So... explain the whole "cape" thing

JD wrote: All I can say is thank god Emerson never got dressed up as an armadillo for Tarkus,

rilly?  

So, Reg is Prog now?

Dean wrote: JD wrote: All I can say is thank god Emerson never got dressed up as an armadillo for Tarkus, rilly?   this jacket was a "tarkus":     (I know it's a plastic model, but he did wear the jacket, I just can't find a good pic of it on the webs)

Ok, but it's pretty subtle compared to most. Just a texture. Now imagine if he had gone the Gabriel way and had a snout appliance.

Well, as I previous said, he did use a cape for the Cobo Hall concert encore,and his glitter outfit would most likely be considered a costume.

But I do agree, musicians/bands for the most part benefit from 'staging'. I spent 6 years as the sound man for  BUSKER,  two piece symphonic band from here in Canada. As you can imagine, with a keyboard player sitting behind a bank of keyboards playing bass pedals and a drummer buried behind a huge (for the time) kit. it was very important to present a show along with the music to keep the audience entertained. For two guys we had two trucks. The staging included a 48" mirror ball, a blacklight glowing hand painted mirror letter sign complete with marquee chaser lights, smoke machine, flash pots, strobe lights, 16mm film and slide shows as well a the only true quad system to be used by a bar band at the time. There was plenty to keep the audience engagde. But they also did costumes. The drummer would dress up in a 30's bathing suit and skateboard around the clubs as The Surf King while the keyboard player made wave sounds on his ARP 2600. They also had a few novelty pieces where the drummer would dress as a penguin (The Funky Penguin) or sometimes I would wear a gorilla costume for Gerbert the Gorilla.

For the most part this was a necessary evil to keep the audience amused. Bar patrons are not always that attentive to the bands so subtly is not the best course of action.

Knives, flying pianos or flying pigs for that matter help create a sense of value to the paying customer who expects to be wow'd at every show.

When in doubt with regard to these sorts of issues, always remember, Zappa knew all:

when you have lot's of BIG ego's on a stage competing for attention like Yes did ---there's nothing like a big shiny gold cape that says--look at me---this was the showman that would bring you King Arthur on ice---I liked the cape---and I sorta liked Moraz's big shirt sleeves too 

fuxi wrote: twosteves wrote: when you have lot's of BIG ego's on a stage competing for attention like Yes did ---there's nothing like a big shiny gold cape that says--look at me---this was the showman that would bring you King Arthur on ice---I liked the cape---and I sorta liked Moraz's big shirt sleeves too  Now this is where we disagree! I love Moraz's playing on RELAYER and I'll never forgive the band for kicking him out (after RELAYER, GFTE has always seemed a terrible disappointment) but Moraz's sleeves, the way he contorts himself behind his keyboards (as can be seen on the LIVE AT QPR DVDs), and worst of all, that awful "poodle" haircut... No, VISUALLY speaking, Rick used to beat him every time, at least until he started wearing silly embroidered waistcoats on the GFTO tour...

You forgot the rock n roll excesses of monster rock such as

I don't mind the show and it can be fun and it may give a certain identity to the musician, but being also a jazz-rock-fusion fan I couldn't care less about it, most jazz-rock musicians just play with their daily jeans and T-shirt on, no fancy lighting or video screens, no show needed to keep the public's attention. I don't need it either, good music is more than enough. 

AtomicCrimsonRush wrote: Wakeman though came from the 70s and it was all glitz and glamour so his cape was only in response to the latest glam fad. Heaps of artists wore capes, Steve Priest of Sweet, Gary Glitter, Elton John, Brian May, Slade Kiss   It was the 70s thing nobody questioned it the same as wearing platform boots

This is very true, and I must congratulate you on your new avatar (Lieutenant Gay Ellis, if I remember it right!), which I noticed for the first time today, and which nicely coincides with prog's heyday! (Having said that, I watched each episode of the wonderfully dressy "UFO" long before I was a progger...)