RAHWAY, NJ — Keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman performed an evening of highlights from his career at Union County Performing Arts Center on Saturday, Oct. 5. It was part of his tour of the United States, which will be his last solo tour.
Wakeman’s career has spanned more than 50 years. He’s putting an end to his American one-man show tours in order to concentrate on composing, recording and collaborating with other musicians.
Nevertheless, Wakeman delivered a grand and ‘wonderous’ performance sprinkled with hilarious stories
Giving equal time to his Korg synthesizers and UCPAC’s very own Bosendorfer, Wakeman delivered enchanting music from his career – his work with Yes, his solo work and work he’s done with David Bowie back in the late 1960s.
He opened with Catherine Howard from his solo collection, then spoke about his session work in the late 1960s with David Bowie and joked about some of the experiences they had together.
Wakeman said, “Of all the work I did, what stands out most is work with David Bowie. I did 25 pieces with him.”
This led into Wakeman’s notable early work, David Bowie’s breakthrough single, “Space Oddity,” followed by “Life on Mars,” performed beautifully on the Bosendorfer.
Wakeman spoke about visiting places in England associated with King Arthur as a child. “I loved the magical stuff they had there,” he said. “I love the legend of King Arthur.”
He then performed four songs of that vibe – “Arthur,” “Guinevere,” “The Last Battle” and “Merlin the Magician.”
Fondly recalling the band Yes as “an important part of my life,” Wakeman shared that his manager had an idea to put together pieces of Yes songs and call it a “Yessonata.”
“Jon’s voice is so unique,” Wakeman said, speaking of his Yes bandmate Jon Anderson. Pulling from Anderson’s melodies, along with other Yes bandmates’ contributions, Wakeman put together pieces with which he was involved.
During the breathtaking Yessonata, standouts included “Wonderous Stories,” “Awaken,” and “And You and I” and “Roundabout.” Each song glided effortlessly to the next. It was a poignant moment for fans.
After that, Wakeman openly admired UCPAC’s Bosendorfer piano that, unlike other pianos, had an extended key range. It was the first time he had gotten to play on it. He jokingly said he would utilize the low F at the end of the piano. It was a note he never played in his 75 years. He pounded on the key a few times to “take advantage of the situation.” He said it was the only time in his tour that he would play such a piano.
Back at the Korg synthesizers, Wakeman played tribute to The Beatles, performing “Help!” and “Eleanor Rigby.” That was the grand finale.
As a bonus, Wakeman assisted in drawing the 50/50 winning ticket – a tradition always provided by UCPAC. He had fun doing it.
Returning to the stage for an encore, he performed excerpts from his legendary album, “Journey to the Centre of the Earth.”
Throughout his stellar performance, Wakeman received several standing ovations.
Steve Fallone, from Sparta, said, “He’s my favorite keyboard player in the world. Yes is my favorite band in the world.”
Mark Rinaldi drove two hours from the borough of Berlin in Camden County to see the show. He said he was a fan of Rick Wakeman since he was in The Strawbs, before Yes. “He’s just so talented and he’s still going,” said Rinaldi.
He has 49 ticket stubs from Yes concerts.
Kelli Rosenthal, of Plainfield, said she was a Yes fan for more than 40 years. “I saw Yes many times,” she said. “Rick Wakeman was the keyboard player for Yes.”
Her emphasis on the word “the” shows that she is more appreciative of Wakeman’s talent than other keyboardists who have played with Yes.
Alice Rich, of East Brunswick, said, “We love his solo albums. We were fans for years.”
Her husband, Gary Rich, added, “Journey to the Center of the Earth.”
Sue Vetrero, of Rockaway, met Wakeman before the show and said, “He’s friendly. He’s funny.”
Her husband, Steve, said Yes was his first concert in 1974. “I haven’t missed a Yes concert since,” he said. “It’s sad it’s his final solo tour.”
Visit Rick Wakeman at https://www.rwcc.com/.
Visit UCPAC at https://ucpac.org/.
Photos by Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta and Courtesy of J. Michael Schirra