Rick Wakeman at the Philharmonic Hall. Photgraph by Ian D. Hall.

Originally published by L.S. Media. October 20th 2010.

Just over a year ago Jon Anderson came on stage at the Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool to the kind of applause that is reserved for visiting dignitaries and Liverpool’s favourite sons and daughters. To see the man on stage after the year he had the year before was nothing short of a miracle and it didn’t matter what he performed that night, even if he had sat down and read the newspaper the fans would have cheered just as hard and for as long.

Roll on another year and Jon Anderson, accompanied by his friend and former Yes band mate Rick Wakeman come back to the scene of Jon’s triumph and gave another storming performance in the only way that the two men would know how.

The show was billed as the Anderson/Wakeman Project, an evening of new songs from the forthcoming album The Living Tree, some Yes classics and the odd bit of banter between two of rock’s great survivors and storytellers.

The night didn’t disappoint at all, as from the start the two men proceeded to thrill the dedicated audience with songs such as Starship Trooper, Yours is no Disgrace and the superb Roundabout from the two men’s’ time in Yes. Intermingled with these favourites Jon showcased songs from the new album and with Rick’s tremendous keyboard skills, showed an expectant crowd that Jon’s illness has not stunted his creativity or passion for producing songs that will resonate with all who hear it.

With Jon living in California and Rick in Norfolk, it might seem odd to some that the two legends have managed to collaborate on an album at all, however, with thanks to the internet and Ricks stunning work, the resulting songs have come out as near perfect as they can and if the way they sounded live is any indication then the fans are in for a great time listening to them at home.

One of the songs played on the night was the impressive 23/24/11, the true story of a soldier out in Afghanistan who had that amount of time left to serve as his tour of duty. Looking round at the audience there wasn’t a dry eye left in the house. Once more the combination of Jon’s amazing vocal style and the lyrics working perfectly.

Whatever the future holds for these two men, the way they treat an audience with respect and the love that they receive for it will never be in question.

Ian D. Hall