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The Royal Affair Tour feat. Yes, Asia, John Lodge of The Moody Blues, and Carl Palmer's ELP Legacy


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Has anyone else seen The Royal Affair tour?

 

Just saw it last night in Toronto. Overall, I have to say I loved it!!! Started off rough sound wise, very possibly because the pre-compsensating they do for the "bodies in seats" that aren't there at soundcheck didn't level things properly until more people had shown up by the second act, ie. Moody Blues. Hence, the first act - Carl Palmer and the E.L.P. Legacy - was somewhat lost on my wife who, being mostly unfamiliar with the material, wasn't able to fill in the lost and muddied notes mentally.

 

That said, Carl Palmer's drums were exciting (I didn't realize he was only 18 when he played with "The Crazy World of Arthur Brown" and, hence, just barely 20 when ELP formed). He had a guitarist - an insanely talented one at that - playing Emerson's keyboard parts on guitar-synth, which was weird but, if you closed your eyes, you wouldn't know the difference, technique and nuance notwithstanding. Arthur Brown did the vocals... wearing a mask the whole time (surely meant to represent the old days when he wore a helmet spewing fire - I kid you not). Anyway, my big chance to get some ELP love was overshadowed by bad sound.

 

Things got better though. I loved the John Lodge of The Moody Blues set, despite not knowing a few of the tunes. Also, though John Lodge was the only original member, my knowledge of the band being fairly fleeting, I had no vested interest in authenticity, and the execution was very good, especially the vocal harmonies.

 

Asia was a nice surprise. Started with Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal on guitar & lead vocals (stellar on both). Then Steve Howe came on and Bumblefoot just sang. Also, as a nod to Geoffrey Downes' pre-Yes past, they included The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star" which was a lark.

 

But more importantly, at one point I turned to my wife and remarked how much Bumblefoot's voice sounded like John Whetton and hence, Greg Lake as well, and that they should have had him singing with the Carl Palmer's ELP Legacy. And no sooner had the words left my mouth when they broke into "Lucky Man" which was awesome, and made all the more authentic of course by Carl Palmer's being in Asia as well.

 

Then there was Yes, who I'd sadly seen only once before in '97 at Massey Hall in Toronto. It would have been nice if there had been more original members, but Jon Davison's singing was crystal clear, Billy Sherwood has a kind of Chris Squire vibe (he played for Asia as well), and at least Geoffrey Downes has history with the band.

 

Aside from that... Steve Howe was there at least - fingers slowin' down some, but he cooks when it counts. Alan White only played on some tunes (i think it was Jay Schellen doing the rest - I guess Alan has the arthritis). Also, related to Alan, they did John Lennon's "Imagine" as an encore (White played on the original).

 

I remember, just after booking these tickets, saying to myself that I wished I hadn't been so stoned when I saw them in '97, and was particularly hoping for another chance to take in "The Gates of Delirium" on a more conscious level. And, so when then they started the opening notes to "Gates", I almost lost it... and it was spectacular... a thing of beauty... and a poignant reminder that you don't need drugs to get high at The Gates of Delirium. The coolest part of the evening to be sure.

 

The other encore tune was Roundabout and, being we were in Toronto, all through the set I was holding out hope that Geddy would appear on stage when they got to this song, And then I remembered he was probably still signing his books in Europe. Regardless, he did not magically appear :(

 

But, all things being equal, if this was the last glimpse of all these prog legends, it was an impressive and memorable night!!!! And, my wife, who is not a "progger" per se, quite enjoyed it, and that made it all the more special.

 

Cheers!

 

yes-tour-2019.jpg

Edited by alieninvasion76
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This post made me remember my incredulity that Yes is still touring. So I decided to actually figure out what this lineup is that they're calling "Yes." I guess I'm more than half fine with this lineup...but really, Anderson should be singing.
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Sorry that I offended "Prog Archivist", though his suggestion I intentionally posted in the wrong forum because I "crave attention", as he put it, is obviously just a reflection of his own sad soul.

 

Truth to tell, I can't say I was really paying attention where exactly I was posting it: I just know there's a lot of YES LOVE on this site, and amongst Rush fans in general - one need only watch Yes's RRHOF induction ceremony to confirm that - and hence I couldn't wait to share my experience. Too bad some people have nothing better to do than piss all over other people's enthusiasms.

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Oh, and thank you Bangkok. Yes, I'd seen that Gates of Delirium post as well. Guess I was fortunate they played it much better in Toronto (that intro in Pennsylvania was particularly tortured).

 

Also, they didn't have Alan White doubling on the side in Toronto either, though it would have been nice to have had him playing on that tune, seeing as he was the original drummer on it

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Sorry that I offended "Prog Archivist", though his suggestion I intentionally posted in the wrong forum because I "crave attention", as he put it, is obviously just a reflection of his own sad soul.

 

Truth to tell, I can't say I was really paying attention where exactly I was posting it: I just know there's a lot of YES LOVE on this site, and amongst Rush fans in general - one need only watch Yes's RRHOF induction ceremony to confirm that - and hence I couldn't wait to share my experience. Too bad some people have nothing better to do than piss all over other people's enthusiasms.

 

Funny that.

You can be enthusiastic all you want but shove it in the wrong hole and you’re in the shit.

 

 

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Oh, and thank you Bangkok. Yes, I'd seen that Gates of Delirium post as well. Guess I was fortunate they played it much better in Toronto (that intro in Pennsylvania was particularly tortured).

 

Also, they didn't have Alan White doubling on the side in Toronto either, though it would have been nice to have had him playing on that tune, seeing as he was the original drummer on it

 

I’m a massive Yes fan, and have been since the mid 70s.

 

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Didn't know Ron could sing. That's a surprise. He's been an incredible guitar player since he was 13 years old though.

 

Hell of a surprise to see him in Asia too. That first record came out when we were all kids still.

Edited by grep
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Has anyone else seen The Royal Affair tour?

 

Just saw it last night in Toronto. Overall, I have to say I loved it!!! Started off rough sound wise, very possibly because the pre-compsensating they do for the "bodies in seats" that aren't there at soundcheck didn't level things properly until more people had shown up by the second act, ie. Moody Blues. Hence, the first act - Carl Palmer and the E.L.P. Legacy - was somewhat lost on my wife who, being mostly unfamiliar with the material, wasn't able to fill in the lost and muddied notes mentally.

 

That said, Carl Palmer's drums were exciting (I didn't realize he was only 18 when he played with "The Crazy World of Arthur Brown" and, hence, just barely 20 when ELP formed). He had a guitarist - an insanely talented one at that - playing Emerson's keyboard parts on guitar-synth, which was weird but, if you closed your eyes, you wouldn't know the difference, technique and nuance notwithstanding. Arthur Brown did the vocals... wearing a mask the whole time (surely meant to represent the old days when he wore a helmet spewing fire - I kid you not). Anyway, my big chance to get some ELP love was overshadowed by bad sound.

 

Things got better though. I loved the John Lodge of The Moody Blues set, despite not knowing a few of the tunes. Also, though John Lodge was the only original member, my knowledge of the band being fairly fleeting, I had no vested interest in authenticity, and the execution was very good, especially the vocal harmonies.

 

Asia was a nice surprise. Started with Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal on guitar & lead vocals (stellar on both). Then Steve Howe came on and Bumblefoot just sang. Also, as a nod to Geoffrey Downes' pre-Yes past, they included The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star" which was a lark.

 

But more importantly, at one point I turned to my wife and remarked how much Bumblefoot's voice sounded like John Whetton and hence, Greg Lake as well, and that they should have had him singing with the Carl Palmer's ELP Legacy. And no sooner had the words left my mouth when they broke into "Lucky Man" which was awesome, and made all the more authentic of course by Carl Palmer's being in Asia as well.

 

Then there was Yes, who I'd sadly seen only once before in '97 at Massey Hall in Toronto. It would have been nice if there had been more original members, but Jon Davison's singing was crystal clear, Billy Sherwood has a kind of Chris Squire vibe (he played for Asia as well), and at least Geoffrey Downes has history with the band.

 

Aside from that... Steve Howe was there at least - fingers slowin' down some, but he cooks when it counts. Alan White only played on some tunes (i think it was Jay Schellen doing the rest - I guess Alan has the arthritis). Also, related to Alan, they did John Lennon's "Imagine" as an encore (White played on the original).

 

I remember, just after booking these tickets, saying to myself that I wished I hadn't been so stoned when I saw them in '97, and was particularly hoping for another chance to take in "The Gates of Delirium" on a more conscious level. And, so when then they started the opening notes to "Gates", I almost lost it... and it was spectacular... a thing of beauty... and a poignant reminder that you don't need drugs to get high at The Gates of Delirium. The coolest part of the evening to be sure.

 

The other encore tune was Roundabout and, being we were in Toronto, all through the set I was holding out hope that Geddy would appear on stage when they got to this song, And then I remembered he was probably still signing his books in Europe. Regardless, he did not magically appear :(

 

But, all things being equal, if this was the last glimpse of all these prog legends, it was an impressive and memorable night!!!! And, my wife, who is not a "progger" per se, quite enjoyed it, and that made it all the more special.

 

Cheers!

 

yes-tour-2019.jpg

 

Thought about going to see Carl again last Sunday but decided to wait for a solo show. instead. Don't do many weeknight concerts any more and the Arts Center was never one of my favorite venues since Live Nation took it over. I probably would have left before Yes though. Even 15 years ago this would have been a killer show.

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Oh, and thank you Bangkok. Yes, I'd seen that Gates of Delirium post as well. Guess I was fortunate they played it much better in Toronto (that intro in Pennsylvania was particularly tortured).

 

Also, they didn't have Alan White doubling on the side in Toronto either, though it would have been nice to have had him playing on that tune, seeing as he was the original drummer on it

 

Yeah, he looked pretty fragile (no pun intended) on that gig. Sadly, it doesn't look like he can handle playing the drums. He was pretty ferocious back in the day.

 

Is he only on percussion now? Or is he just trotted out to play "Imagine"?

As much as I enjoy(ed) Yes, this is a pretty sad spectacle to witness. I get the impression that a few of them are just executing the parts, as opposed to playing music. But it's sometimes hard to tell from YouTube. Howe also seems to be having issues, which can drag the tempo down.

(Siberian Khatru from recent years really droops, and it's not that fast of a tune to begin with.)

 

In happier times:

Gijsbert-Hanekroot-Redferns.jpg

:P

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Thanks again, Bangkok (actually I realize now it's "Vaportrailer"). Ya, they're at that age when they're going to be pretty inconsistent. Eg., "Siberian Khatru" came off pretty well in Toronto.

 

As for Steve, even a couple years ago at the RRHOF induction performance, there was a cringe worthy moment in the guitar intro to Roundabout. Took a bit of the pressure off Geddy I guess! And he started off "Gates" so slowly the other night, it took me a second to twig that they were about to launch into one of my all time favs (I misremembered on my first post when I claimed they played it in '97 - it was just the ending "Soon" section they did).

 

And, as for Alan, he took over from Schellen a few tunes in and, honestly, I lost track of his comings and goings after that, except for him playing the encore tunes! I don't know, is he a hard hitting guy like Neil? Come this December, Peart will have been retired for 4 years now, if you can believe that, and he's 3 years younger than White to boot!

 

On the other hand, Ginger Baker is still active according to Wikipedia, and he'll be 80 this year. Mind you, he has more of a Jazz approach, and a lot of those old jazz guys drum 'til they're half past dead!!!

 

Regardless, it'll never be quite the same again anyway... Chris is gone, Alan's hurtin' (Bruford, even if willing, is long retired) and, keyboard wise, I'll never do better than Geoff or Igor at this point :rage:. At least I got to see Jon way back when!

 

Anyway, I enjoyed the night overall. It's the "nowhere to hide" moments, like Steve's glitching on the "Gates" intro that stick out, but any other hiccups just kind of get buried in the excitement of the moment, and even bands in their prime have to count on that to get them thru those rough nights on a long tour!!!

Edited by alieninvasion76
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I remember being a poor university student back in 1979... couldn't afford tickets when YES came to Toronto for their "Tormato" tour, so I played hooky the day of the concert and stayed home trying to win tickets off of 104.1 CHUM-FM.

 

No such luck :( Had to hear all about it from a friend!!!

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On the other hand, Ginger Baker is still active according to Wikipedia, and he'll be 80 this year. Mind you, he has more of a Jazz approach, and a lot of those old jazz guys drum 'til they're half past dead!!!

!

 

I was fortunate enough to have seen Ginger Baker in a club from about 30 feet away several years ago and he still killed it.

 

It was the last tour before he said he his doctor said he need to stop touring immediately. I don't know if that's still the case, but I'd see him again in a heartbeat.and it has nothing to do with hearing any Cream songs. The guy was a master musician.

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Never saw the Moody Blues.

 

YES many times since 1972, but only with Jon Anderson.

 

ELP in the 70's.

 

Asia, doesn't interest me at all.

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