TAKE A BOW
AN EXTRAORDINARY LIFE – CELEBRATING THE MUSIC OF JOHN WETTON
VENUE TRADING BOUNDARIES, FLETCHING
DATE 03/08/2023
It’s good to hear some piano tunes after dining, especially interspersed with a bit of banter from ivory tickler extraordinaire Rick Wakeman. He opens this John Wetton memorial charity concert for Macmillan Caring Locally with a sumptuous reading of Life On Mars and a witty Eleanor Rigby in the style of Prokofiev. Wakeman recalls that, on a couple of occasions, he and Wetton unsuccessfully tried to start a band, and tonight is about the late bassist and vocalist’s achievements, some huge successes, some that never quite were, and heartfelt tributes from musicians and friends.
David Cross makes some Easy Money on the fiddle… ho ho! bands
The evening’s core band is a pool of 31 teenagers from the Paul Green Rock Academy, the school that provided young talent to play live with Wetton in 2009, and they’re backing a seemingly endless stream of big names. It’s no understatement to say the venue is full of stars from the prog firmament – “I’m the only person here that I don’t know,” quips Wakeman – and the evening’s MC, Prog Editor Jerry Ewing, is clearly thrilled to be introducing them. But just as crucial are these young Academy musicians whose names we don’t yet know. They sing and play Green’s arrangements brilliantly, the only downside to their youth and virtuosity being the occasional outburst of inappropriate shredding.