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Alan Parson Project
A Concert Review |
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| Neil Lockwood |
Back when I was in college, a friend of mine, we called him Bud, but
his name wasn't really Bud, it was Kenny, had an eclectic musical
taste. One day we were in his room and he pops in some Alan Parsons,
well, actually, The Alan Parsons Project. I found this music very
cool, and listened some more. Then, being the poor, starving college
student I was I borrowed his CD's and made some copies. As I
listened more and more to The Alan Parsons Project, I can't say I
knew much about the band except with my musical taste ranging from
heavy metal to classical, The Alan Parsons Project music fit right
in. It was a great mix of synthesized music, classical variations,
orchestral arrangements, and rock.
I always wondered why the band didn't tour, and then one day I
found out that the underlying problem was that The Alan Parsons
Project wasn't really a band, but a collaboration of various
musicians on various songs all steered in a direction following the
map made by Alan Parsons. Myself, always liking a live show, was
kind of bummed the day I found this out, but I still had the CD's (I
finally broke down and spent some of my beer money on CD's). Then,
one day, I'm perusing around the internet and I see some information
about Alan Parsons touring around. But how? I didn't care how, I was
there.
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| Ian Bairnson |
So, I'm at The Vic Theatre in Chicago, looking around, and notice
this sort of cult following. You have these groups of people
gathering around all talking Alan Parsons, and I finally find a
seat. Now, the show was supposed to start at 7:30, and it was 7:45
and still no band. Me, I'm used to bands starting ½ to an hour late
so I could care less - not the crowd though, they started getting
really antsy. Well, Alan and a fabulous supporting cast finally made
their way to the stage and put on a night of classic Alan Parsons
Project music, but just as importantly, he's got new stuff too.
It was kind of weird because there were some 8ish people on
stage. I had no idea which guy was Alan, or if Alan was even on
stage. Two singing dudes switched back and forth between songs, and
I started to remember how cool Alan Parsons music was. Blasting open
with "Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether" it was almost like
being transported back to my college dorm room, and from the start I
was impressed at how well the entire band was able to transform this
spectacular music from CD to a live show, and I'm happy to say that
this band did it perfectly.
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| Peter Beckett |
I'm kicking back and listening and checking out the crowd and I see
everyone from suits to bikers, from geeks to punks, and I really
never realized just how diverse a crowd the Project attracts.
Meanwhile, I'm hearing classics like "Prime Time," and
"Limelight" and with every note I realize that this is one
of the best sounding shows, and I guess I shouldn't have been
surprised because Alan Parsons has always been one to stretch the
limits of musical technology, combining the classic electric guitar
sound with programmed interludes from a keyboard. He always seemed
to try it all - and it usually worked.
Well, the band headed for a break, they kind of split the show
into two big sets of about an hour each. The second set started by
spotlighting The Alan Parsons Project new CD, "On Air."
Now, I haven't heard the entire CD yet, only what I heard this
night, and I will say it's some classic Alan Parsons music. Most of
the songs deal with one aspect or another of flying, and Alan does a
great job of putting that feeling into music. And the crowd, some
who have heard the new music but many who hadn't, seemed to still
love every minute of the show, and that's what important. Well,
after a few of the new songs the band cruised back into classic AP
with some "Psychobabble," and then I half expected Michael
Jordan to come running out when the band cranked into "Sirius"
before "Eye in the Sky."
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| Ian again! |
Now, although the music is what Alan Parsons has always been about,
and as much as I look forward to a live version of what I hear on
CD, I also look for something different in a live show than just
being able to get the same effect as putting in a CD. For the
majority of this show, however, that was just about what I got. The
music was great and Alan put together some of the most talented
musicians for this gig, and he even made the mention that in the 12
albums he's put out he has used about 30 different singers. Maybe
this is sort of the reason that the music sounds so great but that
the band just seemed to be missing a little personality. It really
wasn't until the end of the night, during a duet/both singer dudes
singing during "Games People Play" that the band seemed to
bust out of the shell. There was a point earlier where Ian, the
guitarist dude I believe, made some comments about the significance
about one of the songs off of "On Air," but for the most
part, Alan would make a little comment, and they would cruise into a
song. Finally, during "Games," the singers were working
the crowd, the band seemed to loosen up, and this night of great
music started to become something fun. It's just too bad it took so
long to happen.
Well, although a lot like the CD, it is still cool to see The
Alan Parsons Project live. The sound was some of the crispest and
clearest I've heard in a while, and it's still cool remembering the
musical diversity that Alan Parsons throws out. I only wish the band
would loosen up a little earlier and look like they're having fun.
Even though my feelings are such, the crowd still loved every minute
of the show, from the classics to the new music, and showed their
appreciation throughout the entire night. So, yep, it's a TWO BIG
THUMB UPPER for Alan Parsons and his Project.
That's it for this one, I'm The Dude on the Right. L8R!! |
