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Topic ClosedKeith Emerson Band-Astoria London 20/7/06

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richardh View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Keith Emerson Band-Astoria London 20/7/06
    Posted: July 21 2006 at 02:57

Travelled into a hot and humid London (thank God for air conditioning!) to see one of my heroes ..well actually my greatest hero.Keith Emerson the man who was an inspiration for many keyboard players in prog ..and now over sixty..although you would never know it!

Arrived a bit late as there were the usual holdups going into London and then stopped off for a burger because I was starving.Got into the venue at 8.10 with the band already into it.I couldn't make out what they were playing at first.Sounded great though then I resalised it was Emersons Piano Concerto.Wow! Very impressed with all the members of his band ,clearly all top musicians in their own right but then you would expect nothing else really.
 
I won't bother going through every track in detail but I loved the version of From The Beginning with Emerson using piano instead of Moog.Of course the Moog was wheeled out on several tracks.,most notably on Lucky Man with that wonderful low end bass sound that goes right up through your stomach.However for me the highlight was easily Tarkus..all 50 minutes of it!! Some incredible soloing that showed Emo hasn't lost it.Then they finished with Fanfare.At one point Keith's son Aaron appeared and played for a bit alongside Dad and is quite a player in own right by the looks of it.Looks like Adam Wakeman has some competition!
 
The audience loved every minute of it.My friend who's into guitar rock like Wishbone Ash thought it was the best gig he's seen in years! Of course I agreeBig smile
 
Mr Emerson thankyou for a great nightClap
 
 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 21 2006 at 03:55
Best KE gig think I have ever been to, even better IMHO than ELP at Albert Hall in 92..
 
Emerson was on top form and all over the place, as Richard says it's hard to believe he is 60+, they played a really good set including some old gems like living sin from Trilogy album. As Richard says Tarkus was stunning, quite unbelievable.
 
Some nice humour from Emerson as well, introducing himsef as "Keith Emerson GAY" and then the G-A-Y lights at the back of the stage light up (Astoria is the home for gay club nights).
 
Best show i've seen for a very long time. Hope he does some more in UK now.... 
 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 24 2006 at 05:37
I was there too (and nearly died because of the heat...), and I agree with both of you completely. It was a fantastic gig (and I was lucky to catch him in London on that day, because I was not in Italy when I played there), and I was very impressed by the guitarist-vocalist, Marc Bonilla. Great voice indeed (on some Italian forum someone compared him to my beloved Glenn Hughes, with whom he collaborated some time ago), though higher-pitched than Lake's and more suited to hard rock, IMHO - and great guitarist as well, without the usual guitar hero mannerisms adopted instead by his predecessor, Dave Kilminster. His relaxed, understated presence on stage reminded me in a certain way of Steve Morse.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 03 2006 at 11:25
Steve Morse??  He didn't play that good.  And he actually sounded like David Lee Roth to me.  Most likely why Keith adds in a little of Van Halen's 'Jump' in the Fanfare solo....
 
I'm sort of surprised that the Brits really liked Marc.  His voice is so American, maybe its because he looks like something out of Spinal Tap....Big smile
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 04 2006 at 05:21
Hi Three Fates, good to see you around!!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 11 2006 at 11:07
Hi Easy... how's things? Smile
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 21 2006 at 06:53

Wife and I were there too!

 
I think I mentioned in my newbie intro, Keith is one of my musical heroes, my admiration for his music goes back to my early to mid teens, but up until now I've never had the opportunity to see him play live.

It was a fantastic show in a smallish intimate venue (And it was incredibly hot) . Actually in many ways I'm glad the stuff I like is less popular these days, because I no longer have to be one of 100,000 in a stadium. I can be one of 600 or so and I can end up three rows from the front right in line with the maestro's key rig. (Although I can honestly say I'm not such a anorak as many others who took the opportunity pre-show to photograph the rig Confused )

Keith hasn't lost his chops one bit... (He's now 61, I think) during the show we were treated to flamboyant Hammond palm glisses, incredibly rapid left hand parts (Once described by Rick Wakeman as unsurpassed in its technique and musicality). and the usual pyrotechnics involving a Moog ribbon controller, and of course Keith's party trick of playing the opening section of Bach's toccata and fugue backwards from the wrong side of the keyboard! (He has given up sticking knives into a beaten up old L100 and playing it while stood on top of it - or lying under it - Well he is nearly a pensioner!)

The highlight for me was Tarkus too.  Amazing.  Though i did enjoy the brilliant acoustic Jazz piano set. 

He's put a really top notch band together (Marc Bonilla on Guitar and Vocals, Pete Riley on Drums, and Phil Williams on Bass) Each of them was given the opportunity to showcase their talent, which was nice, they weren't just making up the numbers. (Actually I rate Bonilla a better vocalist than Greg Lake Shocked )

Keith's main rig consisted of his Goff modded Hammond C3, the venerable but fully refurbished Moog Modular, a Triton Extreme and an 88 note Korg Oasys. I suspect that there was some rack gear off stage too. For his acoustic/jazz set there was a Yamaha grand on the other side of stage.

It really was a scorching hot night which did bring some tech difficulties Interestingly enough, it was the Triton and the Oasys that acted up (Or I suspect the computer off stage that I know Keith's keyboard tech uses to drive all the patch changes throughout the show) But the Hammond and the Moog performed flawlessly throughout.

Standout moment - The Lucky Man Moog solo. Bloody Hell that beast is capable of delivering power. The highs could cut through glass, and those portmanto dives to the deep bass physically shook the whole building. And every one of us in the audience. I just can't imagine any virtual analogue (or indeed anything else) being able to deliver anything that FAT and powerful.

As they came out to do the Encore Keith was high-fiving along the front of stage, and I spotted my wife right at the front slapping hands with the man himself Clap - she was always better at worming her way to the front of a gig than me!Smile

To top off a great gig, during the encore, as someone else has already mentioned, Keith's son Aaron unexpectedly arrived off to the side of the stage, he reached over the keys and tapped him on the shoulder.  There followed some animated beckoning and pointing which ended up with Keith pretty much dragging his son onto stage so they could share a bit of an impromptu keyboard duet (complete with good natured shoving) Aaron has inherited his dad's keyboard ability - who says it's not in the DNA!

A great gig.  One I will remember fondly for a long time  Cool

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 21 2006 at 18:30
hi richardh
i liked your review of KE Band.
would you like to review smoke the thin glass black in camden in september?
best
andrew
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 22 2006 at 15:11
Originally posted by The Yukon The Yukon wrote:

hi richardh
i liked your review of KE Band.
would you like to review smoke the thin glass black in camden in september?
best
andrew
 
Andrew
You've lost me a bit with that one! I presume its a band?
I am already going to a few gigs in September as it is so I would probably have to decline I'm sorry to say.
 
Thanks for the kind words about the review.
Richard 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 22 2006 at 15:40
Can I send you an EP then?
Best
A
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 23 2006 at 02:24
Originally posted by The Yukon The Yukon wrote:

Can I send you an EP then?
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A
 
Should be okay.Send me a Personal Message with more details.
Richard
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