Your Best Prog Memories

As I was answering a post on the site, it brought back some very great memories of life with Prog in it for me. Maybe yours was a special show or gathering where you heard a prog tune that lifted you in the air. Post them... Here's mine...

I'll go with something more recent. Steven Wilson show last May in Boulder. A friend of mine flew in from Portland Oregon to see the show - we've become Wilson groupies, always catching a show somewhere in the US. We spent a couple of great Boulder days cycling, then a great afternoon on the Pearl Street Mall eating and drinking, and then off to the show. 

I guess it would be shaking Robert Fripp's hand after a "Crafty Guitarist" concert.

Driving 10 hours from Cincinnati to Washington to see Univers Zero play for the first time at the French Embassy, made especially excellent by Miriodor being the support. I was giddy all day.

August '96

Octobre in Montréal, ELP & Jethro Tull in Toronto, King Crimson in Asbury Park, ELP & Jethro Tull in Hartford.


What a trip it's been!

Edited by Barbu - April 04 2014 at 23:30

The first time I heard Tangerine Dream on a compilation cassette tape given to me by a friend in high school, and then heading over to the local record shop (within walking distance – those were the days!) and checking out a series of album covers that sported Monique Froese's whimsical if not arcane photographic manipulations.

I had enough money to buy only one album. Cassettes were out of stock, but I had an econo turntable made by a brand I'm embarrassed to reference (LOL). The album covers and track titles made the choice a difficult one, but I eventually went with the most "sci-fi" looking of the bunch (I'll leave that to speculation).

I took the record home and was not disappointed, and even delighted that one of the album's tracks had been on the compilation tape given to me. I was an instant fan.

tboyd1802 wrote: Moogtron III wrote: I remember buying Genesis' Trick Of The Tail and it was like being into another world. It was still the age of lp and the beautiful artwork was on the sleeve, on the inner sleeve with all the lyrics written in calligraphy. Even the sleeve around the lp itself had the artwork. Really beautiful. There was nothing quite like going to the record store, purchasing that album, scurrying back to your room, and devouring a beautifully designed gate-fold cover while listening to the album for the first time. I immediately think of DSOTM, Lamb, TAAB, CTTE, etc.

tboyd1802 wrote: I'll go with something more recent. Steven Wilson show last May in Boulder. A friend of mine flew in from Portland Oregon to see the show - we've become Wilson groupies, always catching a show somewhere in the US. We spent a couple of great Boulder days cycling, then a great afternoon on the Pearl Street Mall eating and drinking, and then off to the show.  The show was at the Boulder Theater, a smallish venue - I would guess 1,200 or so. We had seats in the fourth row, middle - absolutely fantastic. Met some great people at the show, including a fellow who flew in from Texas to catch the show and was the spitting image of Nick Beggs - go figure. The band was on fantastic form: Marco being the maniac that he is on drums, Guthrie putting on a guitar clinic, and Steven directing it all and drawing the audience into his music.

I was at that show, absolutely spectacular. I saw Opeth about two weeks later at a different venue in Boulder, great show too.

As for me, some of my best memories come from the later summer of 2011. That summer, I had been getting more prog and outside of the general classic rock arena, with friends introducing me to King Crimson and the much more progressive side of Yes. Also, my birthday rolled around in December, and I had another friend from New Jersey speaking of this man named Steven Wilson, who I had no knowledge of. He linked me to the then-new track Sectarian, and I was immediately hooked. I had him send me a copy, and I think it is one of my favorite and most memorable gifts I've ever gotten. A little earlier than that, I also discovered Phideaux through another forum. That year was amazing.

Manuel wrote: I guess it would be shaking Robert Fripp's hand after a "Crafty Guitarist" concert.

I didn't shake his hand, but he stood right next to me in the aisle and filed his fingernails before he went onstage ('79 I think) for his Frippertronic performance at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis. I glanced up at him and inhaled some of his fingernail dust.

I did shake Fred Frith's hand though. I snuck backstage with some friends after a Skeleton Crew performance at the same venue ('82 I think).

1 - Summer of 1971, I had just turned 13 and I heard ELP's first album at a drop in center at a local high school. When the Three Fates started I was transfixed (for life).

2 - Seeing Moraz / Bruford perform Music for Piano and Drums in a 500 seat auditorium at a local college. Only about 50 people showed up (I assume it was poorly advertised) and I still have the recording from my newly purchased Toshiba stereo walkman recorder.

3 - Seeing ELP with the orchestra at Cobo Hall in Detroit (I rented a 400mm lens for my Nikon FM and shot four rolls of slides)

4 - Sweet talking my way into the sound check for ASIA in my hometown of London Ontario. Sat chatting with the soundman (I was doing sound for BUSKER at the time http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=3576) when Carl walked into the auditorium. He came over and chatted with me. I told him about the Cobo Hall show and the great shots I had taken. I had brought along the ASIA LP sleeve to try and get some signatures. I got everyones! After our chat Carl went up to tune his drums. I was standing at the edge of the stage and he asked me what I thought about the tuning of his toms. I later realized he had been sitting in the very seat I had bought my ticket for, no guff.  Next I spoke with Geoff Downes and mentioned I was mixing sound for a keyboard driven duo. He said "Oh you'll love this then" and hauled me up on stage and showed my his new Fairlight synth. Freakin' awesome day !

I still have the signed Album sleeve (and album of course)