Thursday 23 January 2014

Concert review: Rick Wakeman – a piano recital mixed with stand-up comedy

Rick Wakeman
Keyboardist extraordinaire Rick Wakeman provides Tel Aviv fans with an intimate evening of song as well as humorous personal stories.

Rick Wakeman. Photo: MICHAEL DALDER/REUTERS


Musicians often tell stories between their songs on stage, and audiences invariably respond over-enthusiastically, as if that little tidbit about the guitarist’s strings coming undone is the funniest thing they’ve ever heard. Or at least the funniest thing coming from a genuine rock star for whom they have just paid hundreds of shekels to go see.

In Rick Wakeman’s case, though, the jokes really are a hoot.

Which is a good thing, because Wakeman, keyboardist extraordinaire whose most famous gig was with the seminal ‘70s progressive band Yes, doesn’t do anything else with his voice. He doesn’t sing. And, in his appearance Monday night at Tel Aviv’s Reading 3 club, he didn’t even come with a band: it was just the artist at a grand piano, alone, as if playing in a very large living room for a group of close friends.

That the stories were both charming and at times self-deprecating is not surprising from a musician who, in addition to his multi-year collaborations with Yes, has recorded with a who’s who of British pop and rock artists, from David Bowie (Wakeman played the piano on Bowie’s “Life on Mars”) to Cat Stevens. The latter proved to be the source of one of Wakeman’s best yarns of the night.


CURRENTLY AVAILABLE AT GONZO

Live in Lincoln Cathedral
2CD - £7.99

Live At The Maltings
DVD/CD - £9.99

Caped Crusader- Rick Wakeman in the 1970's
Book - £14.99

Video Vaults
6DVD box - £85.00

Cirque Surreal 
CD - £7.99

Gole 
CD - £9.99

1984
CD - £9.99

Cost Of Living 
CD - £9.99

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