Progressive rock has been a hugely successful genre in Brazil since the 1970s. Keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who has just said goodbye (supposedly) to São Paulo, played for the first time in the country almost 50 years ago, when international shows here were very rare or non-existent – the performance promoted the Brit’s masterpiece: the concept album Journey To The Center Of The Earth (1974), adaptation based on the novel Journey to the center of the Earth (1864), by French writer Jules Verne.
Since then, Wakeman has returned several times and established a solid fan base in Latin America. On Friday (12) on his farewell tour, which passes through four Brazilian cities, he performed to an audience of around 2,200 people at the Tokyo Marine Hall , in the south zone of the capital of São Paulo. Tickets were sold out.
“O Mago dos Teclados”, a reference on the instrument, is a historic member of Yes, a primordial group of the “Holy Trinity” of prog rock, alongside Genesis and King Crimson. Later, names like Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Pink Floyd and Rush would carry the torch of the class that deviates from radio standards by incorporating long instrumental solos and elements of classical music.
A journey from Mars to the Center of the Earth
Wakeman's journey began late at 10 p.m., but the musician took the stage punctually for an intimate one-man show, without any kind of backing band, and without the shiny capes or long blonde hair that were once his trademark. .
Alternating between keyboard and piano during the performance, he opened the works with Jane Seymor and Catherine Howard, pieces by The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1973), an album that interprets the famous story of the six wives of King Henry VIII of England, founder of the Anglican Church. After the first wave of applause, Rick made the audience laugh with his typical British humor.
Afterwards, the first tribute of the night went to the “chameleon” of rock, David Bowie, who recruited Wakeman in the late 1960s and early 70s to play on the classics Space Oddity and Life On Mars?reproduced with subtlety that makes you cry.
A meticulously constructed medley evoked the characters of The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (1975), another fundamental concept album in his discography, this one dedicated to the medieval stories of the legendary King Arthur.
The most applauded composition of the night, Yessonata, was a gift to the fans. Made especially for this tour, the track brought together excerpts from 30 Yes songs, particularly from the albums Fragile (1971), Close to the Edge (1972) and Tales from Topographic Oceans (1973), in which the unmistakable keys of 'Mago' are immortalized. Some easily recognized sections were Awaken, Roundabout, And You And I and Heart of the Sunrise.
With the musical journey approaching its end, the Brit made a point of combining the revolutionary sound of the Beatles with the varied layers and textures that only his 'bewitched' keyboard is capable of providing, in a perfect blend of Lennon/McCartney, with bold versions of Help! It is Eleanor Rigby.
Rick even returned for the encore and got the most euphoric reaction from the audience when he announced that he would play excerpts from Journey to the center of the Earth – summarized in the pieces The Journey It is Recollectionputting an end to a breathtaking show of musical excellence.
Wakeman ends his visit to Brazil in April with shows in Brasília, on the 14th and then in Curitiba, on the 15th.
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m Robert Neff, a professional writer and editor. I specialize in the entertainment section, providing up-to-date coverage on the latest developments in film, television and music. My work has been featured on World Stock Market and other prominent publications.
