Closest You Have Been To A Prog Great

Exactly 1 hundreed of millions of something to any "prog great" you know. I saw Focus, ¿does what's left of Thijs Van Leer count?... I also saw Pedro Aznar once... One day, I'll face him to ask "¿What was that song with Pat Metheney all about? ¿was it even in spanish? ¿those lyrics were real or you were just eating something that sounded like spanish words?

I used to manage a record/CD store, and could get tickets, often with backstage passes to lots of shows.  That way I met:

Jon Anderson, Rick Wakeman, Bill Bruford, Steve Howe, Ian Anderson, Stanley Clarke.

At a record release party, I spent quite a bit of time talking music with Trevor Rabin.

After a debate on record labeling, I spoke just a bit with Frank Zappa.

I also once worked for a jazz festival company, so the list of fusion players I've met is huge.

BaldFriede wrote: Not prog: Wolfgang Niedecken, the singer of BAP, a band which is very popular in Germany, especially in Cologne, where they are from and where I live, was a frequent guest in a cafe I also was a guest of, and we talked several times. I even had the feeling he wanted to make a pass at me (I was not bald back then), but I made a remark about my sexual orientation which stopped him in his track.

I really like BAP. Wolfgang Niedecken, "der Suedstadt-Dylan" always had interesting lyrics and I liked his singing. Interesting anecdote, by the way.

emailed and got replies from Brian May (Queen) and from Gayle Ellet (Djam Karet)

once, before Porcupine Tree was my favourite band, I went with a friend to a heavy metal record store near the place where PT was playing that night, to buy him a ticket (I didn't know them back then). I was browsing around in the shop when suddenly a mysterious man came standing next to me. my friend poked me and said, that's him. I wasn't all that amazed that SWilson stood next to me, because I didn't know him at that time (around 2000). But now I can still vaguelly recall the image of him in the shop. If only I had known back then...anyway, strange but nice litle memory (saw them perform three times afterwards)

cheers