Events from YesCapade 2001 - July 28, 2001
Whither Yescapade GB? |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Go to top A Yescapade Diary by Jamison Here's what happened, near as I can recall: The weekend started with a change in plans. I was to pick up Michelle Marie Moore at the Oakland airport. The Lancasters from Scotland were to meet us there as well, and we would all make the 3+ hour trek north to Konocti. I had figured I could make the trip, and then immediately turn around and drive BACK to San Francisco (for another 3 hours) and play a gig that night, then hop in the car and make the 3-hour drive a third time. Well obviously my head wasn't quite on straight (too much stress about getting SAXLIFE ready) or I would have realised how SUICIDAL that would have been. So the day before I arranged a rental car for the three, which MM blessedly agreed to drive in my absence. Airport rendezvous went fine, they dropped me off at my home and buzzed on ahead. Played my gig later that night, loaded up and me and buddy Pulot were on the road by 1:30 am. En route, I saw that the directions I had given my band-mates had an essential turn missing, so when we finally got to Konocti at 4:30 am I knew I would have to call the guys at about 6:30 am before they left to tell them about that missing turn, or they were gonna wind up about 16 miles north and an half hour further out of their way. So we drank some champagne with Pulot's friends Andrew and Cailyn (sp?), ate grapes and cheese and watched the sun come up over the lake before I went to sleep at 6 to get my half-hour power nap. Phone calls completed I got an additional 2 hours before the alarm rang and I leapt out of bed (off the floor, actually) sweating and muttering disbelief. Quick shower, and a ride to the Lakeside Haven Clubhouse, still quite in an exhausted daze which was rapidly being replaced by an adrenaline rush of anticipation. (Fear, more like it.) Checked in with Cherokee and Anne, went to put my stuff down. Miracles: the PA was not only set-up, but the sound man was there waiting to see what I needed; the drummer (whatsisname, ohyeah my brother George) was already there and set up, as was my gutarist Cris Hart; the Yescapade soundtrack was playing thru the PA. (That was a VERY good thing.) So I took a deep breath, saw that we could pull it off, even if only as a trio, and went to get coffee. Finally met Relayer Bob as I got my coffee. The funny thing is, he doesn't LOOK all that obsessive. One by one my guys arrived, the last one 15 minutes before downbeat. Nobody forgot their sheet music, or reeds or anything. In fact, when I accepted the fact that it was really going to happen, I got even MORE nervous. The first piece was the Steve Howe medley (Clap, Arada, Mood for a Day, the Ancient, Sound Chaser, Clap). I had just (the week before) re-arranged it (yet again) to give the alto voice most of the leads (the original arrangement didn't favor any voice over others) so I could pull it along. This was definitely the most difficult to play live, lots of tempo changes and rubato sections. But I really wanted to play it, so despite their (well-thought) objections I cracked the whip and we muddled through it. 'And you and I' went well-- flowed pretty nicely, we got off beat once near the end but came together. (Nobody has yet commented on the 'quotes' I threw in at the end.) Then I played 'Wonderous Stories' with just Cris and George-nice to not have to chart it out. ;-) Then 'Turn of the Century'. Still not too sure how I feel about this one. It's so hard to do this song justice. It was definitely okay. Hmmm. My favorite was definitely the next one, the second medley (To Be Over, Future Times, Heart of the Sunrise, Then, South Side of the Sky, To Be Over). This one I completed in just a matter of weeks, from inception to finish. I'm really pleased with the way it flows from song to song. We had to stop between the second and third movements for a page turn! Turns out some of these charts were upwards of 7 pages long. For the last song I had asked Tim Ellsworth to come and play bass on 'We Have Heaven'. Nobody knew he was coming up! It was really cool-we should have played it twice, the song's too short. I was VERY VERY nervous performing these. Now, I play for a living and don't get fazed too often. But I'm not a bandleader, I don't have the patience for it. This was my first time, not only leading my own group, but doing all the arranging and conducting as well. We were under-rehearsed (we could have rehearsed another half-dozen times and would STILL have been under-rehearsed, in my opinion) and attempting toplay music that I KNOW in my heart and respect with all my musical soul. Plus there were some personnel issues: I had originally planned to do this with the sax quartet I had been working with for the last year and a half, but we had a blow-up and disintegrated about 2 months before this. I brought along one of the guys from that (Joe Kaline), and recruited another 2 professional colleagues (Eric Drake among them). So we were moving forward, and the bari sax player realised he had over-extended himself for July and bailed. So I convinced good friend Dennis Crosby, a monster bass player in his own right, to dust off his old bass TROMBONE and 'do a Squire.' Well, for the amount of time we had to get it together I'm very proud that it came off as well as it did. Objectively, I'd give the performance 'B minus'. Subjectively, drop a couple letters. ;-) Cris got a nice MD recording of it, which I've got on cd for anyone interested. The sound is actually quite good, though I'm heavy in the mix. (I think I play louder when I'm nervous.) On the down side, you can actually hear what we played. (tongue only partially in cheek) That over, I finally got breakfast and ate it in large mouthfuls, gasping for air. I had a bottle of Jack that was left over from hospitality the night before. It was nice to share that with yes fans at 11 am. :-) Then I had to go to work. I was officially part of the staff of the event as security; the SAXLIFE thing got added later when the cover band from San Diego realised it would be too expensive to make the trek. (Those of you who have seen me in the flesh know how comical the thought of me being 'security anything' actually is.) But I put on my little laminate and started barking orders in true power-grubbing fashion. Actually, I didn't have to do ANYTHING (except get in the way) until it came time for the signing. During Q&A the crowd were REMARKABLY well-behaved, even courteous. So I didn't have to body-check any overzealous tripped-out fanboy. For the signing we had to funnel everyone around table-right (think stage-right), and it moved along fairly well. Time started ticking down and lots of people remaining, we tried to keep people moving and conversations to a minimum. I REALLY REALLY hated having to keep saying 'Cmon everyone, let's keep it moving,' but I was concerned that everyone might not get their chance to get their handshake (or not) and their signature. 2:00 came, and still many to go: but the band SO GRACIOUSLY stayed beyond their 'leave-time' to get to everyone. THIS WAS ONE OF THE BEST MOMENTS OF THE WEEKEND FOR ME: seeing that all these people, who are touched by Yes in their own powerful way, would have their moment to say hello, or thanks, or whatever it is that they would say to Yes, if they could ever get their moment. :-) An extra THANKS to Yes for those 15 minutes. Woo-Hoo! I hold you in higher esteem as people for that. (Your esteem as musicians couldn't be higher.) Finally it all came to a finish, we cleaned up a bit. My buddies headed to the amphitheater to catch some of the rehearsal, but it was late getting started and we opted for the pool and beverages instead. Cris and I go to get a drink from the snack bar and there's a large bass player standing in line before us. The cashier says 'Three dollars please' to the man for his two bottles of water, and as he fumbles thru a fistfull of bills I say to him with my sophisticated American repartee, 'So what do you think of the new money?' He looks at me blankly, and I realise I'm in deep doo doo once more. (This happened in Reno last year, when I had that same flea-to-a-buffalo feeling.) So I nimbly offer, 'They redesigned our money last year, it's dreadful.' His thoughful response: "Does it matter?" (Which I translate as: "Why do you keep following me and annoying me? Does your mother know you're out? Now run along.") My response to his response: "I guess it doesn't, at that." Proceed to shrink a further 15 inches. Well after having brought up this scenario several times to my therapist since, I wanna say one thing to Mr. Chris Squire Bass Player of Yes: IT MATTERS BECAUSE NOT ALL VENDING MACHINES TAKE THE NEW BILLS YET. There, I feel better. (Really, I'm NOT an obsessive fan. I'm not stalking any of you. I DO have other interests, real relationships, a life. It just might not seem so.) The show: we sat in a nice big group behind most of our Yescapade buddies, about 10 rows back, Steve side. Sound muddy, a narrow range of the low frequencies quite distorted. Felt like we were sitting IN the sub-woofers. Orchestra: strings quite sharp often, attributable to the heat. Most of the show it was still daylight out, sun quite strong. Watched Larry conducting quite a lot. Very high-energy show, even if kinks still being worked out. Wonderful cameraderie among the folks at the festival earlier-watched Brian Neeson's kids blowing bubbles. Don't know where that skunk was, Brian. George's neighbor Debbie came with a friend and his 2 daughters, 5 and 7, who danced with us thru the encores. Tim Flores was exploding with joy, as usual. Peter and Valerie and George and Heidi and me, Dennis and Cris and Pulot and Andrew and Cailyn: Family!!! Afterward, talked a bit with both Tom and Larry, both very approachable and genuine. Too tired to wait for the rest to come out. Ate and passed out by 12:30. Wow. Beautiful, amazing, wonderful, extraordinary beautiful.
jamison@saxlife.com Our Sincere Thanks
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
