[VAXman(Admin)]

Originally posted by Rick and Roll
And now to Kenso.....what a show!!!!!!

Having heard them on the Moon, I thought they would be simply classy, smooth fusion. They were smokin! The keyboards were just fantastic. Incredible musicianship. The drummer NEVER stopped. And any superlative heaped on guitarist Yoshihisa Shimizu is not enough. An actual dentist, he brings power and presicion to his guitar work. He was crying at the conclusion of the show. He whipped out a few bars of "Heartbreaker" and led a medley of "We're An American Band", "Carry On Wayward Son", and damn..what was that other tune? He played a solo that along with Roine Stolt's "Blade of Cain" solo from this year is still ringing in my ears. My favorite part was a corny tune he wrote just for Nearfest. They'd been recruited for years but finally made it over. The crowd was thrilled.

DITTO! Kenso was SMOKIN'!

Originally posted by Rick and Roll
One of the keyboardists, in his incredible solo portion, played some of "Allentown", funny considering the proximity to the venue. They all NEVER stopped smiling...almost two hours!

Having been born and raised in the Lehigh Valley, I never understood the appeal of that Billy Joel tune. It's completely insulting and derisive of Allentown and Bethlehem. Obvioulsy, Kenso didn't understand the lyrics in "ingrish".

Originally posted by Rick and Roll

I was joking that Le Orme would cancel again after hearing Kenso. I really tried to get into them, and eschewed the hangover from Kenso and tried to give them an unbiased ear. On balance, they failed to move me. The reminded me of Metamorphosi last year, except that Metamorphosi had great vocals and a commanding presence. Le Orme was a bit too far back from the stage, and looked like four separate entities. Also, they seemed a bit standoffish. There were some real die-hard fans in the crowd...more power to them. It just seemed cold and without feeling.

I was in the access section behing the orchestra seats. I was taking pictures directly behind Rob LaDuca when Le Orme announced they were doing their '70s set. Rob was -- leterally -- moved to tears!