Mix Live Blog: A Fountain of Youth?

This week I’ll be doing the last few dates on the 2024 “Yes Epics, Classics & More Tour” with Jon Anderson and The Band Geeks. We started the first leg at the end of May, which at this point seems like a lifetime ago, and we’re almost through the third and last leg. We’ve covered a lot of ground, played some amazing shows and released a fantastic new album (True) along the way. The tour has been fun, successful, exhausting, frustrating and exhilarating all at once. I’m having a blast mixing these shows.

Some of the dates feature special guest Carl Palmer with his “Welcome Back: The Return Of Emerson, Lake & Palmer.” It’s a great show, during which Palmer plays with his current bandmates Paul Bielatowicz and Simon Fitzpatrick, but also at times with Keith Emerson and Greg Lake—both of whom passed away in 2016.

Using the wonders of technology (i.e., concert footage and multitrack tapes), the show features Emerson and Lake on huge video screens performing live at a concert recorded at the Royal Albert Hall in 1992. Audio for Emerson’s and Lake’s parts are sourced from the multitrack tapes, while Palmer plays live with them, center-stage.

Palmer—now in his mid-70s—hasn’t missed a beat. He’s literally keeping up with a younger version of himself because he set the pace for those recordings back in 1992. He is in fantastic physical shape, has an amazing energy level, and he still has a passion for playing his instrument that rivals that of any 13-year-old who has just picked up drumsticks for the first time.

Mix Blog: Fake Art. Real Money

Clearly, he loves what he does and is able to do it at a high level. And—unlike many musicians who barricade themselves in their dressing room until it’s time to hit the stage—he’s happy to chat about music or offer a tip on how to get rid of weird overtones when tuning a floor tom(!). His enthusiasm is contagious. You ‘gotta love and respect that.

A few nights ago, I happened to walk through a door between the dressing room corridor and the stage a few minutes before his set started. Carl was standing in the wing and saw me. “Woody!! Are you ready for a rock show?” Oh, yeah. I couldn’t help but smile.

Seeing Carl with that sort of joie de vivre reminded me of a conversation I had with one of my students a few years back (or maybe it was more than a few years). While walking to our studios through an adjacent building that houses the athletics department, I ran into one of my audio padawans, who we’ll call Ray. He was clearly out of breath and sweaty.

Me: “What’s up Ray?”

Ray: “Hey, Professor I was playing some basketball, but I’m out of shape!”

Me: “Out of shape? How old are you?”

Ray: “23.”

Me: “Wow, 23. You can only play sports at a high level for so long, and then your body can’t do it anymore. But, you’ll be able to make music even when you’re old.”

Ray: “Yo, Professor… that’s deep.”

Indeed.

For an in-depth look at the Welcome Back tour featuring Carl Palmer, check out our feature article from September, 2023.