Yesterday was the first Liquid Tension Experiment show at Nearfest in PA.
We had a day and a half of rehearsal before the show. The people at Nearfest are fantastic as they allowed us to come up to the festival early and set us up in a great little hall to have our practice time. It’s been ten years since we playe as LTE but we jumped right in and started playing the tunes!
The most challenging part of the experience was arranging Rhapsody in Blue in the alloted time and getting it ready for the shows. It was pretty fun though and we actually pulled it off last night! (As if there was a choice right?)
The concert went well. We were all excited and some of us dare I say were even a bit nervous! Funny because you would think that after playing all around the world that that kind of thing wouldn’t happen to us! I guess the human being rules come into effect even in this circumstance!
It was a great venue. I’m impressed with the whole Nearfest thing. If you don’t know about it and you’re a fan of progressive rock, you must check it out. The sound in the hall was amazing, the hall is beautiful and the people were all very accomodating and pleasant to work with!
Photo courtesy of Tony Levin!In addition my time at Nearfest was made even more special by my meeting (and hearing) some of my idols! It was amazing to meet Peter Hammil of the band Van der Graff Generator. I remember seeing them play at the Beacon theater in 1974 and it was one of the most awesome shows I had seen! Peter at one point pretended (in his very dramatic way) to drop dead on the stage. When he played last night he sounded just as strong as ever! It was a solo show with him and a guitar and a piano. Here is a picture of us together after the show.
After LTE played and we signed what felt like a trillion autographs to a VERY patient line of people, I journeyed back to the hotel and had a beer at the bar…
Much to my delight somebody mentioned to me that Gary Green of Gentle Giant was hanging out in the bar as well. Wasting no time, I wandered over there and introduced myself. Of course you all know that I am a HUGE GG fan and it was a thrill to say hi to Gary.
We had a cool talk. It was really fun for me to hook up with one of the guys from a band that had such an impact on my life! Here is a pic of me a Gary.
UPDATE! Thanks to Bob Kurthy for providing us with a better quality photo with Gary!
Today I drove home and then tomorrow it’s off to show number 2 and 3 in NYC at BB Kings before heading west to Chicago, LA and San Francisco!
That’s all for now!
Be sure to check out Tony Levin’s tour diary and photos! Click here to check it out!
