer when there's a line and then some one-on-one time. Someone else decided that we had been there longer and gave us some space. Adrian saw us and said "Hi Rhea, how you doing?" (I had to write that again.) I'm still not used to that. I wasn't looking at him at the time and was not expecting a hello like that. He signed my Young Lions CD. I told him how much I liked the new pieces A and B and then rambled about how we had seen E last year. Adrian told us that they haven't played the other new pieces C and D live yet. The whole thing was really quick.
We talked to some other fans. One guy liked the show Adrian did here a few years back with his other power trio better, because they played more Crimson songs. I think the current trio is much more exciting.
Roy wanted to tell Adrian a particular story. When the crowd got smaller, Roy went up to him again. We bought a Bears tshirt from their tour in 2002. I call it the Big Electric Bear shirt. Roy happened to be wearing it when we met artist Roger Dean at a festival, and Roger said he liked it. He thought it was a dog. We told him it was a bear, and he said "Even better!" I could hear Roy telling the story, and Adrian replying that Roger Dean knew his art. Roy also talked to Adrian's bandmembers, Eric and Julie Slick, telling them how we saw them last year in Cleveland. Eric remembered the venue was the Beachland Ballroom.
We walked back through the restaurant, and the Talking Heads Burning Down the House was on the jukebox. I sang along, and we walked back home. It was nearly 1 AM. I sent out an e-mail to my boss that I'd be in late the next day. I wasn't ready for sleep, too wound up and excited from the experience. I sent a note to the Adrian Belew Yahoogroup about the extra encore and did a few other things on line.
The next morning, my boss IM'd me to ask if it was a late night and then, if it was worth it. I wrote back "oh yes". Sometimes it feels like I live in two worlds, between the music fandom and my career. I don't know how "professional" it is to share my other life with coworkers, but I'm glad I can and that they take an interest in it. We all have other lives outside of work.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Taking Lemons and Making Lemonade
of Yes
Aladdin Theater
Portland, OR
Saturday, February 14, 2009
General Admission - Early Entry
$200
Howe Squire and White
of Yes
Commodore Ballroom
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Sunday, February 15, 2009
General Admission - Early Entry
$202 (Canadian)
Portland Jazz Festival
Terence Blanchard
opening act: Gonzalo Rubalcaba
Schnitzer Concert Hall
Portland, OR
Friday, February 13, 2009
Section Mezz C, Row H, Seat 7
My heroes are getting old. I've known my favorite musicians were getting older - we all are - but it never seemed to slow them down before. Lately, however, Rick Wakeman cut down how much touring he would do each year. Jon Anderson was seriously ill last year, which forced the cancellation of a Yes tour.
Roy and I had this in mind when Chris Squire, Alan White, and Steve Howe announced a second leg of their tour, hitting the west coast. After seeing them three times last year, I wanted to go to more shows. We decided on Portland and Vancouver; they were cities we wanted to visit. Roy and I talked about what would happen if this tour didn't take place. We wanted to go anyway. So we booked a non-refundable flight and non-refundable cheaper hotel rooms.
I had big plans for this trip. Both shows were general admission, and I paid extra for early entry seats. We'd get in line early and be in the front row for both shows. Seeing our favorites together on Valentine's Day would be the best way to celebrate ever. Maybe we'd even be on the same flight as the band from Portland to Vancouver.
The first night of the tour took place. The second show was cancelled suddenly. Chris Squire had been rushed to the hospital. The official Yes website states that Chris had surgery on his leg and he is on his way to a full recovery. At the time, we didn't know anything: if just one or two shows would be cancelled, the whole tour, or what.
It seems callous to worry about our own plans when Chris' health was in question. But in reality, we were flying to unfamiliar cities in a couple days and needed some back-up plans. Portland had a lot of stuff going on - the Portland Jazz Festival and a film festival going on. We found out a day before we left that the next week of shows would be cancelled. Later on, it was announced that the whole tour would be cancelled.
I was dreading the flight to Portland, but it turned out well. There were no direct flights and Roy did not want to leave too early in the morning. So we had a flight going from St. Louis to Dallas, a three hour layover in Dallas, and then Dallas to Portland. The flight south to Dallas flew right over my neighborhood - I could even identify my street from the airplane. Coldplay tickets were going on pre-sale that day, and we arrived at our layover in time to find internet access and buy tickets. We still had time for a sit-down lunch. The whole trip was long, but relaxing. We arrived in Portland in mid-afternoon.
Roy and I checked into the hotel and rested for a little while, but I did not fall asleep. As usual, I didn't sleep on the plane either. This was the opening night of the Portland Jazz Festival, and we decided to see Terence Blanchard, a trumpet player and native of New Orleans. This had the makings of a very special performance - the live debut of his score of the Hurricane Katrina documentary "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts", complete with a orchestra accompaniment.
I was concerned about the timing of some of the performances. Portland is two hours behind St. Louis. Some of the performances were starting at 9:30pm - that's 11:30pm my time. I woke up even earlier than usual that day because of the flight. I thought we were okay, because the Blanchard show started at 7:30. From the performance schedule, it looked like events were starting every 2 hours, so I thought each of the performances would last that long. I didn't realize there was an opening act who'd get to play for an hour and a half. The opener didn't thrill me, and I had been awake for almost 20 hours straight by the time the headliner went on stage. Roy told me to get up and walk around during the intermission. It was so crowded though, I did better perking myself up by reading the program. Roy offered to walk me back to the hotel so I could go to sleep, but I wanted to see the main event too.
I wanted to enjoy this more than I did. The music was beautiful and well-performed, all the musicians looked excited to be there. It felt special. It gave me enough energy to really enjoy the first half hour or so. Then, the tiredness got to me. I sat there for another half hour, unable to sleep and unable to focus. I told Roy I wanted us to leave. Neither of us were happy about this. He was so enjoying the show. Roy suggested I walk back to the hotel myself - I didn't feel comfortable doing that in a strange city and being so tired. Thinking back, I should have gotten out of the dark auditorium and read in the lobby. Then Roy could have seen the whole performance. Blanchard is coming to St. Louis in May, but this one was a once-in-a-lifetime performance.
That's the only concert we attended on the trip. The next day, we explored Portland, going to Voodoo Donuts, Powell's bookstore, Everyday Music, other shops along Burnside, took a street car, and went to the art museum. We had a bit of a problem with food - Roy and I expected to spend Valentine's Day in line to see Yes, so we had no dinner reservations and no idea where to go. The hotel suggested a pizza place nearby. We ate there, and someone commented on Roy's Yes t-shirt, so we talked music with some other people there. Then Yes came on the radio!
I've always been more of a daytime city person than a fan of nightlife. We just went back to the hotel after dinner. It sounds like a letdown to watch a movie in the hotel on a Saturday night, but we enjoyed it.
I think I was most impressed with the people in Portland - everyone was so friendly and helpful. I got a feeling of forced over-the-top cheerfulness from one woman at the airport, but it seemed natural from everyone else. The city is a real experiment in public funding - there was a good public transportation system and a lot of environmentally friendly infrastructure in place. People just seemed proud of their city and wanting to make sure we enjoying it.
When I visit different cities, I imagine what it would be like to live there. I never got a good feeling of how people actually lived in Portland - we didn't see any houses walking around downtown, just a few newer looking condo or apartment buildings. The moderate tempuratures, artsy atmosphere, and outdoor lifestyle would be nice. But would I really want to live in a place where three members of Yes couldn't sell out a 600 seat venue?
The second part of our trip was flying to Vancouver, British Columbia. Beautiful city. It was definitely the off-season for tourism there, many of tours and events at Stanley Park weren't taking place this time of year. But we were able to get a cheap rate at the Hotel Vancouver - a really nice hotel. We walked along Robson Street, saw the beach, went to Granville Island, and walked along the sea wall from Stanley Park back towards the hotel.
One of the highlights of the trip was walking across the Granville Street Bridge. We did it as a last minute decision - we're on Granville, we want to go to Granville Island, let's walk. Once we were on the bridge we had to stop a few times just to look at the gorgeous city, the water, the buildings downtown, Granville Island, the blue sky. If we had taken a cab or the ferry across, we would have missed this experience. For a moment, I wish I had brought a camera along, but the pictures could not possibly turn out as spectacular as what we saw.
Quite the concert took place while we were there, but we didn't know about it at the time! We did the same thing in Vancouver as Portland - explored the city during the day and had low-key evenings. If we had known what was taking place in our very hotel...
Diana Krall held a fund-raising concert at the Hotel Vancouver, with guests Elvis Costello, Elton John, James Taylor, Sarah McLachlan. Roy and I saw people all dressed up in the hotel lobby, and we saw a sign for the concert. I thought this was a dinner or an award or appreciation type of event. No, we found out later that all of these people I listed above were playing live in our hotel while we were there. We wouldn't have been able to attend, but I probably would have stayed in the lobby longer to people-watch.
The Vancouver Sun
The Vancouver Sun - Background on the charity
tiscali
News 1130
24 Hours Vancouver
Aside from the late night and fatigue from the first night of our trip, everything was relaxing. We didn't get to see our band, but it gave us more time to explore these fascinating cities. I think we made the best of it.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Harptallica
Harptallica
in-store appearance
Vintage Vinyl
University City (St. Louis), MO
Sunday, February 1, 2009
free
I don't listen to much metal these days, but I used to really like it, back in my teens. Metallica is one of the few bands from back then that I'm not embarrassed about liking. Seeing them on the tours for ... And Justice For All and the black album are among the only times I can think of when I got to see the tours of truly classic albums - so many of the bands I like hit their prime years earlier. I bought Metallica's ... And Justice For All the day it came out. I truly think that listening to that album's lengthy songs and changes in tempo and meter primed me for progressive rock. It was certainly my frame of reference the first time I heard Yes' Heart of the Sunrise - it reminded me of Metallica.
I haven't followed their career in a while, but Roy found out about a unique tribute band. Harptallica bills itself as "the all harp tribute to Metallica". It's two women harp players, playing Metallica songs. Roy doesn't have a background as a Metallica fan, but he was intrigued and went to their show here a couple years ago. (I had class that night, or I would have joined him.) He liked it, and we were glad to hear they were coming back to St. Louis.
Harptallica was actually doing two shows in town, both down the street from us. One was a club show at Cicero's and the other was a free in-store appearance at Vintage Vinyl. It's ironic that I'm such a big music fan and live in an area where there are always live music performances going on in bars and clubs, but I rarely attend. But I hate putting up with cigarette smoke - I'll only go to a club show if it's a band I really want to see, where it's worth the headaches, stink, and all-around discomfort level. Ah, some day I will be able to breathe in places and take advantage of all this music. For now, there's just one bar/restaurant nearby that offers live music and is non-smoking. That's why the in-store appearance was so nice - non-smoking record store, not keeping me up later than usual, free.
Roy and I walked down to Delmar a little before 3:00pm. I think we got there ten minutes early, in case there was a crowd. I could see a few people who looked like they were there for the show. The harps were set up in back, in the jazz section. I spent some time looking at the Yes LP selection and then we found a spot to watch the performance. By the time they started, there were about 15 people there.
Harptallica played three songs: The Unforgiven, Fade to Black, and The Call of Ktulu. The first two pieces were more pretty and sedate, the melodies were recognizable, but it was a totally different style than the originals. For The Call of Ktulu, they played the harps more percussively, and it had a more frantic feel to it. To be honest, this sounds more like music I'd listen to now than Metallica itself. A group of teenage boys were standing in the aisle next to ours. They had been there since we entered the store. A few minutes into the first song, I noticed they had left. The rest of the audience gave them a good reception.
One of the women introduced each song and mentioned their live show tonight at Cicero's at each break. I felt bad, not just because I wasn't planning on going, but also because tonight is the Super Bowl, and I couldn't imagine what their turn out would be. I'm glad I got a taste of it. I just need a more pleasant concert experience than the smoky basement of Cicero's to get me to their real show.
in-store appearance
Vintage Vinyl
University City (St. Louis), MO
Sunday, February 1, 2009
free
I don't listen to much metal these days, but I used to really like it, back in my teens. Metallica is one of the few bands from back then that I'm not embarrassed about liking. Seeing them on the tours for ... And Justice For All and the black album are among the only times I can think of when I got to see the tours of truly classic albums - so many of the bands I like hit their prime years earlier. I bought Metallica's ... And Justice For All the day it came out. I truly think that listening to that album's lengthy songs and changes in tempo and meter primed me for progressive rock. It was certainly my frame of reference the first time I heard Yes' Heart of the Sunrise - it reminded me of Metallica.
I haven't followed their career in a while, but Roy found out about a unique tribute band. Harptallica bills itself as "the all harp tribute to Metallica". It's two women harp players, playing Metallica songs. Roy doesn't have a background as a Metallica fan, but he was intrigued and went to their show here a couple years ago. (I had class that night, or I would have joined him.) He liked it, and we were glad to hear they were coming back to St. Louis.
Harptallica was actually doing two shows in town, both down the street from us. One was a club show at Cicero's and the other was a free in-store appearance at Vintage Vinyl. It's ironic that I'm such a big music fan and live in an area where there are always live music performances going on in bars and clubs, but I rarely attend. But I hate putting up with cigarette smoke - I'll only go to a club show if it's a band I really want to see, where it's worth the headaches, stink, and all-around discomfort level. Ah, some day I will be able to breathe in places and take advantage of all this music. For now, there's just one bar/restaurant nearby that offers live music and is non-smoking. That's why the in-store appearance was so nice - non-smoking record store, not keeping me up later than usual, free.
Roy and I walked down to Delmar a little before 3:00pm. I think we got there ten minutes early, in case there was a crowd. I could see a few people who looked like they were there for the show. The harps were set up in back, in the jazz section. I spent some time looking at the Yes LP selection and then we found a spot to watch the performance. By the time they started, there were about 15 people there.
Harptallica played three songs: The Unforgiven, Fade to Black, and The Call of Ktulu. The first two pieces were more pretty and sedate, the melodies were recognizable, but it was a totally different style than the originals. For The Call of Ktulu, they played the harps more percussively, and it had a more frantic feel to it. To be honest, this sounds more like music I'd listen to now than Metallica itself. A group of teenage boys were standing in the aisle next to ours. They had been there since we entered the store. A few minutes into the first song, I noticed they had left. The rest of the audience gave them a good reception.
One of the women introduced each song and mentioned their live show tonight at Cicero's at each break. I felt bad, not just because I wasn't planning on going, but also because tonight is the Super Bowl, and I couldn't imagine what their turn out would be. I'm glad I got a taste of it. I just need a more pleasant concert experience than the smoky basement of Cicero's to get me to their real show.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
The Pageantry of Yes
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.
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!
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.
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