Rick Wakeman: Live (1990) watch online HD

This performance was filmed at a TV studio in Nottingham,England and I was fortunate enough to be there.What must be borne in mind is that the sound facilities were set up purely for television,with all the limitations that entailed in 1990-the same goes for the camera work,this gig formed part of the "Bedrock" series of classic rock performances produced and transmitted by Central TV. Put all this in a box and simply enjoy Wakeman doing what he does best-playing the keyboards! The rest of the band are also superb,with the possible exception of Ashley Holt who,in my opinion,has never been up to the standard and able to be on the same stage as Rick and the others-his vocals are poor and off key whilst his "drumming" is quite frankly intrusive during Tony's solo. Having moaned about that,though,this is a very watchable DVD which if you hook up to a half decent sound system also becomes a listenable production and a worthwhile addition to a collection.

I saw the DVD version. The production quality is excellent: extremely sharp, crisp footage that focuses on Rick and what his hands are doing, and clear, well mixed sound. Unfortunately, the performance that is being so capably documented is not so great. Basically, Rick has chosen some breathtakingly cheesy keyboard sounds, and the musicians playing with him aren't all that great (or aren't having a good day). On top of that, the set design and the lighting are pretty damn cheesy too. Just to put my comments in context, I'm a serious Yes fan, a prog weenie, I've seen Rick in concert (performing with his son a few years ago), and I have a fair amount of tolerance for dorkiness in music, in the name of artistic experimentation and focusing on the positive stuff. This is just too much, though.

If you're a keyboard player or some other kind of musician, or just a Rick Wakeman fanboy/-girl/-bot who wants to sit and watch the guy's fingers fly so you can say "damn that guy is a good keyboard player", no problem. On the other hand if you are hoping to convince your significant other / friends / parents / pets that Rick Wakeman is the coolest guy ever and his music f'in rawks, forget it. You will only convince them that he is a middle-aged blond stubbly dork and that you listen to goofy music. Find some other concert recording and try that instead.