I'm writing this GORR from my hotel room in Philadelphia and today has been a day of terrible news with both the horrors in Las Vegas and the untimely and tragic death of Tom Petty.
Horrors in the world, and musicians and friends passing away seem to be all too common in my life in recent years and it's starting to truly hit home that immortality is certainly not part of our make-up.
Tom Petty was on his 40th anniversary tour. It's YES's 50th anniversary next year. Many bands have hit this milestone but very few reach there intact and without loss.
Food for thought for sure.
Our current tour has certainly been gruelling but somehow the energy that comes from the audience as we play on stage seems to add a kind of musical jet fuel that fires us up to produce energy as if we were many years younger. The band is truly playing so well and there is so much love and respect between the 5 of us which is so rewarding.
There are just 8 shows to go and then it's time to head home and almost immediately set off on part two of the Piano Portraits tour.
I also have a lot of writing to finish off during October and November both music and book wise. These include finishing off my music about Rocky the beautiful moon bear who lost her battle for life after a horrific existence. This will be premiered at Over the Moon, the Moon Bears event outside the Queen's House in Greenwich which now has the English Chamber choir added to the line up to perform with myself, Adam and Ed.
Both Adam and I will have our full keyboard rigs and Ed will be bringing every piece of percussion he uses with the Orion Symphony Orchestra so the sound should be orchestrally huge. The music we will be playing will include Judas Iscariot, Jane Seymour, Catherine Howard & Catherine Parr with the amazing paintings of Maria Rud being projected as she paints live, onto the huge facia of the building. I have no doubt it has the potential to be an amazing and unique event and all in aid of saving as many bears as we can from the horrendous cruelty they suffer in the bear bile farms, so if you can support us, please head to Ticketmaster and get some tickets for December 10th.
I am learning that you are never too old to learn and so that is what I am trying to glean from the last couple of years. I have plans and will be talking to my management in the last months of the year to see how it can be paced in the best way possible to get everything in.
Finally, thanks to everybody in America who has come to see our show and indeed those who have tickets for the remaining shows. ....and thanks too to all those coming to the Piano Portraits shows in the UK....and of course the Over the Moon sound and vision concert for our wonderful Moon Bears.
The November GORR will get to you just as the Piano Portraits tour is getting underway so there will be lots to report.......all good I hope!!!!
Thanks again to you all..........
Cheers
Rick
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