The Renaissance Zone

 

If there is a revival of interest in almost purely acoustic music, yes. Even so it seems hard to imagine a time when they could again transcend their niche and become albeit briefly and not in a very big way a part of pop culture. I mean Mike Douglas, TOTP, Sight & Sound etc. Somebody posted the videos of Renaissance's performances in their 1978 appearance on Mike Douglas show but there was apparently a 1977 appearance too of which next to nothing is known. Maybe SteveG would be aware...

 

I give that I am rather pessimistic but people have become very lazy in how they consume music and if it isn't a part of pop culture, they don't know it. To quote Liam Gallagher, "If you're not on the charts, you don't exist."

It wasn't for me and that's part of why I am not so optimistic.   Like many other progheads, I got introduced through Ashes Are Burning, so unless I was in the prog rock 'circuit', I wouldn't know about Ren.  What you say CAN happen; for instance, my wife knew the Northern Lights song because her mum somehow knew it.  But SHE never bothered to check out their back catalogue as is typical of most casual listeners. While Northern Lights charted, it wasn't one of THE 70s hits like Waterloo, Hotel California, you get the drift.  I once got the chance to listen to a Casey Coast to Coast episode from the 70s on radio and I don't remember recognising a single song.  Some BANDS, yes, but that's it.  When you look at the week in week out charts, there are so many bands that get there and even though Northern Lights did last a fair while in the charts, it still didn't set them on fire. 

Another thing is the audience demographic at the concerts.  Annie once remarked that Ren's fans have grown up with the band.  That is, many of them are roughly as old as the band or maybe 10 years younger (assuming a college student in the 70s got into them at the time).  Whereas when I saw Iron Maiden live back in 2007, there were HARDLY any middle aged or older fans.  Mostly just us 20 somethings (not 20 something anymore, sadly ).  Only a few months back, I attended a show of a female singer who sings Bollywood songs and very well too (she is trained in Hindustani music) and pretty much all age groups were covered - old, middle aged, young/youngish ones like me, kids etc.  I THINK this sort of cross-demographic connect is necessary for the music to get passed on to the next generation.  From whatever I have seen, Ren lack this and I don't know why.  It may be the combination of their not really being front and center of pop culture (unlike aforesaid Bollywood singer) nor having that kickass quotient of an Iron Maiden to draw young audiences.  They are apparently square and yet not necessarily very infectious and demand some application from the listener. I am sure there will be a few of my age or younger who have heard them and even love their work but so far, our numbers aren't exactly substantial.

There are some youngish Renaissance fans here, who by definition would have gotten into Renaissance after their heyday, such as our own rogerthat, and fudgenuts, among others.

When I'm talking about future fans, I'm thinking of when every one of us is dust, and there are a few who studiously comb whatever "archives" are in existence and sample the band. Perhaps there won't be bands performing Renaissance classics but just some oddballs who have uncovered them and are very devoted.  A small number to be sure, just like there are fans today of very obscure composers

Yeah, this I don't get.  How is it that a band that did get popular in the mid 70s has since got buried in the archives?  Perhaps a part of the great anti-prog purge. Also, a lack of the 'pop culture' moments I mentioned; more hit singles wouldn't have hurt.  When you think of it, ELP is a lot less well-known today for a band that at its peak was a bigger live draw than Deep Purple.

 

Yup. They did do some shows West side I guess. Remember a show in Austin in 1976/77 being mentioned on their facebook page. But the band themselves admitted they didn't do enough shows outside the east coast.

Did they ever play in Montreal?  You mentioned seeing them on the Camera Camera tour in your review IIRC.

I have read that the UK scene never really accepted mkii and insisted that the Relf-led Renaissance was its true incarnation.  They did land a Sight & Sound outing but going by what Tout said in a '77 interview, it didn't get good reviews either. 

By the by, something I just read on fb.  That during the LATC performance of Ashes Are Burning (don't know which one in particular since they did three nights),  Annie went over to the front of the stage as it came to an end and sang without a mic!  Amazing if true (and have no reason to believe that a fan reminiscing about the show today would be making it up, though it's possible). This person mentioned that even without the mic, the chandelier at the venue seemed to vibrate to the strength of her voice.  

Yup, and sincerely can't think of very many rock singers who could.  Ronnie could have, at least if he wasn't always singing over brutal heavy riffs.