Former Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman has announced that he will embark on his final solo tour of the U.S. and South America in the spring. The trek, which has been dubbed “An Evening of Yes Music and Other Favorites,” will begin with a March 19 concert in Ridgefield, Connecticut.
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The U.S. leg of the trek features nine confirmed shows, and will run through a March 29 performance in Albany, New York. The outing will include a March 27-28 stand at the popular Wolf Trap venue in Vienna, Virginia.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer also will play an April 3 show in Mexico City before heading to South America for six concerts. That leg is mapped out from an April 6 concert in Santiago, Chile, through an April 15 performance in Curitiba, Brazil.
Wakeman is planning to announced additional North American dates later in the year.
Tickets for Wakeman’s U.S. and South American solo shows are available via various outlets, including StubHub. At StubHub, orders are 100% guaranteed through the site’s FanProtect program. StubHub is a secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand.
During the tour, Wakeman will premiere a 30-minute instrumental piece called “Yessonata.” Described as “an exclusive gift for fans,” the work will weave Yes themes and melodies into sonata form.
“I always planned to stop touring by my 77th birthday—for those of you who wish to send me a card, [my birthday is] 18th May!” the 74-year-old musician noted in a message on his official website, “but there is so much to fit in before then that I’m having to make plans now and so my final one-man shows will have to cease by that date.”
Wakeman continued, “I have thoroughly enjoyed performing the various one-man shows, but it’s time to call it a day. I intend to throw in the best of what I have done in the past, plus a few new surprises on the way, and possibly even the odd guest joining me on the odd occasion.”
The keyboardist has decided to stop doing solo tours so that he can spend more time concentrating on composing, recording and collaborating with other musicians.
Prior to the solo tour, Wakeman has scheduled a nine-date U.K. trek in February called The Return of the Caped Crusader that will feature him performing with his group the English Rock Ensemble. The two-part concerts will showcase Wakeman’s new arrangements of classic Yes songs, as well as his 1974 concept album Journey to the Centre of the Earth.
The U.K. tour is plotted out from a February 15 show in Glasgow through a February 28 gig in Bristol.
See the full routing of Wakeman’s solo tour below. Fans of Wakeman will not want to pass up on this opportunity to see the classically trained prog-rock legend play what may be his last solo concert in your area.
Don’t wait – these tickets are likely to go quickly. Head to StubHub now to see if tickets are available to a show near you!
Rick Wakeman’s 2024 U.S./South American Solo Tour Dates:
March 19 – Ridgefield, CT @ Ridgefield Playhouse
March 20 – Montclair, NJ @ Wellmont Theater
March 22 – Huntington, NY @ The Paramount
March 23 – Collingswood, NJ @ Scottish Rite Auditorium
March 24 – Derry, NH @ Tupelo Music Hall
March 26 – Red Bank, NJ @ The Vogel – Count Basie Center for the Arts
March 27 – Vienna, VA @ Wolf Trap
March 28 – Vienna, VA @ Wolf Trap
March 29 – Albany, NY @ The Egg Center for the Performing Arts
April 3 – Mexico City, Mexico @ Auditorio Blackberry
April 6 – Santiago, Chile @ Teatro Teleton
April 9 – Buenos Aires, Argentina @ Teatro Gran Rex
April 11 – Porto Alegre, Brazil @ Salão de Atos da PUCRS
April 12 – Sao Paulo, Brazil @ Tokio Marine Hall
April 14 – Brasilia, Brazil @ Centro de Convencoes Ulysses Guimaraes
April 15 – Curitiba, Brazil @ Opera de Arame
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