ROCK OF AGES

Rick ponders this year’s influx of 50th anniversaries.

No, I don’t mean the hymn (or the Def Leppard song); I’m referring to the number of us who’ve somehow survived in this wonderful industry of ours and are now officially old. I think there are around 37 bands celebrating their 50th anniversary this year and I’m beginning to wonder if anyone really cares.

How will a 50th anniversary tour differ from those that have taken place during the previous 49 years? Do these anniversaries celebrate the fact that the surviving musicians can still walk unaided, have their own hips and still string a sentence together? The answer to the last one is… no!

I think we’ve all survived because we’re good; we’re accomplished musicians who care about the music and still enjoy playing. It’s the management and record labels who have decided that by using the 50-year anniversary tag they can drum up more business, release yet another compilation CD remixed in Surround Sound, and hint that this could be the last tour and the last album.

Oh, and by the way, have I mentioned that it’s Yes’ 50th anniversary this year? Well, it is.

The number 50 is relevant for sure, but as regards to Yes’ 50th anniversary, then Jon Anderson is the only one entitled to celebrate as he’s the only one who’s been there since the outset. My 50th would be in 2021.

There have probably been at least 50 people who will lay claim to having played with Yes either on stage or on a track somewhere, so that’s another significant 50. I’ve also used 50 keyboards on stage and some of us can even remember when we were 50 as well. That was back in 1999 for me, but I wasn’t in the band then…

It’s all very confusing as there are at least two versions of Yes out there. And before anyone asks, there’s more chance of Donald Trump having sex with Kim Jongun than there is of another full reunion. So what is Yes really celebrating?

These ludicrous anniversaries aren’t going to go away, so why not get it all over and done with by having one giant concert at the O2 Arena, or somewhere similar, where every band celebrating an anniversary can play on the same day. I’d want to be there just to see the fights, arguments and venom. There would be some serious casualties for sure!

Perhaps Prog could sponsor the event? Now that’s something worth thinking about!

There’s more

chance of Donald Trump having sex with Kim Jong-un than a Yes reunion…