saw UK w/John Wetton/Eddie Jobson last night

[corinpills]

Total surprise: I opened the paper and saw a listing that "UK2011 featuring John Wetton and Eddie Jobson" would be playing last night at the tiny Regent Theatre in Arlington, MA. I felt that I owed it to my inner 17 year old to make sure I finally saw them.

Granted, no Bozzio or Bill Bruford, but Eddie Jobson and John Wetton hadn't played together in 32 years and it was all UK and Crimson songs, so it was fairly prog-tastic. Total sausage fest- all dudes with white mullets very thin on top and/or grey ponytails. People had flown in from Norway and Japan and all over the U.S.- meanwhile, it was happening in my backyard and I just barely found out about it.

John Wetton's voice sounded great- he's got such a beautiful tone that adds a tinge of melancholy to almost anything he sings. He still had the thumbpick, so I imagine his carpal tunnel is not completely in the past as there were moments where he seemed to not strike the strings with any force. He sounded good, mind you, just not quite the beast he once was. His left hand deftly maneuvered through all those super tricky lines. I have to say, he tended to get a bit of a thousand yard stare on his face at times, like he almost wished he was somewhere else, not a whole lot of smiling on stage (though the audience was psyched beyond belief- standing ovations after every song).

He played his Gibson Victory bass with a badass bridge, straight into a rented SVT. It sounded fine, really, but nowhere near the majesty of his howling Hiwatts back in the day. Instead of an overdriven roar, it was more like a modern clicking bass sound with lots of high end. Maybe it's his preference, who am I to judge? Personally, I think he should talk to Julie Slick about how to get his old sound.

They were joined by a guitarist who looked just like Shaggy from Scooby Doo and played exactly like Allen Holdsworth. It was almost unnerving how closely this young guy got to sounding like him. Which was great, until I thought that Allen Holdsworth is probably sitting at home not doing anything while somebody else is getting paid to play exactly like him.

They had a young German drummer named Marco Minnemann who I believe has played with Julie Steel and Bryan Beller in the past. This guy is unbelievable. He nailed all the Bill Bruford and Terry Bozio parts and made it look effortless, big grin on his face.

[rtav]

WOW!

Jobson, Wetton, and Minneman!!!!!!!!!

Must've been incredible....

[dukeorock]

Really loved UK when I was a kid...my first band ever covered "In The Dead Of Night." Still can't believe how well Wetton can sing and play in 2 different time signatures, like on that song, or Crimson's "Easy Money."

[JxBass]

Sounds like a great show, thanks for the detailed writeup!

[fretlessguy]

Hopefully they will be able to get along enough to do some recording and further touring without the battle of egos which killed the mid 90s reunion. I'd love to hear some new material from them. U.K. was a staple of listening in my college years.

[Hoover]

Originally Posted by fretlessguy

U.K. was a staple of listening in my college years.

Oh, hell yeah! I still remember exactly where I was & what I was doing the moment I first heard of UK: Fall 1978, my freshman year in college, walking to class with 4 or 5 classmates, having some typical 18-year-old-prog-fan arguement about which Yes album was the best, and this drummer who lived on my dorm floor (and whose name I forget) said "if you guys are into Yes you'll love UK; it's like prog-rock only better."

I went out the next day & bought their eponymous debut album. Rocked my world.

[corinpills]

I kind of had a similar experience- playing with an older drummer and my teenage muso friends and I were blown away that he could play "La Villa Strangiato", but then he turned us on to the Dixie Dregs and U.K. I loved John Wetton's voice in Asia, actually, and it was a mind blower to hear what he had been up to before that.

Funny thing, I hadn't actually listened to U.K. in at least 20 years before seeing the show the other night- I had Rendezvous 6:02 on my iPod, but that's about it. Man, I knew every second of music they played by heart from listening to it so intently as a teenager. I'd never think to mention him as a big influence, but I knew about 25 of his bass lines inside and out at a crucial time of my bass playing life. Maybe he's in there a lot deeper than I assumed.

[FretlessMainly]

Aw, crap. I live just a few miles away and the Regent must have been a great venue for this. Sorry I missed it, but thanks for the write-up.

[KeithPas]

Marco Minnemann is a freakin beast on drums!!!

[angrypanda]

Seeing Wetton with Asia in a month. Can't wait!!!!!!!!!

[Dr. Cheese]

Originally Posted by corinpills

Personally, I think he should talk to Julie Slick about how to get his old sound.

That's cold, to Wetton, that is! Julie Slick is a beast!

[rulyøngo]

Originally Posted by corinpills

Total surprise: I opened the paper and saw a listing that "UK2011 featuring John Wetton and Eddie Jobson" would be playing last night at the tiny Regent Theatre in Arlington, MA. I felt that I owed it to my inner 17 year old to make sure I finally saw them.

Granted, no Bozzio or Bill Bruford, but Eddie Jobson and John Wetton hadn't played together in 32 years and it was all UK and Crimson songs, so it was fairly prog-tastic. Total sausage fest- all dudes with white mullets very thin on top and/or grey ponytails. People had flown in from Norway and Japan and all over the U.S.- meanwhile, it was happening in my backyard and I just barely found out about it.

John Wetton's voice sounded great- he's got such a beautiful tone that adds a tinge of melancholy to almost anything he sings. He still had the thumbpick, so I imagine his carpal tunnel is not completely in the past as there were moments where he seemed to not strike the strings with any force. He sounded good, mind you, just not quite the beast he once was. His left hand deftly maneuvered through all those super tricky lines. I have to say, he tended to get a bit of a thousand yard stare on his face at times, like he almost wished he was somewhere else, not a whole lot of smiling on stage (though the audience was psyched beyond belief- standing ovations after every song).

He played his Gibson Victory bass with a badass bridge, straight into a rented SVT. It sounded fine, really, but nowhere near the majesty of his howling Hiwatts back in the day. Instead of an overdriven roar, it was more like a modern clicking bass sound with lots of high end. Maybe it's his preference, who am I to judge? Personally, I think he should talk to Julie Slick about how to get his old sound.

They were joined by a guitarist who looked just like Shaggy from Scooby Doo and played exactly like Allen Holdsworth. It was almost unnerving how closely this young guy got to sounding like him. Which was great, until I thought that Allen Holdsworth is probably sitting at home not doing anything while somebody else is getting paid to play exactly like him.

They had a young German drummer named Marco Minnemann who I believe has played with Julie Steel and Bryan Beller in the past. This guy is unbelievable. He nailed all the Bill Bruford and Terry Bozio parts and made it look effortless, big grin on his face.

I ENVY You!!! Nice!!!

Check out UKZ, it's Eddie Jobson, Marco Minnemann, Trey Gunn and Alex Machacek... good Stuff!

[Barkless Dog]

Any other shows scheduled?

[jerry]

Originally Posted by KeithPas

Marco Minnemann is a freakin beast on drums!!!

+1!

[woodyng]

very cool! i did get to see the original band w/bruford and holdsworth in a theater in memphis years ago-great to see them at that point of their lives,never saw bruford in yes or king crimson,so this was the next best thing...eddie jobson is amazing. (well they all are...)