9/17/16

I've officially settled into my new apartment at UC Riverside. I'm ready to begin my sophomore year of college. Hopefully it will only be better. I'm taking four classes: two English, one computer science, and one history. The last two are requirements. I'm excited to finally have my own bedroom and a kitchen, since I enjoy cooking as a hobby.

Anyway, I made a big change on Wednesday. On Wednesday afternoon, I crossed off another bucket list item: get a tattoo. For about the last year or so I imagined myself getting the P logo from the Progressive Music Awards tattooed on my right upper arm. I knew that that would be a huge commitment, so I thought about it for a long time. Since I knew that the process of getting a tattoo was a particularly painful one, I decided that it would be better to get one symbol that represents all of prog instead of many individual tattoos representing different bands. To me, my new tattoo represents more than just prog. It represents what I feel strongly about, and how important music has been to me over the last 7 years. When I look at my tattoo I think of all the ripple effects that came out of my musical journey. That one day at guitar class back in 2009 led to the discovery of new music, new people, and a passion that I never knew I had. It represents the old music, the current music, and the music that's to come. The tattoo took about 2.5 hours to put on. I gritted my teeth against the pain of the needles racing across my skin, but I kept reminding myself why I was putting myself through this. I was doing it because I felt that strongly about prog. I felt strong enough about it that I was willing to have a symbol for it permanently marked on my skin. I wear my new ink proudly. Once it heals up (just in time for the Ian Anderson concert on October 18!) I will proudly display it.

9/1/16

Yes played a great show Sunday night. It was an honor getting to hear Drama in its entirety as well as sides 1 and 4 of Tales From Topographic Oceans. There was also a surprise appearance for "Tempus Fugit:" Trevor Horn. I was surprised that he could still sing that song as well as he did. He definitely didn't disappoint. There was a slight change in lineup shortly before the tour started, however. Since Alan White needed to undergo some physical therapy for back pain, he had to sit this tour out. Filling in for him for the time being is Jay Schellen. I couldn't help but compare this tour to the last one, which was quite sad to watch. On the last tour with Toto, Yes seemed to have lost the energy, presence, and drive that they had when Chris was still alive. I was afraid that that drive was lost completely due to the absence of Chris, but I decided to give them one more chance. I am very pleased to say that the Yes I saw Sunday night was a far more confident Yes than what I saw last year. I think playing entire albums really impacts their performance in a positive way. When they play full albums, they really seem excited about the show. To me a Yes concert (and really any concert) is supposed to be a positive, uplifting experience. I would hate to associate a Yes concert with bad memories, which is why I was ready to retire from going to Yes shows had this one been low-energy. Needless to say, I will be continuing to see them as long as they tour by themselves. I have seen them five times now, three times alone, and twice with another band. The two times I saw them with another band were very weak compared to the other three. Chris' death may have played a factor last year, but I think it was also because they couldn't be as creative with their set lists as they could when touring alone. As long as they continue to play alone and with confidence, I will be there. 

7.5/10

The 2016 Progressive Music Awards took place tonight in England. It was streamed live on Facebook so I was able to watch it in real time. Tonight's show seemed to be a lot more diverse than last year. It seemed like more attention was given to younger and lesser known bands. Last year's awards show was basically a love fest for Steven Wilson. I have a few new bands to look into now. As some of you may know, Jon Anderson was presented with the Prog God Award at the end of the evening by Rick Wakeman and Trevor Rabin. Trevor Horn even flew in from Santa Barbara to attend. Appropriate attention was given at the beginning of the evening to the many musicians who have died this year, including Keith Emerson and David Bowie. During Jon Anderson's speech, I couldn't help but imagine my friend Rachel Flowers up there one day accepting the Prog God award herself. She is more than deserving of that title, even now at 22 years old. Maybe, one day, we can both be in attendance at the Prog Awards.