Wakeman Meets Fragile!

Wakeman Meets Fragile

Rick on the Marlborough stage

On Saturday 25th August, Rick Wakeman played a live show with his new version of the English Rock Ensemble. As if the pressure of playing live with a new band was not enough he also had the added excitement of meeting Fragile, or at least a few of them. Being the superstar he is though Rick didn't appear at all nervous even when we stuck a copy of "Live at the Half Moon" under his nose!

Rick with Robert and Gonzalo

The show was of course stupendous and we all came out of it wondering how he could not only produce such an incredible performance but also manage to surround himself with such a talented line-up. Before the show we were introduced to Rick and it was a dream come true for everyone but particularly for Gonzalo of course! Rick has always been supportive of Fragile and when he heard about Gonzalo's role as keyboard player he simply smiled and said "You poor sod!"

After the show we had a good chance to chat to Rick and he was very enthusiastic about the idea of a Yes tribute band in the UK. He said that he would come and see the band if he "ever got a day off" and left clutching a copy of "Live at the Half Moon" promising to listen to it when he could and "let us know". The fact that we had super-glued it to his hand had no bearing on his decision of course! And since the meeting Rick has kindly e-mailed us to say that he found the CD very enjoyable.

Rick now embarks on a tour of South America and then returns for some solo dates in the UK. He won't be getting many days off this year so we wish him the best of luck and hope that our paths will cross again soon! We'd also like to thank him for letting us sit in on the soundcheck and for the time that he and the rest of the band spent chatting with us and for the encouraging words!

I get to meet Rick!

You can read more about the show at Marlborough here.

You can see pictures of Fragile playing with Peter Banks here.