Former Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman kicks off a new U.S. solo trek, hilariously dubbed the “Even Grumpier Old Rock Star Tour,” on October 13 in Natick, Massachusetts.
The outing, which was postponed multiple times because of the COVID-19 pandemic, is a follow-up to Wakeman’s 2019 “Grumpy Old Rock Star Tour.”
Wakeman tells ABC Audio that the tour got its updated moniker because of his frustration over the postponements.
“[E]very time it got moved, I got grumpier,” the 72-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer notes. “So it made more sense to be the ‘Even Grumpier Rock Star’ show.”
He adds, jokingly, “I think if [there had been]…any more cancellations or postponements, it would have been the ‘Unbelievably, Really Stupidly Long, Even Grumpier Rock Star’ show.”
Regarding his new concerts, Rick says, “[I]t’s basically me with a grand piano, a couple of keyboards this time as well, which will enable me to do some slightly different pieces, plus anecdotes. Got a load of new ones.”
Wakeman reveals that he plans to play select Yes tunes; pieces from solo projects like his 1973 album The Six Wives of Henry VIII; and versions of classic songs by David Bowie and Cat Stevens on which Rick played.
Wakeman tells ABC Audio that almost every show will be different because, although he often prepares a set list for each gig, he rarely sticks to it.
Meanwhile, Rick says he’s thrilled to be returning to the road.
“[I]t’s just gonna be great to be playing in front of people again,” he declares. “I can’t tell you how much I have missed talking to people on stage, and meeting with people after the shows and before the shows.”
Wakeman’s U.S. tour runs through a November 19 concert in Clearwater, Florida.
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