New Year Message

Well, friends, it's the last day of 2015. It's time for me to reflect back on this year in terms of what happened musically. First of all, I think it's important to acknowledge that we lost a number of people in the music world, notably B.B. King, Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots and Chris Squire of Yes. These losses were quite shocking and had a major impact on the music world

On a more positive note, there were many good records that were released this year, like The Desired Effect by Brandon Flowers, Hand Cannot Erase by Steven Wilson and, best of all, Rattle That Lock by David Gilmour. I've got about five shows I plan to go to next year (two of them being David Gilmour shows), the longest wait being for Marillion on 22 October.

This year, I saw the most concerts I have ever seen in one year, the grand total being 9. All were worth it, but the absolute best was Brandon Flowers at the Wiltern in September. 2016 looks like it's going to be an eventful one for concerts, as many artists are going on tour.

I also gained more new members to this group than I ever have since I started it. Thanks so much to everyone who asked to join. I really hope you are enjoying it. I was hoping to make it to just 100, so I certainly wasn't expecting to reach 118 members, but I am so grateful that I did. I look forward to sharing more concert experiences with all of you as the year unfolds as well as sharing my thoughts on any new albums that I listen to and making new friends.

Happy New Year prog buddies! Here's to a great 2016! :)

A Message to the Crimson 7 from an 18-year-old (skip to the last two paragraphs if you want the jist of this entry)

Before I get started, let me quickly fill you in on what I've been up to lately. Well, it's the end of Thanksgiving break. Tomorrow, it's back to school I go, as we're about to enter the 10th and final week of the fall quarter. Next thing I know it's going to be time for final exams. Fun, right? ;) 

Anyway, I'm not writing about my apprehension over my first college final exams, mainly because this blog is about my love and appreciation of progressive music. Tonight, I'm writing about King Crimson. Pretty big topic, right? But in all seriousness, there's something about them that I've been meaning to write about for a while now but since my opinion had been shifting from one idea to the other, I couldn't sit down and write anything. Now that I've had time to think this through, I think it's time I got my feelings out.

Here's what happened: On November 19, King Crimson played the first of two nights at the Toronto Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Toronto, Canada, as part of their 10-date Canadian tour. However, for this tour, they revised the camera policy they had made during their tours of the US and UK. Originally, once you were inside the venue, photos were entirely off limits until you left. Now, they have stated that no one may take photos until THE END of the performance, meaning once the music has stopped playing. That means you can take photos of the band before they walk off stage. Sounds fair enough, I suppose. It's definitely a step forward from when I saw them in October of last year at the Orpheum theater. The security was pretty good about being on top of people on their phones. As a result, most of the audience (I say that because I know at least one person did upload a photo of the band the next day) did what the band wanted them to do: they embraced the moment. I've come to really appreciate that concept. At every show I've been to since that night, my phone use has been kept to a minimum. I realize that this doesn't match their idea of not using a phone or camera AT ALL, but it's good enough for me. I manage to take a few pictures here and there throughout a performance, without being a nuisance to those around me.

However, despite this explicit request for respect, there were still people who felt that the rules didn't apply to them. During the second-to-last song (according to the setlist posted on setlist.com, it was "The Court of the Crimson King), apparently a few people were caught taking photos of the band performing. As a result, Robert then walked off stage, followed shortly by the other members of the band. The show was ended.

Now, shortly after hearing about this incident, being the big King Crimson fan that I am, I immediately felt inclined to side with the band only and treat them like the victims, but after considering multiple perspectives, both from band members, and concertgoers, I have decided the following: I'm not happy with either the band or the audience in this turn of events.

The next day, the following note was posted on the DGM site as well as on Facebook:

"The band went onstage at 20.15 in good spirits. Mel played beautifully over the Eb major / Cm Soundscape. IntoLarks’ I and onwards.

 

My experience was of pouring wine into a cup with a hole in it. Once upon a time, I would have attributed this feeling-experience to the presence of bootlegging. Several times the thought flew by: you only need one prick in a balloon.

 

The energy of a performance contains and embraces those within it, performers and audients. When the energy encircles and holds the event, the performance develops intensity, shifts gear, and becomes a qualitatively different undertaking: it takes off and flies away into a different world. When we are carried with it, sometimes a performance can be transformational: even, redirect the course of lives. A requirement of players and listeners is to remain engaged and present, hopefully with goodwill, to the extent that all can bring to bear. Tonight, strangely, nothing took off IMO; a first for this KC.

 

Persistent camera persons persisted, despite rounds of applause for the Revised Photo Policy announcement before the show, continuing into the encores.

The Guitarist Stage Left also persisted. Until finally, having been slapped around the face and stabbed in the heart too many times (this is how I experience violation in performance), it was not possible to honourably continue. Robert left the stage, followed shortly by the other Crims. The show finished, a result of ongoing photographic abuse.

 

The revised KC photo policy is a fair and reasonable way of engaging with those who hand over their hard-earned pay and feel the need to take a picture of the band. To photograph outside those parameters is at least rude, and discourteous to other audients and the players. At a certain point, given the intentionality that gives rise to an act, proscribed acts become aggressive; even close to an expression of ill will. This is what I felt tonight.

 

A report on tonight’s performance, presented from a viewpoint of playing in public for over 56 years."

I heard that it was Robert who posted this note, and if that's the case, apparently he refers to himself in the third person. Interesting. Anyway, there's his perspective on the matter. That same day, Gavin Harrison (one of three drummers in the band at the moment) posted this:

"A concert with King Crimson requires LOTS of concentration from the performers (and I dare say for the audience too). This music is very rich in detail and complexity. In fact everyone in the room needs to give it their absolute full attention. 

Having folks point cameras at you breaks your concentration and distracts you. I've had the same feeling when I've been watching a concert and folks around me are holding up their devices to film and take photos. It's very distracting for all."

So to give my own paraphrasing of these two posts, the band feels as though their request for respect was crudely and senselessly violated. They seem to miss the days in which cell phones and high quality cameras did not exist and, consequently, concertgoers had to watch a show with their own eyes and rely on their memory in order to truly take away the magic of the evening. Furthermore, they feel as though the use of cameras or phones during a show is disruptive, not just to them, but also to other audience members.

After doing a little outside research, I found the perspectives of various concertgoers. Most of them expressed outrage at the band's decision to end the show. One person compared the situation in a way that I found very relatable. To put it simply, the person wrote that walking off stage during a concert because a few people took photos is no different from a college professor giving all his students an F on their final exams because a few people cheated. This gave me a realistic situation to think about. As a college student just a week away from her first finals, I know that I would be pretty upset if one of my professors failed me due to the stupidity of a few people. In a perfect world, the few people who cheated should be the ones who have to suffer the consequences, rather than the entire class.

Now, in the case of this concert, the entire audience was punished because a few people couldn't follow the rules that were explicitly stated by the band. However, I'm sure none of those rule breakers expected the band to just get up and leave the audience in the dust. It certainly seems that the band didn't warn anyone that this was a possibility. Unless it's happened in the past, this certainly seems lie it came out of nowhere.

As a concertgoer, I understand the frustration that accompanies being stuck behind people that insist on filming or taking photos of every second of the show. However, as someone who has also expressed interest in being a performer, I also have to say that, if they're not using flash photography or filming, why should we care that they're using their phones or cameras? It's their loss if they miss out on embracing the show for what it is.

Let me put my view on the matter in simple terms: I get where the band is coming from and I get where the concertgoers are coming from. The band didn't want photos taken, as they haven't throughout their entire history of existence. They said that, people did it anyway, they got upset, so they ended the show. I thought that I would add my own perspective based on what I have heard. After taking both sides into account and thinking it over, this is what I've decided: 

It's not the 1960s anymore. It's not going to be. We're not going to go back to the way we lived in that time, as much as some people may want us to. A lot has changed over the course of 56 years. As much as some may not like it, cell phones and cameras exist, and they will only continue to improve. People are not going to stop taking them and using them at concerts. Unfortunately, while we can do our best to express our wishes in terms of cell phone use during a performance, we can't force everyone to abide by our rules. Now, that's not to say that I don't think there should be repercussions for breaking the rules. What I think should have happened at that King Crimson show, is that the rule breakers should have been escorted out of the venue, so that the rest of the people that WERE following the rules could enjoy the show. I know that I'm only 18. I wasn't around when cell phones and good cameras didn't exist, so that is where I'm coming from. All I know is going to concerts and seeing people on their phones. I'm learning to accept that as the reality. Not everyone these days will learn to embrace the moment, no matter how much we may want them to. That's their loss, though. However, don't let that stop you from continuing to spread the idea of embracing the moment to others, especially to people my age. Who knows? You might just be able to get through to some of them. You certainly got through to me. ;)

2015 concerts

I've seen a total of nine concerts this year. That's more than I've seen in any other year, andI've been seeing concerts since March 2010. for 2015, I enjoyed all of the shows I saw in their own way. Some, however, were better than others. Here are all nine of them, ranked from, what I consider to be, least memorable to most memorable:

9. Big Talk - 7/20/15 - the Troubadour

8. SubRosa - 9/9/15 - the Roxy Theater

7. Rod Stewart - 8/9/15 - the Coloseum at Casear's Palace

6. Halestorm - 10/16/15 - Riverside Municipal Auditorium

5. Yes/Toto - 9/6/15 - Greek Theater

4. The Anderson - Ponty Band - 11/20/15 - Saban Theater

3. Steven Wilson - 6/12/15 - The Grove

2. Steven Wilson - 6/13/15 - The Wiltern

1. Brandon Flowers - 9/26/15 - The Wiltern

Overall, this has been a great year for concerts in my opinion. However, from what I know so far, it sounds like 2016 is gearing up to be an exciting musical year as well. I've heard the following are going to tour next year: David Gilmour, Steve Hackett, Roger Waters, and Marillion. Hopefully, there will be others. Currently, I have the following shows to look forward to in 2016:

David Gilmour - 3/24/16 - Hollywood Bowl
Steve Hackett - 4/1/16 - Orpheum Theater

Sounds good to me! :)

An Evening with the Anderson Ponty Band

I've been at college for over two months now, making short trips to home here and there. Hard to believe we're already in Week 9 of the first of three 10-week quarters. Before I know it, it's going to be time to conclude this first quarter with finals. This first quarter of college has been an interesting one. It's been full of social and academic adjustments. I've met more people than I can count throughout the past two months, and I hope to develop some of those relationships in the future.

Without giving too much away, I go to university roughly 100 miles from my home, and about 47 miles from downtown Los Angeles. This makes it possible for me to still attend a concert here and there if time permits (meaning no tests or serious deadlines get in the way). However, despite having a car with me, I am reluctant to drive in the busy LA evening traffic in order to get to a concert venue. Luckily, there's another option: the train. About 3 miles from campus, there exists a Metrolink train station, with one route going to Los Angeles Union Station. I talked this over with my dad, and we decided that taking the train and getting accustomed to using public transportation would be a good experience for me, especially since I did not feel like dealing with city traffic.

Well, on November 20, I got the chance to try that out. On that evening, I traveled to Hollywood and Vine, where I met my dad. From there, we made a quick stop to Amoeba Music (many great memories at that record store) and had dinner at Stella Barra, another favorite place of ours. After that, we headed down to the Saban Theater to see Yes frontman Jon Anderson and French violinist Jean-Luc Ponty in their band, the Anderson-Ponty Band. I had not seen Jon since July 2012. However, at that show, it was just Jon alone on stage, with a guitar, and an endless supply of life experiences to share with the audience. Even though this show at the Saban was not going to be centered only on him, I anticipated an experience similar to what I had back in 2012. I have been to well over 30 concerts, all of different intimacy levels, but I find something particularly memorable about concerts set in small venues like the Saban or the Orpheum. You're one of a small, lucky number of people fortunate enough to be in an intimate setting with one of your favorite bands or musicians. I've had these kinds of experiences with people like Greg Lake, Steven Wilson, King Crimson, and Joe Satriani. There have been more, but it's more than I want to list right now. I'd rather just get to the show.

We arrived at the venue at around 19:30, so we would have plenty of time to kill before the show, which was set to start at 20:30. Dad wanted to stop at the Coffee Bean down the street, so he gave me my ticket so I could enter the venue myself. Once inside, I met and had a good conversation with my friend Brett. After that, as I was looking around the room at the abundance of longtime Yes and Jean-Luc Ponty fans, there was one face that I recognized instantly: Billy Sherwood! He had just finished up with Yes on the 2015 Cruise to the Edge, so he was just in time for the show, mingling with other concertgoers. This just goes to show you how music makes me an unusually outgoing person: I decided to go over to him and say hi really quick. Not too long, just a quick word. Personally, I have gained a great deal of respect for him within the last five months, especially since the tragic death of Chris Squire. Filling in for the one member of Yes to appear on every tour and studio album is most definitely not easy. While there are some Yes fans who believe the band must call it quits due to the absence of Chris, I think Billy has a strong amount of support from most Yes fans. At least, it seemed that way considering how many people were talking to him. Without saying too much, I reminded him that my friend Bill Snyder had interviewed him a few weeks before, which he recalled. After taking a selfie with me (using my phone), I made sure to give him a big hug and say thanks. He deserves it.

Jon, Jean-Luc, and their band went on a little after 20:30. Since it's been about five days, I can't quite recall the most specific of details, unfortunately. They played a surprisingly lengthy set consisting of songs from their recently released studio album, Better Late Than Never, and the discographies of Jon and Jean-Luc. The band put their own spin on certain classic Yes songs, such as "Time and a Word," "Wonderous Stories," and "Roundabout." That totaled to about 19 songs, if I'm not mistaken. Since I can't recall every detail as vividly as I could, I will just go over the highlights. Jon sounded just as wonderful as he did the first time I saw him back in 2012: beautiful, distinguishable, unforgettable. Even though I had picked up Jean-Luc's album A Taste for Passion at the record store near campus, I consider this to be my introduction to his talent, as I was able to observe it with my own eyes. After watching him, I definitely plan to explore more of his discography in the future. I have always enjoyed the sound of the violin, so to watch him display his skills was definitely enjoyable.

At one point in the show (again, I don't remember at exactly what point), Jon recited the following, which I recognized as being an excerpt from the Yes song, "The Revealing Science of God.":

"Dawn of light lying between

A silence and sold sources
Chased amid fusions of wonder
In moments hardly seen forgotten

Colored in pastures of chance
Dancing leaves cast spells of challenge
Amused but real in thought
We fled from the sea whole

Dawn of thought transfered through moments
Of days under searching earth
Revealing corridors of time provoking memories
Disjointed but with purpose

Craving penetrations offer links
With the self instructors sharp
And tender love as we took to the air
A picture of distance

Dawn of our power we amuse
Re descending as fast as misused
Expression, as only to teach love as
To reveal passion chasing"

I've always considered the lyrics of Yes to be its own language, that only certain people can understand. I, for one, still have difficulty digesting them. Here and there, I can understand bits and pieces, but the poetry overall is difficult for me. However, something about the way Jon recited these words really struck a chord with me. Hearing the words spoken rather than sung was quite different for me. I didn't have the music there to distract me, so I could really concentrate on them better. There's a certain beauty to Yes lyrics that you don't really find in a lot of other bands or artists. To me, they sound like they come from the deep, spiritual depths of Jon's heart. That is true poetry in my view. They are part of what make Yes, well, Yes.

At another point in the show, Jean-Luc expressed the strong emotions he had been feeling due to the recent terrorist attacks that took place in Paris. With him being French, I suspected that he would make such a statement about the matter. He pointed out that, while these kinds of incidents have happened, and will continue to happen, playing music is what gives him a sense of peace in an often distressed world. I'm not quoting him word-for-word, by the way. Just telling you my interpretation.

The last highlight I can really think of happened towards the end of the show. Jon, as expected, told the audience that not a day goes by in which he does not think of Chris. He told us he considered Chris to be the "Christopher Robin to his Winnie the Pooh." How cute. With that, he dedicated the next song in Chris' memory: "And You and I," from my favorite Yes album, Close to the Edge, a very nice tribute song in my opinion. Chris most definitely will not be forgotten. <3

This was a great, intimate concert to close out 2015, the year that now hold the record for the most concerts seen in a year: 9 total. The previous record holder was 2012, with 7 shows seen that year. I think this year has been a great one for music, in terms of albums released, and tours that have occurred.  Unless something special comes up, this will be my last concert until the big night of March 24: David Gilmour at the Hollywood Bowl.

Random thoughts

Thinking back to almost 5 years ago, when I saw Roger Waters for the first time. Can't believe it's been almost half a decade since that night. Today, it remains the most special night of my life. However, I have to say that I think that title will go to David Gilmour after I see him in March but for now, no concert has ever surpassed my first time seeing Roger Waters perform perform the entirety of the album that started it all for me: The Wall. 

10/10/15

Paid a visit to the closest record store to campus. There's apparently three of them in Riverside. I have been to two though. This one was the biggest one, I think. A bit overpriced, but it's amazing how many records you can fit into one place. I picked up a vinyl copy of Brandon Flowers' first solo album, Flamingo.

People always talk about how record stores don't exist anymore. I find that interesting. Ok, maybe they're not as popular or common as they once were, but I have to say that, every time I visit a new town, I can always find at least one local record store. Big or small, I'm always happy to visit one. :)

A Night at the Wiltern

So, after nearly a week of settling in to life at UC Riverside I was finally able to get out into LA and do something off campus. That activity, of course, was going to a concert. Last night, I went and saw Brandon Flowers, frontman of The Killers, at the Wiltern Theater.

Let's go back to April of this year. Brandon's second solo album The Desired Effect had not been released yet, but he was still planning to come to LA and do a show at the Troubadour. I saw that as my opportunity to see him, since The Killers are currently on hiatus and have been for the last few years. However, hundreds of other individuals clearly had the same goal, for the minute tickets went on sale for that show, they were gone the instant I refreshed the page at 10:00. Scalper tickets were the only option, but prices were simply too outrageous to make it happen, so I just gave up and accepted that I would just have to wait until The Killers came back, whenever that may be.

But then, soon enough, it was announced that Brandon would be doing a second show in LA at the Wiltern in September. However, the same thing happened. Once tickets went on sale, they were gone before you had time to blink. Again, scalper tickets were more than we wanted to spend. Once I graduated high school, I had some money given to me to use for a graduation gift. We tried to use it on a mandolin but that ultimately did not work out since the mandolin I wanted was built with bad bridge. Soon I thought, "what if, instead of an instrument, I used that money for concerts I really wanted to see?" I thought and thought of who was coming over the summer. I then remembered that Brandon's concert at the Wiltern was coming up soon, but at the same time, I was considering seeing Rush at the forum on the last night of their R40 tour. We couldn't afford both, so I had to decide between the two shows which one I wanted to go to. I eventually decided that, since I had already seen Rush back in 2012, I should go and see Brandon.

I found a ticket on StubHub for the general admission pit, which is located right at the front of the stage. The price was right, so I went for it. I bought that ticket on the 18th July, a little over two months before the show.

Coming to the show, I wasn't sure exactly what it was going to be like. I had not seen The Killers yet, but I was familiar enough with Brandon's solo discography to be able to enjoy it. Even though the line of fans stretched around the perimeter of the Wiltern, I didn't stress too much, since my ticket guaranteed me access to the pit at the front of the stage. Sure enough, once I entered the venue and received my pit wristband, I found a spot behind two people much shorter than I was. That gave me a perfect view of the stage.

There was one opening act: a band from Mexico City called Rey Pila. They played for about 30 minutes. I have to say that they actually didn't sound bad. Believe it or not, they had a sound similar to the sound Brandon has on The Desired Effect.

Brandon took the stage at about 21:00. His band consisted of himself, a guitar player, a bass player, a drummer, two female backing vocalists, a keyboard player, a saxophone player, and a horn player. I hadn't seen that many people on one stage since Arcade Fire. Brandon started with a short piece called "Come Out With Me," which I can only assume was meant to be a short of introduction to the show, similar to The Killers song, "Enterlude." He played about 17 songs, but it was amazing how quickly the whole show went by. Throughout the night, Brandon sang songs and told us a number of stories from his past, like the day he heard "Changes" by David Bowie, what inspired him to write certain songs, or how he got in touch with Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys, one of his favorite bands. Sure enough, that mentioning of Neil turned out to be the foreshadow of a surprise guest: Neil himself. Neil joined Brandon on stage for two songs: the Pet Shop Boys song "Rent," and The Killers song "Human."

So, long story short, I loved this concert. I really did. It definitely exceeded my expectations. Brandon and his whole band were at the top of their game, and he had such a stage presence that I don't see very often. I think the last person I saw that had a presence like that was Chris Squire (RIP). So full of life and energy.

I noticed that there were a lot of friends together at that show. While it was cool to experience my first concert alone, I did find myself wishing I had someone that loved The Killers the way I did. I know plenty of people that have heard of them, but I don't really know anyone that knows as many of their songs as I do. So, consequently, I enjoy their music on my own. I am fortunate to say that I do connect with others through most of my favorite bands, but this happens to be an exception.

Anyway, it was an excellent concert. Ideally, I hope the next time I see Brandon is with The Killers, but if not, I would definitely see him as a solo artist again.