Concert Preview—

Rick Wakeman Is No ‘Yes Man’ On His Grand Piano Tour

By John Voket

Whether fans are coming to see a musical trend-setter performing passages from some of the most famous material he contributed to the classic art-rock band Yes, to hear samples from some of his most popular, or least accessible solo projects, nearly 100 strong, to hear some humorous stories about his work in numerous British popular television shows, or tales from the road when he worked with the likes of David Bowie or The Strawbs, next weekend’s scheduled Danbury appearance of Rick Wakeman is certain to be a one-of-a-kind experience.

The on-again, off-again “Yes man” is set to hit the intimate stage of Premier Music Hall on Delay Street on Friday, March 3, with what his management is describing as “an evening of music and ridiculous anecdotes.”

Wakeman described this modest American “Grand Piano Tour” as such because that’s what his life has been full of.

Apparently, nothing ever really seems to run normally as far as Wakeman is concerned, and over a career that has spanned more than 36 years he has collected a plethora of stories, some of which will be revealed in Danbury. He claims they’re all true and it has to be said that witnesses who were around at the time have borne this out, although when once asked by a journalist if the stories were 100 percent accurate, he replied, “I have to admit that some of them are not exactly representative of what happened at the time because I have had to water the truth down somewhat in order to make them believable!”

Born in 1949 in West London, Rick Wakeman started piano lessons at the age of five with the highly renowned piano teacher Dorothy Symes with whom he remained until age of 18 when he won a scholarship to the Royal College of Music in London. In addition to the piano he also had seven years tuition on the clarinet and four years learning the church organ. At the Royal College he also took orchestration and modern music as additional studies.

Mr Wakeman has decided though that 2006 will be his last year of solo touring in any form and the only time he can be seen on stage from 2007 onwards would be for the occasional one-off event, working with another artist, or with Yes. His solo shows over the years have taken many forms from that of performing with full symphony orchestras and choirs to that of his acclaimed one-man show.

The English Rock Ensemble has been everything from a three-piece to an eight-piece line-up although Wakeman reckons that the current five-piece line-up including Ashley Holt, Dave Colquhoon on guitar, Lee Pomeroy on bass, and Tony Fernandez on drums is the strongest and best line-up he has had.

Apart from Yes, Wakeman spent a year and a half working with The Strawbs and still works occasionally with Dave Cousins (they produced a best-selling album together entitled Hummingbird in 2003). He also worked with the band Sky on its tour of Australia in 1985.

Wakeman is one of the few musicians who has actually succeeded in running a successful solo career alongside that of being part of a successful band, i.e. Yes, a band which holds a very special place in his heart and in which he has spent a total of 13 years (off and on) since 1971.

Nobody really knows how many solo albums he’s produced (he doesn’t really know himself), but it is certainly well in excess of 100. In recent years he has become a regular on the cult TV series Grumpy Old Men and is in fact the only person to have appeared in every program.

Other regular television appearances in the last ten years have included This Is Your Life (both as a guest and as the one being “caught”), The Generation Game, Live at Jongleurs, Hale and Pace, Through the Keyhole, Countdown, That’s Your Lot and Songs of Praise.

According to a release from his management, “…people have continually written to Rick asking him if he could play more acoustic piano at concerts, and again that’s been taken into account when putting these special shows together for America.”

The local concert will span a career lasting more than 37 years and will contain music that not only has been penned by Wakeman, but also music by other composers with whom he has been associated. Add to this the wonderful voice of Ashley Holt and some truly ludicrous stories, and you have the recipe for a performance which will cover all emotions, so sit back and prepare to enjoy a unique evening displaying the many talents of Rick Wakeman.

Tickets are $35 for the March 3 concert, general admission seating, and the show is open to all ages. For additional information or to order tickets, visit PremierConcerts.com.