Greg Lake

When I was 12 years old, back in 2009, my guitar teacher introduced me to the band Pink Floyd. That band marked the start of a musical journey that has made me the music fan I am today. My dad saw how much I enjoyed the music of Floyd, so he decided to encourage me to check out more bands that fell under this genre called “progressive rock.” One day he called me into his office. He sat me down and put on a song called “C’est La Vie,” by this band called Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, or ELP. Instantly, I fell in love with every aspect of that song, particularly the vocals. I learned that the name of that singer was Greg Lake. I was struck by the uniqueness of his voice, and it became very obvious to me that it was a voice you could not mistake for any other. I decided to look further into this band and, soon enough, discovered albums like Tarkus and Trilogy. I was hooked. I could not get enough of their music. I had never heard of a successful band dominated by keyboards. Early the next year, I learned that Greg Lake and Keith Emerson were going to be performing at my now favorite concert venue, the Orpheum Theatre. It was an opportunity we could not pass up, so we went for it. That night proved to be a game changer for me, not just musically, but personally as well. A few people who were at that show are now good friends of mine, though we discovered each other on Facebook. The show was unique to me because it was a chance for me to get to hear Keith and Greg talk about their experiences over the years. It was a joy getting to hear them perform and speak, but I was particularly excited to see Greg. I had developed a soft spot for him and felt a sense of warmth and ingenuity whenever he spoke. After that night, I had developed a dream of someday meeting him.  In the summer of 2010, my musical soundtrack was devoted entirely to ELP. It seemed as though I could not get through an entire day without playing the Tarkus suite or Brain Salad Surgery. In October of that year, I found Greg’s website and his Q &A page. Because we had balcony seats for Keith and Greg’s show, I was not able to ask him a question during the Q&A portion of the show, so I felt I would take a chance and see if he would answer. I wasn’t getting my hopes up though, since I figured he had a lot of questions from people. But then, one day, I got an unexpected surprise: he replied. It went like this:

Question

Hello Greg. I am a 13 year old girl who has been playing guitar for almost two years and am greatly influenced by your music. Getting the chance to see you and Keith in concert on your recent tour was very important to me and a night I will never forget. I wanted the opportunity to ask you a question during the Q&A part of the show but sadly could not because I was located on the upper level. My question was: What was your inspiration for Tarkus (my favorite ELP album)?

Answer

Dear friend,

Firstly I am most impressed that at such a young age you are able to appreciate and enjoy such a complex piece of music as Tarkus. The initial inspiration for this record came from the music that Keith had written. Following on from this I wrote various songs and worked together with Keith and Carl as a producer to create the record you now hear. Tarkus has been the backbone performance piece for ELP for almost four decades now and has certainly stood the test of time. It is one of the best examples of the musical genius of Keith Emerson as a composer and of the band ELP working and performing together at the very top of their game.

Thank you for you interest and support and next time you come along to see a show just make sure you write to Eileen at this website in advance, ( with your name) and she will arrange for you to come back stage and I will introduce you to Keith and you can ask him about the piece personally.

Best wishes,

Greg.

(Oct-09-10)

I couldn’t believe it. Greg Lake had answered MY question. It totally made my night, and I had developed a new appreciation for him. After that, I was determined to meet him. At the end of 2011, a devastating year for me, I received some happy news: Greg would be coming to the US in spring of 2012 with a tour called Songs of a Lifetime. Now is my chance, I thought. I immediately contacted Eileen and showed her the transcript of my exchange with Greg. She replied that she would be happy to help me out. We scored sixth row seats for his show on May 18, 2012 at the Orpheum. I was also thrilled to hear that some of my best music friends were also going to be attending.

May 18, 2012 remains today as one of the best nights of my life. That night, I, along with my dad and good friends, got to hear stories from a voice that contained so much wisdom and a lifetime of experience. That same night, at 15 years old, my dream to meet Greg was realized. We waited about 2 hours for him, so by the time he came out, it was well after midnight. However, I will never forget the love, warmth and generosity he showed my friends and me. Even though it was 12:30 am and quite cold outside, he kept on smiling and made sure he met everyone.  For a precious 5 minutes, I was able to talk to Greg as a person. That is something that I would never forget.

I knew that, one day, I would have to write this entry. I knew one day, I would wake up to the news that Greg was no longer with us. This has to be the most difficult entry I have ever written, because I was fortunate enough to experience Greg as more than just a musician. I was able to see what he was like as a person, as another human being. Meeting him remains one of the highlights of my life, and I will always remember the big hug he gave me before and after our conversation. It is bittersweet to be writing this, since the last thing he told me was that we would see each other again someday. I cry at the realization that there is no possibility of that now. I also cry at the realization that I will never know the answer to why Trilogy was his most cherished ELP album. To be honest, in spite of everything bad that is going on in the world, I always took comfort in knowing that Greg was still with us. If anything bad ever happened, I always told myself, “Well, it’s not all bad. Greg Lake is still alive.” I realize that the days of me saying such a thing are over now.

Grief is a feeling that I have grown to be very familiar with in the last 5 years. In that time, I have experienced the loss of family, friends, and certain musicians that I looked up to. I guess it’s the price I pay for loving these older rock bands as much as I do. I get less time to enjoy them while they are still here. However, at the same time, I am eternally grateful to have been able to see many of them perform live. The Emerson and Lake show as well as the Songs of a Lifetime are now very special memories for me. I will always remember the love, warmth, and grace Greg put into each song, and each lyric. I will always remember the fact that his music managed to bring so many people into my life. Through his music, we connected with one another and formed some truly special bonds that I hold dear to me. That is what continuously blows me away about the power of music.

Today had me thinking of the famous ELP line, “Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends.” To me, the show truly will never end, as long as the music continues to be played. The same can be said about Bowie, Prince, Chris Squire, Keith, and all the other musicians that have left us, or who eventually will leave us. The artist may be gone, but the art lives on forever.

Rest in eternal peace, Greg. There will truly never be another one like you. I will never forget you.

Love,

J Michelle

ARW

Don't worry. I'm not going to talk about Marillion in this post. Ok, maybe I will just a little, but in short, I'm still reeling from that show even though it's been a little over a month now since that fateful night. I'm going to try to write this entry while F.E.A.R. plays on my turntable.

In this post, I'm going to talk about the most anticipated prog act of the year that I finally saw last night: Anderson, Wakeman and Rabin. Like many people, I was super excited for this show. There had been talk about these guys coming together over the last two or three years. They kept hinting at a possible album or tour but nothing ever became official until earlier this year. When tickets went on sale for their show at the Orpheum, my most beloved concert venue, the first thing we determined was that floor seats were out of the question because of their outrageous prices. Sorry, but $700+ a ticket isn't happening. Instead, we settled for balcony seats. We weren't concerned though. We have never had a bad experience at the Orpheum in terms of sound quality or ability to view the stage. As far as we're concerned, there's no such thing as a bad seat at the Orpheum.

Anyway, we waited about 8 months for this show, about the same amount of time we had to wait to see David Gilmour. During that time, there was much speculation from people on Facebook as to what this show was going to be like. Many people had different ideas of what king of show we would get. Some expected it to be just Jon, Rick, and Trevor. Some expected many additional musicians to be on stage with them. As for me personally, I was expecting it to simply be different from the shows that the current Yes lineup was putting on. I anticipated a creative setlist, great attention to the musicianship of Rick and Trevor, and interesting visuals. From how much hype this project was getting, this concert should be excellent. Was it excellent?

No.

Now, it wasn't a bad concert. However, thinking about how good it could have been depresses me to some extent. I think the place where it suffered the most was simply not being creative enough with the setlist. When you have the talents of Rick Wakeman and Trevor Rabin, I would think you would make an extra strong effort to pick songs where their abilities shine the most. I was really hoping to hear some longer pieces of music like "Close to the Edge," or even anything off of albums like Relayer. I will give Trevor props for not trying to be like Steve Howe, but I think he could have handled those longer pieces. Now there were some really big moments in this show. There were songs that I loved hearing. I loved that they played songs like "Changes" and "Hold On." There were times where I really perked up and was really impressed with what I was hearing. But those were few. For the most part, I have to say that I was sitting in my seat wishing for something different to come up. The majority of the setlist was made up of all the same songs we've heard time and time again with Yes, like "Perpetual Change," "Heart of the Sunrise," and even "Owner of a Lonely Heart."

Another part that really disappointed me was how seemingly underrepresented Rick was. Pointing him out to the audience after every song doesn't count as representation to me. To me, their song choices were not the ones that showed off Rick's talents the best. I think Trevor actually got more attention than Rick did and, sometimes, even more than Jon did. I like Trevor, but Rick was the one I was actually the most excited to see live. He got some solo time, but those times were very brief. I actually wouldn't have minded hearing him play something off The Six Wives of Henry VIII or Journey to the Centre of the Earth.

So overall, this was a pretty good concert, but I'm struck by how underwhelming it was, especially considering how talked about this project was and how hyped it was. Knowing how talented these guys are, I was definitely expecting more. Did they deliver? Eventually, yes, but by that time the show was more than halfway done. I think the only point where I was truly sucked into the show was during "Awaken." To put it simply, I liked this show, but in the end I think it could have been a lot better. I would think that, for a show as unique as this, there would be a strong effort made to do a show that separates them from what the current Yes lineup is doing these days, especially because we don't know how much longer these guys will be touring.

7/10

An Interesting Night at the Saban

I gave myself a week to think about it before writing my entry on the concert I saw last week. I did so because I wanted to make sure I wasn't just overreacting. I would hate to write an overly ecstatic entry about a concert I went to, come back to it later, and realize that I no longer felt the way I did when I originally wrote that entry. But now that it's been eight days, I think I can confidently write out exactly how I felt about last Saturday night. Last Saturday night, I saw Marillion for the first time. 

About ten months ago, I saw a notice on Ticketmaster that Marillion were going to be on tour in fall of 2016, and were making a stop in Beverly Hills. I heard Marillion for the first time when I was watching performances from the 2010 High Voltage Festival. I was mainly watching that to see ELP's final performance, but one other act caught my attention: it was this band called Marillion playing this song called "Neverland." I remember really liking that performance. I was particularly struck by how much feel seemed to be put into the music. That wasn't something I saw all the time, and it actually impressed me quite a bit. My dad and I were only mildly familiar with the band's discography, but we decided to check it out. Who knows? Maybe we'll become converts. The last ten months weren't full of an overwhelming amount of anticipation for this show, to be honest. I mean, I was sure it wasn't going to be horrible since I know many people who really love this band, but at the same time, I wasn't sure if I should expect anything spectacular. The last few shows I went to for bands that I didn't really know were not particularly enjoyable. For example, I saw Katatonia in 2012, and they bored me to death. Sorry to all you Katatonia fans, but I was struggling to not doze off at some points in that show, and that's saying something, considering that I was right up front and leaning on the stage. Blue Oyster Cult in 2014 was not that much better. So, long story short, I wasn't getting my hopes up for this.

Guys, this concert left me speechless. I came in not expecting much, and boy was I wrong to think that. It didn't take me long to realize that this is a severely underrated band. Of the 46 concerts that I have been to since 2010, I can't really remember the last time I went to a show for a band I didn't really know anything about, and left the venue feeling so refreshed and excited about what I just saw. If you were to ask me to name a band or artist off the top of my head who I felt played with such sincerity and passion, I would immediately say David Gilmour. Now, after seeing this show, I would probably be inclined to name these guys too. Everything from the music to the vocals to the visuals just won my attention. Steve Hogarth (affectionately called "h." by fans) is, to put it simply, freakin' awesome. He was so fun to watch and even more fun to listen to. It's not often that I see a singer perform a song rather than just sing it. It was very apparent to me that he meant every word he sang. Watching him really feel the music was such a joy. It reminded me a lot of why music is so important to me, and why I get joy out of attending live music events, especially prog music events. I talked to my dad on the way back from the show and he observed that h. had a stage presence that reminded him a little of Peter Gabriel in Genesis. Looking back, I think my dad has a point. Every song that was played was a musical journey. I can't remember the last time a concert went by so quickly. I think they played for about 2.5 hours, but it felt much shorter. That's what happens when I'm completely sucked in to the show. That's how I know that it was a great concert.

However, having said all of that, I do have one complaint. Steve Rothery was really hard to hear at some points in the show. There were actually some times where I didn't realize that he was actually playing a guitar solo, and that concerns me because I think he is a very underrated guitar player. His style and guitar tone reminds me a lot of David Gilmour's. Maybe it was because of where I was sitting (front row balcony), but I'm not sure. All I know is that I had a hard time hearing him. Now the rest of the band, I heard just fine. Mark Kelly, h., Ian Mosley, and Peter Trewavas all killed it. 

To sum it all up, I finally understand why everyone likes this band so much. There is a lot to enjoy about these guys. They definitely know how to connect with their fans, and that's something that I really look for when I discover a new band or artist. It's more than just going to a show and watching musicians play for 2+ hours. The worst thing a band can do is just be boring and not be fun or engaging at all. As I stated at the beginning of this entry, I've been to a few shows like that, and it's extremely painful to sit through. 

Overall, this was practically concert perfection. My expectations were more than exceeded. I was not bored at any point in this show. In fact, I was grinning for most of it. I think I can confidently say that this show was one of the best I have ever been to. Everything that I think makes up a good prog concert was present the entire time. It was engaging, fun, and truly remarkable. I hope it is not long before I see these guys again.

9.5/10

10/23/16

A lot has been happening lately. First off, I finally got a part time job on campus. I work Tuesday afternoon, and Thursday and Friday evenings. I've already worked two shifts and I really enjoy it. I'm responsible for custodial tasks, so that means I do things such as cleaning tables, doing dishes, or vacuuming. Doesn't sound like much, but it's a good start. It would be cool if I could upgrade to a position like student manager eventually.

Second, this week I saw not one, but TWO concerts. I'll talk about the first one in this entry and then the second one in the next entry, since I have much to say about the second show I saw. The first show I saw was right in Riverside: Jethro Tull the Rock Opera, performed by Ian Anderson. I had been waiting to see this show for a long time and honestly wasn't quite sure what it was going to be like. From the reviews I heard, it seemed like people either loved it or hated it. Many of the bad reviews were from people who were disappointed that this show was not Jethro Tull (meaning it was not Ian Anderson, Martin Barre, Doane Perry, John O'Hara, and David Goodier together). After going to the show, I think I have a better understanding of why those people were disappointed. This show was, for the most part, advertised as Jethro Tull. That was what the marquee outside the venue said and that was what was printed on my ticket, so I can see where people are coming from when they mention misleading information. The show isn't advertised as "Jethro Tull: The Rock Opera" or "Ian Anderson plays the music of Jethro Tull."

The show itself was interesting. First off, it didn't take me long to realize that there was some sort of story line accompanying the music. However, I had no idea what it was, and I still don't really know. I meant to get a tour programme at the merchandise stand, but couldn't since it was cash only. Next, I figured out that there was a story line to the show when they featured "virtual guests" on the screen behind the musicians. They were in costumes, so I figured, "Oh, so this show must be about something."

Another common complaint I saw from people online was the quality of Ian's voice. Overall, he did great. As a musician he's still got it and he also still has a tremendous amount of energy for his age. However, I can sort of see what people mean when they say his voice is lacking. I won't lie. There were times where he didn't sound too great. But, having said that, I will give him props for not trying too hard and not pushing himself beyond his limits. I am glad he didn't do a Geddy Lee and attempt to hit notes he clearly couldn't reach or keep the songs in their original keys. That would have made matters much worse, in my opinion.

I didn't recognize every song but I knew a good number of them. I consider myself a very casual Tull fan. Even though I love Thick as a Brick to death, I'm pretty neutral on the rest of their albums. The rest of them seem to be hit-and miss, meaning there are some tracks that I like more than others.

Overall, this show was a lot of fun. I had a great time, but I don't think it's a show I would recommend to someone who knows nothing about Jethro Tull. I just think that the story line and all the puns and references throughout the show may confuse newbies. It's a show that seems to be targeting either longtime fans or people who are pretty familiar with the band's discography. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must finish my history homework.

7/10

10/4/16

The first quarter of my sophomore year is going pretty well. I'm taking four classes, a total of 17 units. I'm taking two English writing classes, a computer science class, and a world history class. There's lots of reading and writing to do, as you can imagine, but I think it's doable.

My tattoo is healing very nicely. A new layer of skin has formed over it, so it is officially a part of me now. I can wear tank tops now so people can see it. So far, I've received quite a few compliments. I feel very proud of it.

On September 24, I saw Al Stewart for the second time in Thousand Oaks. One of the guys that ran the merchandise stand recognized me from the show I went to back in February. The venue for this show was much better than the first one. It was bigger and the sound was better. Al was accompanied by more people on stage this time around. I stayed after to say hi to him. Sadly, I don't think he remembered me from February, but I told him that I thought the story he told about taking guitar lessons from Robert Fripp was interesting. The funny thing is, I remember reading an interview with Robert Fripp a while ago in PROG magazine. There was a part where he talked about the days when he gave guitar lessons, and he said that, of all the students he had, the only one who went on to become successful was Al. He said that the reason for this was because Al never took any of his advice. I always found that interesting.

I deactivated my Facebook again. I think this time I will keep it that way until after the presidential election. There's so much negative energy on Facebook right now because of it, and I only expect it to get worse as the election gets closer. However, I still plan to update this blog during my time away from Facebook. Stay tuned...

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.