Whenever I’m asked “what’s your favorite band”, I usually return with, “What kind do ya like?”. After a long life as a guitar player dabbling in virtually every musical style, the topic of favorite bands requires a bit of a drill-down. Even specifying my favorite genre is a difficult task, but certainly there are genres that appeal to me more than others. One of which is “progressive rock”.
I’ve been a huge fan of the seminal prog-rock band YES since their youthful days back in the early 70s. The classic lineup of lead singer Jon Anderson, Steve Howe on guitars and vox, Chris Squire on bass and vox, Rick Wakeman on keys and Bill Bruford on drums and percussion (later replaced by Alan White) for me is their finest — though the later revolving door of band members (now upwards of 20) have all produced some of the finest prog-rock ever created.
My old Bloomington friend David Bender, a guitarist himself, and I spent countless hours back in the day getting high and bathing our brains in Roundabout, Close To The Edge, the Topographic Oceans collection, and more, trying to figure out just how such amazing music was possible. Bender and I remember those days fondly.
We naturally focused the preponderance of our attention on guitarist Steve Howe, but the undeniably brilliant soundscapes of keyboardist Rick Wakeman were an essential component of the band’s hard-rocking yet often ethereal sound, as well as a significant factor in their meteoric rise to worldwide success following the release of Close To The Edge in 1972. In a band full of world-class musicians, Wakeman was arguably the most accomplished (but you didn’t hear that from me).
So when I got word that Rick Wakeman was to bring his one-man show to the Brown County Music Center April 12 of this year, I rang up Bender and tickets were had. Wakes says this is his last solo world concert tour, as the man is approaching his 80s with a few health issues and a strong desire to stay nearer the old homestead to focus on future musical projects and collaborations with less stress on his personal life. I can certainly relate.
In years past Wakeman typically focused his solo shows on a grand piano, but on this final tour he’s also staging a couple of keyboards which he considers essential instruments in his arsenal.
Here’s a quick video clip I captured on my iPhone of Wakes enthralling the crowd here in Brown County, now just a few short weeks ago:
In addition to his musical skills, Wakes is famous for his classic dry English wit, often wickedly ribald. He’s even done standup over the years, and in England is as well known for his humor as his music — which was on ample display during his Brown County show — though he infamously delivered an even more unexpurgated performance back in 2017 at YES’ induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame:
Finally, if I’ve managed to properly pique your interest, here’s an awesome extended interview with Wakes on one of the best music channels on YouTube, Rick Beato:
