From 76370.326@compuserve.com Thu Oct 17 10:56:57 1996 Date: 17 Oct 96 12:35:53 EDT From: "m.j.vasko" <76370.326@compuserve.com> To: app Subject: AP Live and In Person, Pt 1/4 Content-Length: 11871 Alan Parsons Live and In Person (Part 1 of 4) [the following article is copyleft 1996, 76370.326@compuserve.com, m.j.vasko; yep, I wrote it, but I wrote it for people to read, so if the mood strikes anyone, it may be freely reproduced in any online form, either in full or in part the contents of this article are not authorized by Alan Parsons, any of the band members, and/or Steve Martin and the official Fan Club; any factual errors are the fault of the author (please bring them to the attention of the online community); although this article contains what looks like interviews, the words in them are -only- best recollections - I have tried my best to make them as accurate as possible given the circumstances for authorized information about the band, or for more information on Alan Parsons and the Fan Club magazine, please write to: Steve Martin "The Avenue" 65 Front Street West Suite 0116 - Box 201 Toronto, Ontario Canada M5J IE6 the internet address for "The Avenue" is: http://www.interlog.com/~avenue warning: this message contains lots of material that might be considered "spoilers" for those who have not yet seen the show] Alan Parsons, Live and In Person Santa Rosa/San Francisco October 8/October 9, 1996 In the crowd and backstage After seeing and hearing Alan Parsons' latest tour (contrary to certain rumors in the press, it is not his first live tour ever), I wonder: who is the real Alan Parsons? Is he the towering presence one meets backstage (he IS the tallest member of the band, as I first found out during the curtain call of last year's American tour), or is he the Wizard of Ahhs ("ignore the man behind the curtain"), the quiet but oh-so-present presence on stage? Can it be a coincidence that his position during the set is center stage... rear? I suppose that my older view of Mr. Parsons would have had him surrounded by bank after bank of sequencers, synths, and assorted electronic gadgetry, so that he might have been nearly hidden behind it all, but on stage this year, his primary protection from the crowd's adulation was the acoustic guitar that he carried throughout the sets. This year's venues seem to be smaller than last year's, which allows for a closer view of the band, and consequently of Alan's face. It seemed to me that there were many times when he would fix his gaze on a single person in the audience, but as with any good musician, there were other times when he was absorbed with his own performance. Still and all, it was readily apparent that, at least on stage, the other members of the band show their emotions more readily than their leader. Speaking of the other members of the band, who do we find there? Unlike Alan, who saves his introductions until very near the end, I shall mention each of them early on. From left to right (as seen from the audience): John Giblin, bass, previously of the band Simple Minds, joins the tour this year, I believe for the first time, having contributed strongly to Alan's just-released ON AIR, a return toward the concept album concept of old. John never takes center stage, but his presence underlies all of the classic performances, from the powerful lines of the opening number (Dr. Tarr and Professor Feather) to the gentle bowing of his electric standup bass in Ian's heartbreaking tribute to a lost loved one (Brother Up in Heaven). It was clear that John was into the music in a big way, and it came as no surprise that though I had not heard his name in the context of Alan Parsons before, he has an association with our favorite engineer, producer (and now performer) that dates back some years. Stuart Elliot, drums, with the band for some 15 years, provides the underlying foundation for all of the numbers, with his usual grace and precision. It came as no surprise to me that this man, a drummer who seems to only rarely perform solos, seemed soft-spoken, gentle, and thoughtful in person. On microphone, and subbing in on guitars, percussion, and the occasional keyboard were this year's two voices: Neil Lockwood and Peter Beckett. Peter toured with Alan last year and provides the lighter, more controlled voice in classic numbers such as Time, as well as new numbers, more than filling and more than capably, for example, on So Far Away (Welcome to the Mission), which was voiced by Christopher Cross on the new album. (Sorry for the lack of details regarding his career, his bio does not appear on the CD-ROM and we failed to ask enough about his past). Neil is newer to the tour, but has made strong vocal contributions to the new album, and this shows particularly well in the second act, when the band plays a block of six songs from the new album. Neil sang lead vocals with ELO, Pt. 2, and it is clear that he is comfortable on the stage and in the Limelight (one of his featured vocals). Both vocalists fare reasonably well on the classic tunes from albums past, sometimes much better, occasionally not quite so well. But in a band that has featured so many powerful voices across the years, it is not surprising that there are one or two rough spots. And each projected a tireless energy and enthusiasm, both in the more traditional confines of the Warfield in San Franciso and in the smaller, more intimate and (shall we jest and say) more...religious...confines of the Luther Burbank Center in Santa Rosa. Alan, of course, is center stage rear, above and behind the vocalists, directing the entire affair, except for a few songs when he fills in to the right on keyboards and percussion. He introduces a few of the numbers, mentions the new album with its "free CD-ROM", thanks DTS (Digital Surround, the sponsors of the tour and, apparently, an engineer's dream: the promulgators of a new recording technique...whose first recording is set to be...ON AIR, of course). Alan isn't above dropping a name or two (Michael Jordan) or poking a bit of fun at himself, sharing his gaffe during the European tour of '94 (listen to the Best of AP Live) when he confused Eye in the Sky and Turn of a Friendly Card. He also makes key backing vocal contributions (listen for a deep, deep voice), plays rhythm guitar and keyboards and commands the tambourine and wood sticks from time to time. Next, and most certainly not least, is the inimitable Ian Bairnson, the ruddy-faced, smiling Scotsman with the nimble fingers. The band may be Alan's, but since the departure of Woolfson, Ian has taken an increasingly large part in the writing, and now, on stage, he seems to project the center of the soul of the band. Few things in this world can compare to the sight and sound of the baseball-capped Ian brightly spotted in a shirt bordering on the psychedelic as he begins to bring down the house, blazing through solos starting with the first song of the first set (Dr. Tarr...), through other classic AP numbers such as Prime Time and, to my ears at least, most especially in the band's firey best of the two evenings, the recently-added-to-the-set Psychobabble. But of course, there's more to this guitar player than ripping solos, as anyone who's purchased ON AIR knows. By now you are likely familiar with the story of Ian's cousin, Erik Mounsey, a helicopter pilot killed in Iraq in the infamous friendly fire incident in 1994. But nothing can prepare you for the introduction and explanation of the song by Ian as the ON AIR block closes with his Brother Up In Heaven. Just as nothing can prepare you for the acoustic numbers: ON AIR, a concept album about the history of flight and man's dream to fly, is in many ways the lightest sounding of any AP effort, in keeping with the subject material, and the acoustic additions to the sets are welcome changes. Lest there be any confusion, ON AIR also contains the traditional hard-driving numbers that we've loved since the beginning, as well as some fragments of clever narration (for one, you'll want to get out your headphones and your Spanish-English dictionary) and a couple of "classic" AP instrumentals. Finally, on the right and to the rear, Gary Sanctuary, who, like John, is a relative newcomer to the band, but a strong contributor (he also features heavily on the new album) and a man with a past. Gary is the youngest looking member of the band, but keeps his cool with the rest, striking familiar chords through most of the set, but occasionally "Falling Free" with his own interprations of classic AP keyboard solos, perhaps colored by his previous experience with the Pet Shop Boys and Aztec Camera. I only saw one concert in last year's tour, so it is probably not fair to make a comparison, but this year's effort seems to be exemplified by Gary's keyboard efforts: while last year seemed to be classic AP at it's technical best, this year's performance flies higher and freer. All of the members of the band -play- the music with a more live and free feeling. Yes, this can lead to mistakes, and the shows I saw this year did not seem as crisp to me as last year's (Vegas, by the way). But all in all, it seemed that this year the band enjoyed themselves and their performances more. Which allowed us to do the same. So finally back around to Alan. Twenty years may have brought him far (from the neighborhood of Abbey Road and the Dark Side of the Moon, for the rock historians, and fans, among us), but as we found backstage, Tales of Mystery and Imagination remains his favorite after all this time. It seems hard to imagine that it's been twenty years since I first heard and loved the sounds of of Alan Parsons. When I mentioned that to Alan, he jokingly said something to the effect of "don't remind me", but I reminded him that this also meant that we, the fans, have been listening for twenty years. While his presence on stage is to the rear, backstage he shines forth as the solid leader that he clearly is, amicably chatting with fans, ruthlessly challenging those with their own personal theories about his music, signing autographs and agreeing to pose for pics, while including such touches as asking if there are enough beverages to go round. During our time with with Alan backstage, I think we were treated to a fairly representative sampling of his backstage persona(s). This was not quite so true of our encounters with the other band members, who, except for Ian, did not mingle as much or as freely as the sometimes gruff and bearish Mr. Parsons. The subjects discussed (and overheard) over the two evenings ranged across a wide spectrum, but several issues were touched on many times, and so I will try to mention them here in more detail. First, touring in general. Alan related that it is indeed true -- the band feeds off the crowd. When asked if there was a performance during last year's tour that was especially memorable, he immediately replied that there was. Though he was not able to readily remember the name of the venue (Wisconsin? Minnesota?), he was able to say why: a sellout crowd, more than satisfactory performances, and -very- good audience response. Perhaps this explains the rougher, gruffer demeanor in the first few minutes of the after-the-Santa-Rosa show, which was a small venue, not quite full, and with a definitely more laid back crowd (should we also mention the seats? sure, why not...they looked and felt like church pews). But just as the crowd warmed to his music that evening, Mr. Parsons himself warmed to the crowd afterwards and it was a pleasure to see him treat all of the visitors with equal measures of respect, smiles, and interest for the better questions and compliments.
From 76370.326@compuserve.com Thu Oct 17 10:52:23 1996 Date: 17 Oct 96 12:36:54 EDT From: "m.j.vasko" <76370.326@compuserve.com> To: app Subject: AP Live and In Person, Pt 2/4 Content-Length: 9728 Alan Parsons Live and In Person (Part 2 of 4) Our own discussions with the man of the hour wandered far from the original intent. With every other person asking about various tour and personnel trivia and tidbits, I mostly threw my preformed questions out the window and winged it. This may have also had something to do with the fact that I spoke with Ian first: [in the Q/A that follows -everything is paraphrased to the best of my recollection-; minimally where memory serves better; what does that mean? It means that I am sure that a few things might be wrong, we didn't have a tape of the conversation and so we reconstructed it as best as possible; our sincere apologies for any errors in fact or tone, but we tried out best to convey what we heard and how we heard it] Luther Burbank Ian Bairnson Q: (Ian entered the room and walked past the knot of people that were gathered around Alan) Q: (not quite meaning to, but caught up in the moment, I extend my hand to shake Ian's) Ian. That was incredible. Just incredible. I: (looks slightly embarrassed) Thanks. Q: I just wanted to tell you, you were really amazing tonight. Super solos. You were really hitting it. I: Yeah, it felt good. (at this point, I let Ian move farther into the room, and he and Wesley Chun spoke for a while; I listened in on their conversation, which touched such subjects as the show, the internet, Wesley AP(P) page, the recording deal, and a few others; after a while, Ian began to sign autographs, and I snapped a pic or two, then leaned in to have him sign my On Air). Q: Ian. Thanks again for the music. I was wondering if you could sign my copy of On Air. I'd really like you to sign Brother Up In Heaven, but it's a pretty dark page. Maybe this page? I: Oh, certainly. Q: Yeah, that song means a lot to me. I lost a brother in Vietnam, so it really rings true to me. I: Oh, I'm sorry to hear about that. Q: Mmm. It was a long time ago, but I still feel it sometimes. Your song really strikes a chord. I: You know. Give me a minute. I've got a silver pen back in the dressing room so I can sign BUIH. It shows up against the dark. Q: You don't have to do that. I: No, it'll be just a minute. No bother. Q: (at this point, Ian pressed through the crowd around Alan and went to fetch his pen; Wesley and I spoke for a few moments about Ian, commenting on how easy he was to talk to and what a truly modest and friendly person he seemed to be; then he returned.) Q: Thanks again. There are a few lyrics in the song that really get to me. I realized some years ago that I was older than my brother ever got, though he was the oldest in the family and I was the youngest. An odd feeling. The "brother wait for me" lyric really rings home. I: Funny you should mention that. I remember sometime ago (note: I -think- he said "last summer", but am no longer positive) I was driving along one day and I had the strangest feeling. I had started to think about my father, he died rather young, and I began to think that I was getting to be his age. He died at 41. A while later, I checked it out and counted up the days, and I think I had that feeling within just one or two days of when I got to the same age that he had gotten to. Yeah. (he signs BUIH). Q: Thanks so much. Would you mind inscribing it "for Richard"? That was my brother's name. I: Of course. (we spoke a bit more about some of the feelings behind BUIH and some of the details of the event; the latter are described in full on the CD-ROM so I shan't repeat them here; at that point, I hadn't yet played with the interactives; eventually, I slipped away from Ian and allowed others to have their time with this great performer) Alan Parsons Q: Has anyone found a theme for Try Anything Once? (note: the liner notes for TAO suggest that anyone who finds a theme should tell the band) A: (gruffly) Well, there isn't one! Q: It seems to me that TAO serves as a sort of a modern Parsons sampler; it's got quite a few songs that could have fit well onto other, earlier albums. A: (instantly and with razor sharp eye contact) Okay, name a few. Q: I'm so nervous I've forgotten my list. A: Okay, what about Turn It Up? Q: That's one that stands on it's own. Innocent Bystander: Eye in the Sky. Q/A: Maybe. A: All right, what about Take the Money and Run? (trick question, or memory lapse? this song is one of the bonus tracks from the American release of the Best of Parsons Live from last year). Q: Oh, um...Turn of A Friendly Card. (I'm so nervous that although I know TtMaR isn't a TAO cut, I don't mention it) A: Hmmm. I can almost see that. Q: Well, whatever the case, thanks for touring. I never though I'd be seeing you live and I can't tell you what a pleasure it is. A: Thanks. It sort of took Eric leaving to let it all happen. Q: I see. Tell me, was there any show last year that you felt was particularly good? A: Oh, yes. Um. Somewhere in the midwest. Wisconsin? I can't quite recall the name of the city at the moment. Good show. Very good for us. Q: Oh really. I saw you last year. A: (brightening) Really, where? Q: Las Vegas. A: (dimming back down) Oh, that wasn't a good one for us. Not at all. A: Wow, I can hardly imagine what that good one could have been like. Vegas seemed amazing to me. Very tight production. Good energy. A: No, not a good one. Not the best. Q: Um...what was wrong with it. A: (instantly) A lot of things. Various things. It's hard to play to all those empty seats. (Q's note: I am not sure what the capacity of the Alladin is...perhaps 10,000? and it seemed to me that except for the upper balcony and the furthest reaches of the wings that the house was fairly well packed; it is true that some of the Kansas crowd left after their set, but it seemed to me that more people came in than went out) Bystander: What's your favorite album? A: (instantly) The first one. Yes. Definitely. Q: Oh really? I like that one, but I think Try Anything Once is my favorite. A: (looking just a shade surprised) Tell the world that. It did rather poorly. Q: Oh, I like it very much. So much power. So much energy. A: Thanks. Q: Could I perhaps get an autograph? A: Of course. Q: (I hand Alan the CD liner to The Instrumental Works, opened to the center; Alan looks puzzled and looks over the entire sheet, spending a lot of time on the foldout, which shows all of the American album covers from I, Robot through Gaudi (no ToMaI, unfortunately) Q: (puzzled) Are you not familiar with that one? I thought it was a good one to get autographed since it had all the covers. A: (quietly) Of course...I...just forgot about this stuff in the middle. (with that, he asked my name and signed the autograph). Q: It really is so good to see you. I'll be at tomorrow's show as well. And of course, I managed to see you last year in Vegas. For a while there it looked like I would have business in Houston on the Houston date, and thought I might get to go to that as well. Of course, last year's show was the miracle. A: Yes? Q: Oh. Well, I found out about the show only about ten days before it happened. I'd gone into the record store to buy an old title and saw AP Live. I thought...what an odd name for a concept album A: (smiles). Q: I call it the "ear" album sometimes...because of the artwork on the back. A: (looks a bit quizzical) Q: You know, there's a sort of a picture of an ear on it, sort of like the picture of an eye on Eye in the Sky A: Oh, yes. Q: Anyway, I managed to coordinate a rather busy schedule with your show in Vegas. It was so good to see you live. I never thought it would happen. I'm glad it did. A: We're glad too. (somewhere in here someone in the crowd asks if I am from Santa Rosa, and I explain that I have flown in for the show from Tennessee) A: So you're online then? Q: Oh, yes. I check out the Parsons page regularly. A: (nods and smiles). [at this point Alan returned to talking about performing live, and especially talking about feeding off the crowd's energy...I don't recall the specifics here, but it was clear that AP and the band are eager for feedback; we resolved to try to get the crowd pumping as much as possible the next night; I eventually excused myself to allow the remaining backstagers their time; it seemed to me that Alan had been more than generous with his time with me; a few minutes later, my friend spoke with Alan] Alan Parsons Q: (while waiting to speak with Alan, I overheard some interesting conversation) Someone: Do you remember X, your biggest fan from Y? Have you returned any of their letters? A: (shaking his head) It's the funniest thing about you Americans. You send me letters in Europe with self addressed envelopes with American postage. And I'm in England. It's no good there. So no, I probably didn't return any of those letters. Besides...I only respond to letters that come with chocolates. (general laughter) A: (turns to me and reaches to take my CD liners to autograph; I hold on to them and say:) I'd love your autograph, but I'd really rather request a song if that's okay. A: Oh, what song? Q: Is there any chance of you playing Stereotomy...perhaps tomorrow night? A: We'd love to. But we tried and it just doesn't work. Q: What doesn't work about it? A: (distracted by another conversation, signs autograph; he talked a little more about Stereotomy not working live; it was apparently tried both with this year's band and with last year's, but the details escape us, and that's the end of the conversation with Alan).
From 76370.326@compuserve.com Thu Oct 17 18:11:09 1996 Date: 17 Oct 96 15:18:25 EDT From: "m.j.vasko" <76370.326@compuserve.com> To: app Subject: AP Live and In Person, Pt 3/4 Content-Length: 12607 Alan Parsons Live and In Person (Part 3 of 4) Ian Bairnson Q: Thanks. The music was wonderful and you were amazing. I: (blushes) Thank you. Q: The song about your cousin was beautiful and touching. That must have been really hard to share. I: Well, I had to do something after the accident. And this was my way of expressing myself. And also making sure that something happened...that people knew what happened. A better chance at getting at the truth. This way they can't bury it. Once I heard what happened, the music just flowed. I had to do something and the song just flowed through me. The first version of the song was so personal that I couldn't share it. And then this one came shortly thereafter. (at this point Ian appeared rather thoughtful; I asked if he was okay) I: (still thoughtful) Yeah. It really hurts, but I'm okay. Especially when I realized that I can't do anything for Eric because he's dead. But the dead can wait for us and that's the way I've been thinking of it and that's the only way that I can deal with it. That I'll see him again later. Q: Well, you don't have to be okay with it all the time. I: (pensive) Some days I'm okay. Some days I really really miss him. It hurts, so what I'm going to do, is I'm not going to let them bury it. (Q: we spoke a little more about death and his personal experience, but the text above conveys the substance) Q: It looked like you all were having fun up there on the stage tonight. We saw you last year and it was great, but it didn't look like you were having as much fun then as you did tonight. I: (smiled) Funny you should mention that. There've been some changes in the band and we're just a lot more relaxed now and can play with it a little more. Q: (we continued to talk about this for a while and the details are hazy, but it led up to:) I: I like this. It's different, but I like it. Q: (I asked Ian to sign the On Air, Eye in the Sky, and Stereotomy CD liners, which he gladly did). I asked Alan if there was any chance of you all playing Stereotomy...like tomorrow night (smiling)...and Alan said that you tried and it doesn't work. I: We did try. It's a great song, but it just doesn't work. Q: Was it the vocals? Doing it live? I: (evenly) It just doesn't work. Q: So you're coming to San Francisco tomorrow night. Do you and the band have time to play in the town? It's a great town. I: I know. I've spent a lot of time there. It's a great town, but we are on a tight schedule and I just won't have the time. Q: Very nice talking to you. I: I hope I see you tomorrow night. Q: Oh, you will, but I certainly took up enough of your time tonight. But I am definitely looking forward to tomorrow night because it will be a very different crowd and a very different venue. Neil Lockwood Q: That was awesome. I really enjoyed that. N: Why don't we go sit down? (note: there was quite a crowd right in the doorway and Neil was trying to keep it clear). Q: I think that Eric Woolfson would have been proud. You did justice to Limelight. N: (big grin) Wow. Thanks! That's high praise. Q: You really looked like you were having a good time. I saw the band play last year and it was a little more contained. This year it looked like you were all just having fun. N: Funny you should say that. I heard from some of the crew that there had been some tension in the band last year. And I was wondering if that was still there because I'm fairly new to the group. I had a fine time. I don't know what any of that scuttle was about, but I am really having a fine time with the band. I love the music. Q: So you are coming to San Francisco tomorrow. I heard from Ian that you won't have time to enjoy it though. It's a great city. Something for everyone. N: (smiling, obviously remembering something) I know. I've spent some time there and it's certainly a different city. Q: Oh, I see you're familiar with my town. N: (nods) Oh, yes. Q: (laughing) I'm not even going to ask you to explain your expression. I'm glad you enjoyed it and I hope you'll come back and play again. N: Are you Welsh? I like your name. (at this point, Neil mentioned a Welsh variant of my name and asked if my name was short for that, but I can't recall the exact name; I replied that I wasn't; we continued chatting for a minute or two, mostly about music in general and a few specifics regarding the Santa Rosa show, but I can't recall the details). The Warfield: (there was quite a crowd at the Warfield, and having spoken with some of the band the night before, we decided to just say hello again to Ian and Alan and Neil, and leave them a few gifts that related to some of what they had said the night before; eventually, I headed up to the crowd, hoping to say hello to Ian and maybe catch Gary or John if they peeked in for just a moment; at some point, I noticed a rather distinguished looking gentleman who seemed to be scanning the crowd while sipping at what looked like a Heineken; I hadn't sat where I could see Stuart well either night, but I was fairly certain that it was him; just at that moment one of the list members greeted him; a few minutes later I had a chance to speak with Stuart briefly) Stuart Elliot Q: Wow. It's really you. S: (evenly, with a slight smile) Of course it is. Q: It's so good to meet you. Even better to hear you live. I'd never thought that would happen and I have to say, seeing the band live is a real joy. You all seemed to have a lot of energy tonight. S: Yeah, good crowd. Q: We're sorry we didn't recognize you earlier. We saw your picture on the CD-ROM, but weren't quite sure. S: No problem. I was going to wear my orange hat out so people could see that it was me, but we came offstage and they told us to strip everything off. Guess they have to get it all washed right away. I thought no one would recognize me, but it was a little sweaty Q: (laughing) Great work in On Air. Fabulous. S: Thanks. It was really fun putting it together. Q: We played with the CD all day. What's your favorite spot? S: I don't know that I have a single spot. I put, we put a lot of time into that. Q: Oh, you worked with it a lot? S: Oh, yes. Hours, lots of hours, testing and such, too. Q: We really like it. All of the real stuff and the balloon screen is neat. (we talked for a minute or two about general CD-ROM related stuff, I don't really recall the details here) Q: Anyway, lots of fun stuff, and hard to tell if you've seen it all. S: Well, of course, there's a secret to it. Q: Oh, what's that? S: (confidential tones) Well, I can't tell you that. Not exactly. I can't tell you how to get to it, but what it does is it allows you to go directly to a spot. We had that for testing and left it in. Q: Oh, tell us! S: No. I can't do that. We're sworn to secrecy (laughing). Q: Well, we'd heard there was something like that from the online folks, but whoever got it was sworn to secrecy. S: Keep looking. You'll find it. I can tell you this. There's more ways to play with it than with the mouse. Q: Oh, yeah, the red herrings are really fun. Oh, yeah, especially the red herrings. S: Yeah, at one time there were supposed to be only enough balloons to go everywhere, but we ended up with a lot more and we put the red herrings in. I did a lot of testing, and somewhere along the line we decided that too many balloons were red herrings, so we cut back. But more recently, I looked at it again, and I wish we had left more of them in. I kind of like them. They are fun. It's too bad we weren't talking about this just a minute or two earlier, because the producer of the CD-ROM was right here a minute ago. I don't see him now. Maybe he's gone. (at this point some other folks came up wanting to talk and we said thanks again, got Stuart to auto the On Air book, and moved back into the crowd) Gary Sanctuary B: I wanted to catch you, because last night you peeked in the doorway for a moment and then disappeared. Are you shy? G: Sort of. Not really. Q: Oh, it's the music, then? You're not there for the crowd stuff. G: That's it. Oh, you saw us last night, too? Q: Yes. G: Which show did you like better? B: I liked last night better. M: I liked tonight better. B: Which did you like better? G: Tonight. B: It was a great crowd. G: Yeah, they were so in to it. M: Yeah, seemed like there were some logistical glitches tonight, the lights and a bit of the sound, but the energy was real good. A good live sound. Like you were all really playing with the music. Last night seemed to start a bit slower. G: Yeah. There were a few. Right about last night too. M: But the crowd last night started pretty slow, didn't they. G: Yeah. We took a while to get rolling last night, but after a bit we got it. The crowd did have a lot to do with that. Better tonight. B: Hey, new sneakers! They're high tops aren't they? G: (getting into it) Yeah, I'd have to pay 46 quid for these back home, and here they're only 36 American (black converse). B: Well, those are mighty big shoes you've got to fill (referring to Alans presence on the synth in the "classic" albums). M: And you've got the feet for it (referring to Gary's feet, which seemed to be about a size thirteen, American ) You're doing a good job. G: Thanks. M: Yeah, I've listened to AP music for twenty years now, and I want to tell you, it's something I never thought I would get to hear...someone jamming on those classic Parsons tunes. I just want to tell you you're doing a fine job. G: Thanks. Thanks a lot. M: Oh, for the trivia buffs, what kind of gum do you chew? (Gary seemed to be chewing gum just about non-stop during the entire concert both nights) G: (big smile) Orbit. I don't know if you've got that over here, but we've brought like cartons of it with us. I just throw a bunch down under the keyboards and pull it out all night long. M: (at this point, Gary made as if to leave; he'd never really come out into the room, and so we started to pull away after getting his auto on the On Air book, figuring he was trying to escape) Well, thanks so much for the good music. I really want you to know that we liked your work. Good job. G: Thanks. (note: unlike the night before, Gary's bid for escape was not effective; we saw him talking to several people for at least five or ten minutes more; a few minutes later Neil appeared near the doorway) Neil Lockwood: Q: Pleased to meet you. N: Thanks, man. M: Just wanted to let you know that I saw the show last night and tonight both. You've done a really fine job. I was especially pleased with your work on the On Air songs, but you really hold your own on the older songs too. N: Thanks. It's a great set. Good songs. B: Hello! N: Oh, you made it tonight! How are you doing? B: That was great. The crowd was so in to it. Peter was really in to it too. Do you like all that showmanship stuff (referring to Peter's increasingly animated performances as the set moved along) N: Yes, it's good fun. And Peter's into it the most of any of us. But it's good fun. B: By the way, we were playing with the CD-ROM today and saw a picture of you. (confidentially) We saw that you are getting a bit thin on top. You know, you don't have to cover it up with a bandana. You know some women find that sexy. N: Oh, no, it's the heat. The lights. This was a really hot show. It's so hot under the lights that the sweat drips off my forehead and into my eyes and it really stings. The bandana keeps the sweat from running into my eyes. I wear contacts you know. I don't always wear it you know. B: (smiling). N: (thinking for a moment, appeared to be ready to say something more). Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. B: The leather jeans were a nice touch. N: (big grin) You liked them? B: Well, we talked with you last night for quite a while and I don't want to take up too much of your time. I did want to give you this (handing Neil a San Francisco guidebook with some annotation). I've noted some of San Francisco's nicer "unknown" haunts in the front. N: Well that was lovely, you didn't have to do that. Thank you. (We spoke for a few moments more and then Neil spoke again) N: Thanks again. I'm going to go put this in the back with my things so that it doesn't get misplaced. Thanks, really. It was lovely to see you again.
From 76370.326@compuserve.com Thu Oct 17 13:28:51 1996 Date: 17 Oct 96 16:10:43 EDT From: "m.j.vasko" <76370.326@compuserve.com> To: app Subject: AP Live and In Person, Pt 4/4 Content-Length: 10920 Alan Parsons Live and In Person (Part 4 of 4) (shortly after talking with Neil, while he was still in about the same spot, Peter appeared and started to try to push through the crowd into the room) Peter Beckett: M: Peter! Good show. Lots of energy! P: Thanks! It was a good one. M: It's good to see you again. P: Oh, you've seen me before? M: Yeah, we got to see the Vegas concert last year. P: Oh, yeah, that one! I think that was the first one for me last year where I really started to get it right. That one felt good for me. M: Oh, it was super. I really liked that show. Tonight was super too. Seemed like you all had it together better tonight than last night. P: Oh, you saw last night, too? M: Yeah, a couple of fine nights. It's so great so see Parsons live. I never thought it would happen. (at this point, Peter was greeted by someone else and I got him to auto our On Air; too bad John never made an appearance, he was the only live performer we missed; I was sort of semi-involved in the next bit of Peter's next conversation and there was one interesting fragment, so I will repeat it here; Peter seemed to be in a truly good mood, bouncing rapidly from one conversation to the next). Q: Have you been a fan of Parsons for a long time? P: Um. Yeah. I was living down in(near?) LA about ten years ago and a friend of mine turned me on to the music. Hard to imagine that one day I'd be singing it. Yeah, I like the music a lot. (Neil was still standing in the same general area, and as Peter spoke, he moved next to Neil; the questioners asked how they liked working together and Peter and Neil did some mugging for the crowd, a fair imitation of their more energetic work that appears near the end of the concert, I hope someone got a picture and eventually posts it, they were both smiling from ear to ear, re-enacting their performances during the encores, when they both really let loose) Ian Bairnson: Ian was fairly mobbed the whole evening, and since we'd both spoken to him at length the night before, we simply passed on to him a card we'd written that reflected our happiness on seeing him live and our sadness for his loss. He recognized us immediately, but we didn't really speak to him. Alan Parsons: B: (I had been waiting to talk to him and he had been occupied with one person for quite some time, so in a pause in the conversation, I gently tugged on his sleeve. He looked over and said, Oh, hello. I said, I spoke with you last night and I don't want to take much of your time. I just wanted to give you this (handing him gift bag of chocolates decorated with pix of hot air balloons). Last night you said that you liked chocolates and the only way that you answer people is if they send chocolates along and I don't want you to write to me or anything, we just want you to keep writing your songs and playing your music, so we got you some chocolates of encouragement. (Alan starts looking through them like a little kid) And they're all European (grinning), no American. (Alan laughs). A: Thank you very much, I'll read the card later. B: Of course. Thanks again. (On the way out a few minutes later, we got Alan to sign the On Air CD. We told him that we had played with the CD-ROM for a few hours that day and asked him what his favorite part was, and he said it was the parts having to do with aviation. He actually mentioned a very specific section, but unfortunately, in the hubbub and excitement...we've forgotten. There were still quite a few people there trying to talk to all of the band members who were still in attendence, and having taken even more time with the band than we expected, we made our farewells and walked out into downtown San Francisco, gleefully remembering the shows, meeting the band members and talking with all of the other fans.) Interesting Oddment: As we were leaving, we found what appeared to be the "official"? daily newsletter for the band and/or roadies. Entitled "The Daily Silencer", it contained information about the San Francisco timetable at the top, some gossip(?) in the middle and travel info for the next show at the bottom. Here's a sampling we jotted down on the way out: "Desparately Seeking Sanctuary in the House of the Lord Over the "Golden Gate" bridge and onto the "Golden Great" keyboard solos of our times. From the wonderful wurlitzer to the beauty of the bontempi- the Comedy Keyboard Player, miffed at not having made the Silencer for what seems like an Eternity, cambe back with a vengeance, surprising even himself with his first solo. Being a mood musician to the last, I guess it was the overly religious ambience which prompted such an impromptu performance. Either way, flaky is flaky by any other name." There was more, but that seemed to be the funnest part. Except for. Well. Um. Shall we say that a rock band is a rock band is a rock band? We'll leave ya guessing. Blue Blue Skies to one and all. Damn fine concert. Let's hear it for twenty more years of concept albums, albums, solos, super fine writing and performing. Heck, I didn't even talk about the lights, or the mood or any of the rest, and there was so much more. It was all that an Alan Parsons concert should be, but someone down the line is going to see an even better show...the band is still warming up to their eventual climax. Set List: (as close as I can get without the albums in front of me, a thousand pardons in advance for mistakes here or in the above, it's been a long haul and this was supposed to be my vacation, and what a great vacation it was with this as the "middle"): (The System of) Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether You Can't Take it With You Wouldn't Want to Be Like You Old and Wise Money Talks/La Sagrada Familia Days Are Numbers/The Traveller Prime Time LimeLight Time Turn it Up (yeah!) Standing on Higher Ground (intermission) Blue Blue Sky 1 Can't Look Down The Mission Fall Free Cloudbreak (instrumental) Brother Up in Heaven Psychobabble Sirius/Eye in the Sky (end of set) (encores) Don't Answer Me (band introductions) Gonna Get Your Fingers Burned Games People Play (lights) Okay, one last note. It's pointless to pick a single best part of the show. BUIH is fantastic, the emotion is really there and Ian's explanation just sets you up. That bass line that leads the opening number off is awesome, you start thinking "yes, yes, yes, this IS Alan Parsons....live!"; all of Ian's solos are totally way kicking, crisp and clean and sometimes just about unbelievable; Alan Parsons himself is up on the stage, performing, talking, joking; and each of the other performers really has a moment or five somewhere in there; but for me, when the stage lights dim and the intro to Psychobabble starts, all heavy electric and then the searchlights start stabbing through the crowd, as if they are trying to pick some wanton criminal, no, rebel, out for who knows what, and the song just goes and goes and there's like two or three little climaxes that allow for the crowd to go wild, but then things just pick up again, and then Ian really hits his solo, and finally it all builds to a crashing crescendo...well, I don't think I could pick one song, but on those two nights, if I had to pick one it would be Psychobabble San Francisco. As Alan said to the Warfieldites: "if you keep this up, we'll be coming back here soon". And that's sound advice for anyone attending the upcoming concerts. Get it up and keep it up. And then.... TTTTTTT U U RRRRRR N N T U U R R NN N T U U R R N N N T U U RRRRRR N N N T U U R R N N N T U U R R N NN T UUUUU R R N N I TTTTTTT I T I T I T I T I T I T U U PPPPPP U U P P U U P P U U PPPPPP U U P U U P UUUUU P !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! "If there's something you find to believe in then the message must get through So don't just sit in silence When you know what to do..." You know what to do folks -- cheer your lungs out! They may not live for it, but it makes a real difference. Just like their music makes a real difference to all of us. [Thanks to Alan and the band for performing live and making this possible and for helping me enjoy so many good times more and get through so many bad times better. They are truly an inspiration. Thanks to Steve Martin for arranging my backstage passes in Santa Rosa. Thanks to my friend Beth for getting me tickets, getting me to the venues, sharing her backstage passes at the Warfield, and for her considerable help with the interviews. Thanks to Wesley Chun for his help and the information about the band he passed on (particularly for correcting me when I wondered to Ian if he had been with the band in ToMaI) and do check out his page - and don't take my word that it's good, take Ian's! That page and other interesting and informative pages can be accessed from the official fan club: (http://www.interlog.com/~avenue/fan-site.htm) thanks to Andy Burnett for maintaining the Psychobabble mailing list where this message could be made available, and which has provided a wealth of information, rumor, statistics, and humor over the course of the last year (for me; he's been doing it for -much- longer). I have been an AP(P) fan for twenty years, but I make no claim to knowing it all. My pardons for any factual errors. I'm particularly dyslexic in regard to song titles and lyrics, so I am sure I muffed a few. The "interviews" are not transcriptions, so my pardons to the band for any errors in recollection. None of this is authorized by anybody, all of it was a blast, and I hope that Alan and the band find this album and this tour to be as big a success as they hope for and that they continue to produce music, play music, have fun and to... ] Try Anything Once.