Chick Corea and Bela Fleck at the Paramount Theater

If you know me, you know that I have seen Chick Corea and Bela Fleck perform individually numerous times. When I became aware that they had recorded an album together, and were touring behind it, I was very anxious to see them play. Well, it appears that my wish came true.

What occurred during the next 2 hours (with a brief intermission) was absolutely amazing. To make things even better, I opted to sit in the Mezzanine at Paramount for the first time during a concert, rather than down on the floor. This ended up being a fantastic decision, affording me an excellent view from above, of Chick's hands in action.

Here is a photo showing my view of the stage, from above:

There's a reason that these two performers have 35 Grammy Awards between them. As far as I'm concerned, they represent the pinnacle in modern improvised music. I was able to jot down a setlist while they played. I very much appreciated that both artists did introductions to each piece, as the concert progressed.

Their performance was also very loose with both Chick and Bela adding some physical humor ala Victor Borge. In closing, all I can say is this was a unbelievable way to start off a new musical year. Hard to believe it is going to be followed by another great show, tomorrow.

Bela Fleck and the Flecktones at the Paramount

I have seen Bela Fleck perform 4 times in the past 3 years, both with and without the Flecktones. This time around, I noticed that he was touring with the original Flecktones lineup, which means that he had Howard Levy playing with him for the first time in almost 20 years.

The show lasted well over two hours, with an intermission at about the 75 minute mark. My friend Dan, and I had great seats 9 rows back from the stage on the floor.

I was unable to find a set list, and will readily admit that although I am a big fan, I find it difficult to remember the song titles. I managed to grab some shots of the band after the encore, but lost them during the upgrade to iOS 5 the next day. (Doh!).

The original Flecktones lineup is:

• Bela Fleck - Banjo
• Victor Wooten - 4 and 5 String Electric Bass
• Futureman (Roy Wooten) - Drumitar
• Howard Levy - Harmonica and Piano

During the show, the band was joined by fiddler, Casey Christopher Driessen, whom I recognized from the Sparrow Quartet. The icing on the cake however, was Bela bringing out his wife, Abigail Washburn, to sing during the encore. Surprisingly, Abigail didn't pick up a banjo herself.

It was a great night of music, and I was totally blown away by Howard Levy's piano playing. Of course, the Wooten brothers kept everything in high gear for this show.

Jon Anderson at the Paramount

My history with Yes

I am one of those old timers, who was fortunate enough to have seen Yes multiple times. My interest in the band waned with the second departure of Bill Bruford, after the Union tour. Other than BB, I have not seen any other members of that band perform in almost 18 years.

I have great respect for the alumni of Yes. However, I had to pass on the chance to see them, on the Yes and Asia tours, this past summer. When my friend called about this show, it seemed like it would be more interesting than the standard State Fair stop. Like Bruford, Jon's solo career was actually noteworthy. In fact, the Jon and Vangelis albums are fantastic.

The Venue

I have seen many shows at the Paramount, and have never had a bad experience there. I knew we had Orchestra seats, but didn't realize they were in the front row. When we got to our seats, I knew that we were in for something special.

The stage setup was sparse, with two guitars on stands, a ukelele, a mountain dulcimer, and a piano. Jon came out promptly at 8PM and began playing guitar and singing. The acoustics and sound were perfect, and I estimate that he played for about 70 minutes.

The music

I don't think that I can find any words to describe how fantastic this performance was. The consensus amongst myself and my friends was that Jon blew us all away.

Several times during the show, it seemed as though the Paramount had disappeared, and that I was in someone's living room. The best description I can manage is that Jon presented "a musical Autobiography." It was intimate, frank, and real.

Set List

Although I am very familiar with Yes and Jon's solo material, much of it was presented in medley form. He also reduced the arrangement, so that he could deliver them on a single instrument.

Before leaving, I was able to go up to the edge of the stage, pick up Jon's set list and take a picture of it. I expect to see Jon again.

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