Return to the Centre of the Earth - Quebec July 2006
For as many years as I can remember, I have been asked which was the most memorable show I've ever done, to include both YES and solo shows. I have always been unable to answer this as there are so many shows that have been true highlights....Journey at The Festival Hall and also in Melbourne and in Hollywood at the Hollywood Bowl. With YES there are shows at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, Madison Square Garden and Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto....add to this my South American trips which were amazing...and of course my Eastern European trips...and then of course Cuba !....I think you may be now understanding why I've never been able to answer the simple question......until now...........
......last night (15th July 2006)....we performed Return to the Centre of the Earth in Quebec. Heaven only knows how many people were there? Estimates range anywhere from 50,000 to 100,000. The orchestra, conductor, choir, narrator, band, guest singers, special effects, fireworks and very importantly ...the audience....were way above even the word "fantastic".
I cannot ever see this show surpassed as far as I am concerned. It is the biggest "high" I have ever had.
I was beginning to wonder why I had written Return to the Centre of the Earth? It was supported by Richard Lyttleton, the head of EMI Classics in England, but few other EMI territories, in fact Canada never released it and America apparently deleted it. (They could undoubtedly have sold a few last night if they had been on the same planet as the rest of us)!
All I can say is that if the reason for writing the music was to culminate in what took place last night in Quebec, then it was worth every ounce of sweat that went into the making of this piece.
Thank you to everybody who made the Performing Night of My Musical Life.
Rick
Unfortunately, the concert was not recorded despite the obvious presence of TV cameras, therefore there will not be either a DVD nor audio release. I just wanted to post this to stop any speculation.
The following photos were sent to us by Paul Silvera, Rick's tour manager in the USA. They show the scale of the spectacular!
