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Forthcoming interview with Rick Rick Wakeman's Tour Set List Boston to Chatham (to see Rick) and back again Rick Wakeman Tour Schedule Changes |
Forthcoming interview with Rick
From: Wayne Smith [wayne@rwcc.com] - Feb. 1
At the suggestion of Jon Hinchliffe, I have setup an interview with Rick in an attempt to update the FAQ section of the site, which as more than a few people have pointed out, is slightly dated. So, can I ask you all to have a read through of the FAQ on the site at http://www.rwcc.com/rwcc/code/faq.htm and if you have a question that isn't covered, please send it to me at mailto:faq@rwcc.com?subject=Q4Rick It would be really helpful if you could email questions to me individually, so I've got a pad of questions with some space to write the answers, but if you've got loads, then send them together.
Please (please, please) don't ask the obvious ones about old CDs - I've updated the FAQ about this thorny subject recently, try to think of some interesting ones. Jon's already been working overtime and has given me a list of questions. In the next few days, I'll post a list of questions on the site for you all to review. This will be at http://www.rwcc.com/rwcc/code/newfaq.htm so check it out over the next few weeks...
Hope you'll all find the results of this interesting - feel free to let me know if there are any subjects that you feel are lacking on the website.
Thanks
Wayne
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0 Rick Wakeman Communication Centre | webmaster: Wayne Smith
0 www: http://www.rwcc.com/ | e-mail: wayne@mmmix.com
0 1st Floor, Bajonor House | The Multimedia Mix Ltd
0 2 Bridge Street, Peel | PO Box 148, Camberley
0 Isle of Man, IM5 1NB, UK | Surrey, GU17 0QU, UK
0 Phone: +44 (0)1624 844134 | Phone: +44 (0)7000 484364
0 Fax: +44 (0)1624 844135 | Fax: +44 (0)1252 655332
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Rick Wakeman's Tour Set List
From: Wayne Smith [wayne@rwcc.com] - Feb 7
The current tour is drawing from the following master setlist, but of course is open to additions and deletions along the way. Provided for interest only!
Boston to Chatham and back again
From: Craig Smith [smith_craig_e@hotmail.com] - Feb 10
Ok, this turned out quite lengthy but this whole thing was very important to me and my wife and I wanted to type it. Maybe one or two of you will read it and find some entertainment value.
I must say, going away for a week to London, for the first time, and seeing Rick Wakeman in Chatham was definitely the highlight. Now, don't get me wrong, everything on our (my wife Stephanie and I) vacation was fantastic but Rick was still the highlight.
We spent the day at Cantebury and I managed to pick up his new Preludes CD there (great CD by the way, I love his piano work and this one will get lots of rotation by me). Then the train to Chatham. We get to the theater early and the woman at the theater tells us that Rick is in fact there (I guess I was still in denial) and that his car was around the corner. We took a
photo of it (even though it needed a bit of a washing :^) ) anyway, we then stopped by for a pint in a nearby pub. Boy that town goes silent at 5:00!
So, we buy a program, get to our seats and there we are, front row center with Ricks keyboards just a few feet from our faces. The theater was beautiful, the seats were spacious (well, lots of legroom :^) and much bigger seats than venues I'm used to) I was in my glory and my wife, well, she always liked Ricks stuff but it was me that always put it on. So, Pachebels' Canon starts over the loudspeakers and then Rick walks out, I thought he looked great. I have only ever seen him with Yes and didn't
quite know what to expect but he looked good (and Tall!). He sits down at the keyboards and starts playing along with Canon. Wow, I thought I was going to pop. My wife looked at me with a big smile knowing how much I was loving this. Anyway, he then played Birdman, a bunch of wives (including Jane Seymour!!!), some of arthur...he just kept amazing me. I looked at my wife who was now glowing with excitement. At intermission (or should I call it interval? :^) my wife stated how blown away she was and how she is now a real fan for life! The second set starts with the KGB story followed by Children of Chernobyl and we are off again. Rick was so funny and seeing his stories in person was such a great treat! I loved hearing his little medley of journey and dance of 1000 lights saying he thought it appropriate
to play the two pieces that are at the same place in the two stories. Oh yes, lest we forget a good Vindaloo Curry story! :^)
Eventually the show had to end right? it was afterall 2 70 minute (or so) sets and he ended with Claire de Lune. I was so taken by Ricks performance. I really was.
At the end we waited for rick and sure enough he came out to greet us. We were waiting in the back of the crowd because we didn't want to make everyone wait for us and we hoped the flight across the atlantic would mean Rick would spend a little more time with us. Rick cuts through the whole crowd and brings a bottle of Champagne to his soundman, apparently it was his birthday, and then we are suddenly right in the front. We tell rick we are here from Boston and he tells us we "are mad". He was such a gentleman.
I couldn't believe how nice Rick is. I know everyone keeps saying that but he is so much more than I expected. I would love to describe every detail of our little chat and how rick put his arms around us, patted us on the back (he asked if we were here to see Yes too and I said "nah, I can see them at home, I wouldn't cross the Atlantic for them but since I don't know
when you might come to the US I decided we had to come to you"), he kissed my wife on the cheek, posed for a photo, signed the few things I brought (and even dug through my stuff to find more things to sign saying "don't worry about the other people they will wait their turn"). I even brought him a postcard of King Henry VIII that I bought at the Tower of London (we were tourists from Boston afterall) to sign and he signed it saying that we
"were mad to come see him but he was deeply honored" You know, I believe him. Everyone says what Rick should do to become more popular and sell more records...at that moment it occured to me that Rick is quite happy doing things the way his does them. It isn't about money, it's about doing what he loves and hoping others find enjoyment too and I think he was almost as excited that we came all the way too see him as we were to be there. He did want to make sure we really enjoyed the show because he thought how bad it would be if the show wasn't very good. We just laughed.
Anyway, we finally left the theater in complete bliss. My wife is now discovering Ricks music in a whole new light and listening to it all the time (ahh, remember back when we got to first experience things like white rock...) Anyway, we were two very happy people on the train back to London.
As I said at the start, on our flight home my wife asked what my favorite part of the trip was and I said "seeing and meeting Rick" and she agreed. Being shunned by other musicians has made my wife bitter about meeting them but Rick has restored her faith. Rick, you have made yourself another fan for life...really!
Wayne, if you actually read to here, I'm sure Rick doesn't want to read this but if you could let him know that the couple from Boston appreciated all he did for us and that we think his performance was captivating and his kindness was out of this world...it would be appreciated.
Craig & Stephanie Smith
Rick Wakeman Tour Schedule Changes
From: Wayne Smith [wayne@rwcc.com] - Feb 11
Quite a number of changes to the UK tour, full details at
http://www.rwcc.com/rwcc/code/live.htm
Added: Corby, Skegness, Ashton under Lyme, Felixstowe, Folkestone, Hayes, Southport
Removed: Tunbridge Wells, Swansea
Sorry to overseas fans :-)