However if you ask anyone on this planet who the first man on the moon was i'm pretty sure at least quite a few would say Neil Armstrong. In fact Neil Armstrong may very well be the most famous person ever on this planet (and others!) if you had to pick one person. Certainly the most famous person globally for good reasons (and not like hitler or something). There are some that are known full well in America but maybe not known in China. Some in Europe but not perhaps in Thailand. Everyone knows Neil Armstrong. 

So when the 50th Anniversary to Celebrate Apollo 11 took place last week in honor of Buzz and Neil and Michael taking those very first steps on the moon and our TV's have since filled up with nothing but shows about moon landings...

Was that concert; that 50th Anniversary Concert of Neil Armstrong saying one great step for Prog (I mean mankind) starring the Alan Parsons Project and Edison's Children (whom of course have Neil Armstrong's son Rick Armstrong as their full time Synth Guitarist); Was that moment a moment that maybe we should all take a step back and look at with some serious respect?

The simple fact was the moon landing and that day (whether you think Alan Parsons is full on prog or not) was given to 2 solid progressive rock outfits. It was not J-Lo, it was not Justin Timberlake it wasn't given to Madonna or Lady Gaga it was given to two prog bands whom I happen to think are some of the best songwriters ever. 

(though Duran Duran did play a bogus gig for $300 bucks per person but that was not a concert for the "public". It was on a Tuesday and meant for rich people to come and spend money. the "real" main outdoor gig to kick off the celebrations at the Cape for everyone was on that Saturday)

This is about saying that the concert to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong landing on the moon; a concert that is pretty damn historic no matter who actually played it, was given to 2 prog bands instead of 2 awful pop bands or Britney Spears or Justin Timberlake or some awful thing like that. 

I think that's pretty cool. Yes I know it probably only happened because of Neil Armstrong's son taking on a very big role in Edison's Children going forward. Still the new Edison's Children epic (that we've been waiting years and years for) "The Disturbance Fields" came out that day and the new Alan Parsons album "The Secret" came out only 2 weeks earlier. Both are albums that I was expecting to be slightly disappointed because usually after that long of a wait, it never lives up to expectations. The EC album is certainly their best ever (and that's saying a lot cause I absolutely think The Final Breath Before November was the most beautifully haunting thing I've heard since the Lover's Leap section of Supper's Ready) and Alan's new album is very symphonic and sounds like a soundtrack to some crazy movie I need to go see. 

That's my 2 cents which these days is worth about 2 cents.

But I am thrilled that the NASA 50 year anniversary concert for Neil Armstrong and Apollo 11 was headlined by two great Progressive Rock bands that I truly revere and respect and not some awful "Super Bowl" style pop garbage. 

Bravo again NASA, You got it right 50 years ago and you got right 50 years later!

2nd...  ohhh..  top 10 historic prog shows...   what about a top 5.. or even a top 3.

1) ELP at Cal Jam '74 the apex of the prog movement and where Emerson was as big a name in rock as Page, Blackmore and the ilk..  

2) KC at Hyde Park '69..  KC may not have been the first.. or had the first prog album.. but give credit where it is due.. they were the ones the really started a movement per se

but after that..  I scatch my head to think of another historic... I mean historic prog show..  perhaps there are others but sure ain't coming to me.

Interesting.

I'm always interested whenever scientists, geeks and nerds are put in charge of things because they usually inject their private brand of humour. My son told me about insects that are named after Rush members in their scientific nomeclature, there's a million references to prog bands in popular cartoons ( Simpsons, South park ) so I'm betting that somewhere a dude was put in charge of organizing that event and seized on the chance to finally put his fave music up where it should be. 

On the 'most famous prog concert', thats a tough one. I think the most famous rock concert ever was Woodstock. ( concert being different than just a performance like the Beatles on the rooftop) . I think the most viewed concert was the African Famine Relief  - Live Aid of Bob Geldof. In a quick review of the line-up I see no prog band, the closest being Queen.   

 

nice Ian... I knew there were probably more... not exactly what you have there  but a mental slap as to what I was driving at earlier

micky wrote: first thing.. a big hahahahhah. and a big (of the caffinated sort..sorry) to anyone who can mention Hitler, Stalin, Trump and BJ in 3 breaths or less in a NON politically related post. 2nd...  ohhh..  top 10 historic prog shows...   what about a top 5.. or even a top 3. 1) ELP at Cal Jam '74 the apex of the prog movement and where Emerson was as big a name in rock as Page, Blackmore and the ilk..   2) KC at Hyde Park '69..  KC may not have been the first.. or had the first prog album.. but give credit where it is due.. they were the ones the really started a movement per se but after that..  I scatch my head to think of another historic... I mean historic prog show..  perhaps there are others but sure ain't coming to me.

3) Rock in Opposition festival London 1978

Strange ... I would have thought that anything having to do with "space" would have Jean Michel Jarre ... but maybe that is asking for too much and he already done that, anyway!

But, even though many folks will say that it is not "progressive", I still say that the best event EVER in our (at least mine) lifetimes, would have to be WOODSTOCK ... and I admit that the film, probably made it look much better than it really might have been, but I really have not heard a lot of "bad" stories about it all, compared to the great pictures and stories, and no doubt about it ... the music!

Many TODAY, will state that the music in there is not "Progressive" or even remotely related to "Prog" ... and I will state that they are incorrect. AM radio only touched a song by The Doors that was cut in half, they played one song by Jimi because it was a Bob Dylan song, they played Me and Bobby McGee because the vocals were outstanding, and it was a safe song by Kris Kristofferson who was already known in country music areas, and just about anything else was not played on the AM dial, meaning it was not a hit.

In the FM dial what was just coming up, the rest of the bands were heard, but no one knew Ten Years After, until that moment, and then everyone said ... that was rock'n'roll and not progressive ... well, I don't think that Steve Howe and his guitar in YES is any different than what TEN YEARS AFTER did at Woodstock. And, of course, the movie and everyone else dumped the INCREDIBLE STRING BAND, that performed heaven knows what (never seen a listing although I was once told they did "U" in its entirety), because they were on at 4AM and the recording folks were asleep at that time! And the movie folks ... they were only there for prime time, and the rest of the footage, is just filler, right?

I can not say that there were not events just as wild in Europe ... as WOODSTOCK, but at least one film (STAMPING GROUND) showed many things were there that deserved attention ... but since no one saw the excellent movie and its music ... everyone, even here, thinks it was crap ... Santana's set was better than Woodstock, It's a Beautiful Day did their song in the rain with the violin going over it, Family delivered a blast of a mind blower, Pink Floyd delivered what I thought was just a small film, since we don't really see them on stage that I can remember ... and many more even in England, the really big one at Wembley I think it was, although I am of the opinion that it was not as great and as valuable in its intensity and the musical appeal, since it was more about the hits, than it was about the music.

Queens? As in Queens NY? No, they played in NYC but not in Queens(at least not around that time period). Usually they played at MSG. No baseball park either unless you are thinking of CHicago stadium in 1975. It was "only" a 22,000 seater so they played much bigger shows back then. It's funny how at one point Yes were playing multiple nights at 18,000 plus sized arenas and even stadiums but now are mostly playing fairs and casinos in front of maybe 2-3,000 tops. 

I was at a KC show there around then.Golden Earring was the warmup band, and have been a fan since.

Golden Earring that is. :-)