Review by Shawn Perry
Photos by Robert Steshetz
Rick Wakeman’s one-man Grumpy Old Rock Star tour came through Southern California, providing a chance for anyone with an inkling of the man’s history to experience a very up-close, intimate performance. Wakeman’s solo career enjoyed its greatest success in the States back in the 1970s, though his public profile has grown in stature as his musical contributions appreciate. Add to the fact that he’s regarded as a funny and gregarious character with a knack for storytelling, and you can see how entertaining an evening with Wakeman behind a piano and a microphone on the side can be. It certainly was at the Coach House.
Anyone hoping to see an assortment of keyboards and synthesizers hogging the stage was mildly disappointed. Instead, a lone grand piano, with a bench and a stage monitor nearby, occupied the center stage, awaiting the maestro. One local opening act and 30 minutes after 8:00 later, Wakeman ambled on to the stage, wearing a black trench coat of sorts, along with training pants and shoes. Comfortable and raring to go, he was. For the next 90 minutes, he would talk about his career, embellish where and when he could, make no apologies, and back it all up with a dazzling display of dexterous finger work on the ivories.
There was “Morning Has Broken,” Cat Steven’s 1971 recasting of an old English hymn that became monumental from the minute Wakeman spun out the piano introduction. He explained to the audience how the song developed, adding he never wrote down his part, which confounded other keyboardists hired to play the song live with Stevens. Naturally, he expertly exerted a beautiful instrumental rendition that enraptured the full house. A similar exchange between the audience and the pianist happened when Wakeman strolled through “Life On Mars” and Space Oddity,” praising David Bowie’s genius and influence before he began.
You’d think with a rich and musically varied vocabulary that Wakeman would follow a more refined, classically based path. Instead, he played Beatles songs — imbuing simple, familiar lines with his own dash of modish runs, arpeggios and fills. He told the audience that when John Lennon wrote “Help,” it wasn’t meant to be an upbeat rocker; it was supposed to be slower, more introspective, melancholic. Wakeman mentioned that Deep Purple had done a version in the late 60s more in line with Lennon’s vision, and he proceeded to play the song in a similar vein.
Everything he played had a story to go with it. Just before rolling into “Sweet Georgia Brown” (think Harlem Globetrotters), Wakeman dedicated it to his father. When it came to Yes, Wakeman did Jon Anderson impressions and joked that “Siberian Khatru” sounded like the name of a “European vegetable.” The three-song medley that followed included “The Meeting” from 1989’s Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe album, along with “And You and I” and “Wonderous Stories.” It was like a heaven for the Yes fans in the room.
With all the other works Wakeman covered, he managed to squeeze in a few pieces of his own, namely “Catherine Howard” and “Catherine Of Aragon” from 1973’s The Six Wives of Henry VIII. Coming out for an encore, he spoke about writing 1975’s The Myths And Legends of King Arthur And The Knights Of The Round Table in the hospital while he recovered from his third heart attack (he was only 25!), following with a magnificent poke at “Merlin The Magician,” from the album. In closing, Wakeman touched on his most popular solo album, 1974’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth, but choose instead to run through “The Dance Of A Thousand Lights” from the 1999 sequel, Return To The Centre Of The Earth.
There is no question that Wakeman’s musicianship was superb the whole night. In recent interviews, the 70-year-old says he is dealing with arthritis and that he does rigorous finger exercises to keep up his chops. That being said, he has suggested his keyboard playing days are numbered, and that within the next couple of years, he may no longer be able to play.
With word that the Anderson Rabin Wakeman version of Yes will be calling it quits after one more trip around the sun in 2020, the opportunity to see one of rock’s most creative and unique players in a live setting could be winding down. Knowing all this while watching Rick Wakeman give a musical and oral retrospective of his incredible career made this show at the Coach House that much more special.
