The Gonzo Daily: Rick Wakeman 'gigs in Gloucestershire will be like prog rock version of The Osmonds'

Tuesday 18 June 2013

Rick Wakeman 'gigs in Gloucestershire will be like prog rock version of The Osmonds'

ASKING Rick Wakeman a question is a bit like lighting a match. You know that eventually it will run out of energy, you just have to wait a while. Not that it’s a bad thing. Quite the opposite.

Despite his status as an icon of the progressive rock genre and my fear that the inevitable ego will attach itself like an evil Siamese twin, the 64-year-old could not be more accommodating. He seems more down-to-earth and chatty that I could have hoped for, undermining the image he played up to in BBC series, Grumpy Old Men. We’re talking ahead of four county gigs – two at Blackfriars in Gloucester, two at Cheltenham’s Centaur. Rick for one, couldn’t be more excited.

“People are coming in from Brazil, Argentina, America, Canada., Australia, Russia. And that’s just the ones we know about,” he said. “The complete band, the choir and orchestra are going to be on stage, it’s never been done before. Blackfriars in Gloucester is such a great venue and it’s so unusual and then The Centaur has such a big stage it’s perfect. It’s good for the town as well, I think people will make a real break of it. It’s going to be a real mix of music with a lot of things people wouldn’t expect to hear. It is unique, there isn’t going to be another show like it.”

Incredibly, there will be 90 people and nine keyboards on stage during the shows as Rick reaches into his back catalogue, digging out favourites including Journey to the Centre of the Earth, King Arthur and The Six Wives of Henry VIII.

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