The Mediæval Bæbes performed at the Maryland Renaissance Festival in Crownsville on August 29 and 30, 2009. The band, comprised of six ladies (Katharine Blake, Emily Ovenden, Melpomeni Kemanidou, Bev Lee Harling, Esther Dee and Sarah Kayte Foster) singing and playing a variety of instruments and three guys (Frank Moon, Kavus Torabi and Ben Woollacott) playing a variety of instruments and singing background vocals, hit the stage for three thirty-minute sets each day. This review will discuss the gig on Sunday, August 30 (although the performances were almost identical with the exception of some impromptu funny moments).
The Mediæval Bæbes were introduced and out they came, all dressed in flowing white gowns for the opening number, “Salva Nos”, a tune I consider to be their flagship song. This thirteenth-century Latin traditional has an awesome beat to it and despite most of us not being able to understand the language, it is an excellent sing-along-song. The second song of the set was "Return Of The Birds" from their Mirabilis CD released in 2005. It combined delightful singing with the sweet sounds of recorders, guitars, drums and even a penny whistle. "Return Of The Birds" had a couple instrumental breaks in it for some Medieval revelry and dancing! The Bæbes slowed it down a bit with "Star Of The Sea" and actually brought out four recorders for this one! A traditional English ballad titled "Scarborough Fayre" was next followed by “Ecce Mundi Gaudium” from the Worldes Blysse CD from 1998. Katharine performed the fast-flowing Medieval Latin verses quite efficiently. The seventh song of the set was "Umlahi" followed by "Pearl". The band carried on with a song originating from Medieval Spain called "The Snake”. It featured some nice harmonizing, in what could be defined as Spanish Castilian, and some nice dual-violins by Bev and Katharine. The Bæbes closed their first set with an incredible rendition of “Adam Lay Ibounden” - this track, the lyrics of which are of very mysterious origin, goes through the entire set of four verses three times … certainly a generous offering, but this is one of those songs that one wishes would never end. The studio (and electric live) version of the song has a(n) foreboding and ominous sound to it and eventually reaches its zenith and apex with higher notes toward the end of the song. This version was more of a sing-along-type since it was in a Ren-Fest setting. In any event, it was an absolutely amazing number to close with and if that was not enough, there would be two more sets to follow.
“I Sing Of A Maiden” started the Mediæval Bæbes' second set with the ladies now wearing green outfits. This was followed by “Undrentide”, a wonderful track beginning with Katherine on the recorder and the verses sung in Middle English, and then "Myrie Songen". Next up was a song from their latest CD, Illumination, titled "The Blacksmiths". It is an anonymous number with the music written by Bev Lee Harling herself and that showcases the harmonizing talents of the band as well as the soprano vocals of Esther Dee. There was also a lot of synchronized clapping on this one. The band carried on with another track from their most recent CD, “My Lady Sleeps”. It features lyrics by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and features a very lovely and beautiful dance with Bev pairing up with Sarah and Esther pairing up with Melpomeni while Emily and Katherine had the dual recorder sound down. Excellent arrangement and very well done. The same can be said for the next selection of the evening - if not more so. Wasting no time at all, Ben Woollacott got it started - "Yonder Lea". Hearing this really blew me away. It has an awesome beat ... the drums, then the dual recorders, then the vocals ... it was really incredible. Headbanger Heavy Metal fans could even get into this. The lyrics are from an eighteenth-century Robert Burns' piece and Katharine Blake composed the music with Nick Marsh. I particularly enjoyed when Melpomeni performed her vocals and then the girls went into their parts with the high notes. It all blended really well. Then Esther grabbed a star-shaped tambourine for the final stanza which helped usher the song to its end. This was one highlights of the day for me. The very macabre "How Death Comes" incorporated a unique acappella arrangement by the Bæbes. Emily Ovenden requested the audience to sing the chorus of "Sunrise", a song she had a hand in writing (she wrote all of the lyrics and co-wrote the music). The tune came to its climactic end with Esther's impressive soprano calls and the crowd's boisterous shouts of "Sunrise!". The band closed the set with the 600-year-old "Averil" from the year 2000's Undrentide CD. Katherine and the rest of the Bæbes were in fine form here.
The third and final set of the day began with Frank, Kavus and Ben walking onto the stage with the type of head-dresses the Bæbes typically wear! The Bæbes then entered the stage in lush red/radiant red dresses. The intoxicating "Desert Rose" was performed first followed by "I Am Eve", a song in Middle Irish from The Rose CD from 2002. "Love Me Broughte" a song about the trials and tribulations of love, was next - it started as an acappella tune and eventually evolved into lively dance number. The dancing did not stop there as the instrumental "Cantiga" kept the crowd moving. They slowed it down with a sixteenth-century sacred Christmas carol called "Gaudete" (Gaudete meaning Rejoice). Next up was the moody "Come My Sweet" ... Ben Woollacott was really getting into the drums on this one! The seventh song of the set was one I was particularly interested in hearing live - "Dringo Bell" ... for anyone wanting the history of this fourteenth or fifteenth century Middle English tune, search terms include Old Hogyn's Adventure or Trill Go Bell; it has also been connected to Geoffrey Chaucer; it is a bit of a naughty tune and worth your while should you endeavor to research it. The entire band contributed heavily to this and Sarah had particular prominence in it with her vocals. Even Frank Moon and Kavus Torabi provided some great background vocals while Bev was beating some bongo-looking instrument. Sarah ended the song with a slight variation that you will just have to see in person. "Miri It Is" from the Bæbes' debut album from 1997 was next - it is a Medieval English tune about the end of summer and how apropos considering the gig was in late August. A song inspired by The Goddess, "Musa Venit Carmine" was next and that brought us to the final song of the evening, "Kinderly". "Kinderly" was a good one to close with ... it had the fans clapping along to the multi-faceted harmonizing and dual drumming.
My final assessment: the outfits, the presence, the harmonizing and solo parts, the dancing, the barrage of musical instruments ... this was not only the pinnacle of musicianship, but also a great visual performance. All in all, a fantastic trip back in time with these tunes far exceeding what can accurately be called classics. These songs go far beyond that. This was truly Old School and it was Old School at its best. The concert was well worth the trips up and back to Maryland!
The setlist for the entire show was as follows:
01. Salva Nos 02. Return Of The Birds 03. Star Of The Sea 04. Scarborough Fayre 05. Ecce Mundi Gaudium 06. Umlahi 07. Pearl 08. The Snake 09. Adam Lay Ibounden ---------- 10. I Sing Of A Maiden 11. Undrentide 12. Myrie Songen 13. The Blacksmiths 14. My Lady Sleeps 15. Yonder Lea 16. How Death Comes 17. Sunrise 18. Averil ---------- 19. Desert Rose 20. I Am Eve 21. Love Me Broughte 22. Cantiga 23. Gaudete 24. Come My Sweet 25. Dringo Bell 26. Miri It Is 27. Musa Venit Carmine 28. Kinderly
Photos from Saturday's concert (all live shots taken, cropped and uploaded by the author):
First set ...
Second set ...
Here are a couple of shots of myself with the Bæbes!
Eric Martin and Ted Poley played in a very nice park in King Of Prussia, Pennsylvania on August 2, 2009. These vocalists from Mr. Big and Danger Danger performed tunes from their respective bands as well as their solo and other projects. Precipitation was projected and considered almost a certainty, and despite a large dark mass of clouds covering the area, not a drop of rain was cast.
Nice marquee, haha. Hey, it works.
Ted Poley opened his set with "Beat The Bullet" and continued with "Shot O' Love", a good one to get the crowd going. The third number of the evening was "Don't Walk Away" - the perfect song to listen to in an outdoor venue while hanging out ... it's one of those songs for someone to move his or her head to as it plays ... the violin was an excellent addition to this track too! The band carried on with the sentimental "Only Human" followed by a really neat acoustic version of the Danger Danger classic, "Bang Bang". Ted stayed with the Danger Danger catalogue with the Glam Metal ballad "I Still Think About You" ... a wonderful sing-along-song which included a long extended note before the first chorus and a fantastic guitar solo. The audience clapped along to "Did We Just Have A Moment" ... to which Ted asked, "Did we just have a moment?". We certainly did. The moody "Afraid Of Love" was next ... there's a great chorus in this one. Next up was a slow song titled "Crossing This Ocean" from the Poley/Rivera Only Human CD. The final tune of the night was the former MTV hit, "Naughty Naughty" ... the crowd exuberantly joined Ted and the band in yelling "Hey" five enthusiastic times to close out the song and the set. Ted literally walked out to the fans to personally say thank you for attending. As a final assessment I'd say Ted's vocals were very clean and spot on. It was a fun time. Ted hung out by the stage to meet the fans and stayed to the very last one who wanted to meet him.
Ted Poley's setlist for the evening:
01. Beat The Bullet 02. Shot O' Love 03. Don't Walk Away 04. Only Human 05. Bang Bang 06. I Still Think About You 07. Did We Just Have A Moment 08. Afraid Of Love 09. Monkey Business 10. Crossing This Ocean 11. Naughty Naughty
It looks like I'm about to do the signing!
Ted signing a photo of us taken in March of 2007:
Autographed set list!
Ted also signed an old Prophet album for me that night. I have it in a box somewhere. I'll post a pic of it when I find it again.
Here are two video clips of the show ...
Bang Bang:
I Still Think About You:
By the way, Danger Danger will have a new CD out in a few weeks and it is a must-have in 2009! I already heard a few tracks and they are killer - some outstanding Melodic Rock!
Eric Martin was the second and final act of the evening. He opened with the upbeat "Alive And Kickin'" and continued with the grooving "Voodoo Kiss". He played a few more songs including an outstanding rendition of the Mr. Big ballad "Just Take My Heart". The crowd was quite pleased with this one. Eric dipped into his solo catalogue from the 1980s for "There Goes The Neighborhood". He mentioned the track is going to be the theme song for a reality show of the same name. He got the crowd moving with "Goin' Sane" and later played the Cat Steven's cover that Mr. Big charted with in 1993, "Wild World". The band carried on with a couple more tunes before playing the chart-topping smash hit "To Be With You", a number one single in the United States and several other countries. Another Mr. Big track performed toward the end of the set was "Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy (The Electric Drill Song)". Eric Martin puts on a great show. He makes some funny comments between songs too. During the set Eric stated that he needs a haircut and I called out, "No. Don't do it!". He responded by repeating my words and said I am probably wearing a wig. A friend of mine told him the hair is real and we went at it a little more. Pretty funny. Eric came back out, and stayed with each and every fan well after the show was over. He had to be up at around 5:00 AM too so it was really cool for him to hang around for so long.
Behold the emotion ...
Look at this - someone caught me in the act! This was around the time Eric said I was wearing a wig!
Here we are looking at a photo of the two of us taken last summer:
It was great to see Joey Belladonna back in the area. He is one of the few acts I have actually seen in four different states (in his case, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and New York) over the years. There is a familiar face in the band on bass - R.C. is still jamming with Joey and two new members joined the band since I last saw Joey: Dave King on guitar and Monster Mike Merrifield on drums. They performed in a venue called Dingbatz and really delivered. The gig was hard, heavy and severe. The set mainly featured selections from Joey's time in Anthrax along with some cover tunes and one original. The opening number was "Among The Living" followed by a powerful version of "Medusa". Next up was "Madhouse" with a bit of "The Ripper" by Judas Priest thrown in during the introductory guitar part. The fourth song of the evening was "Antisocial" off of the State Of Euphoria LP. Two tracks from the Persistence Of Time era were next: "In My World" and "Got The Time" ... there was spirited audience participation for "In My World". The 22-year-old anthem "Caught In A Mosh" made the crowd go wild ... people were moshing, slamdancing, jumping off of the stage onto the floor ... crazy stuff but as can be expected at a Thrash Metal concert. It was truly raucous! The band carried on with "Efilnikufesin" with a few lines of "Bring Tha Noise" added in the beginning. After that tune was completed, Joey mentioned how he wanted to play an original called "Hard Life". "Hard Life" is a straight-forward rocker with a chorus perfect for headbanging and playing air-guitar ... hey, I still play air-guitar at these gigs. Joey even had a buddy join him on stage for the song. The band carried on with a cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Foxy Lady" followed by "Indians" from Anthrax's Among The Living album. Some of the fans had been calling for "Indians" throughout the set and they got their wish! A fantastic rendition of the song ... the crowd was pleased. At this point in the show, the fans got to hear some Ronnie Dio in the form of Black Sabbath's "Heaven And Hell" with a line from Rainbow's "Man On The Silver Mountain". The crowd was digging it. Only hardcore Anthrax and Joey fans would know the next selection ... "A.I.R." from the Spreading The Disease album. It was awesome to hear this one. The band ended the set with a savage version of the classic "Metal Thrashing Mad".
Final assessment: Joey gave the fans an excellent night of Heavy Metal music. R.C. was banging his head pounding the bass and had great stage presence. Dave was shredding on the guitar. Monster Mike was just that - a monster on the drums. As stated earlier, the performance was hard, heavy and severe! After the fourth or fifth song, Joey spotted me in the crowd (I was within two yards from the stage) with my rubbery Not-Man handpuppet, and mentioned the Not-Man I had and also said "You're everywhere". We made a couple funny comments back and forth and then he played on. During "Indians", Joey noticed a woman in the front row had her drink spilled. I am not sure if he kicked it over, but he opened a water bottle and poured some into the empty cup showing a thoughtful display of generosity. Headbangers need to stick together.
This was the full setlist:
01. Among The Living 02. Madusa 03. The Ripper/Madhouse 04. Antisocial 05. In My World 06. Got The Time 07. Caught In A Mosh 08. Bring Tha Noise/Efilnikufesin (N.F.L) 09. Hard Life 10. Foxy Lady 11. Indians 12. Heaven And Hell/Man On The Silver Mountain/Heaven And Hell 13. A.I.R. 14. Metal Thrashing Mad
Band members: Vocals: Joey Belladonna Bass: R.C. Guitar: Dave King Drums: Monster Mike Merrifield
If you want some REAL Metal performed fast and loud, be sure to check out Joey Belladonna on tour! Here are some photos of the concert (all taken, cropped and uploaded by the author):
Yes and Asia together ... a dream come true for many Progressive Rock and Classic Rock aficionados ... and with original vocalist Jon Anderson on the sidelines with an injury, fans' dreams of hearing obscure material could plausibly and finally come to pass as well. I have been a fan of the Yes/Buggles/Asia trio of bands (mainly due to Geoff Downes) since my early childhood. These photos will attest to that ...
Here I am with a Yes Tormato poster (photo taken in late 1979):
Here I am with Geoff Downes in August 2006 (holding a Buggles LP he signed for me; my sister gave the album to me in or around 1983):
I have a long history of interest in these bands so it was wonderful of them to tour together and as for two "new guys" performing vocal and keyboard duties in Yes ... no problem. I absolutely welcome them. The show must go on and the show did go on ... very well ... with the fans being treated to top-notch musicianship and with rare gems not heard in years ... decades in fact.
Asia hit the stage first and opened their set with "Wildest Dreams" followed by the well-received "Only Time Will Tell"; both tracks are from their self-titled debut. Next up was "An Extraordinary Life" (a song John Wetton felt compelled to write as a celebration of life after his bypass surgery) from their latest CD, Phoenix. The forth song of the evening was the very historic and influential "Video Killed The Radio Star" (the first video aired on MTV) from Geoff Downes' old band, The Buggles. Wetton used a megaphone for the first verse to replicate Trevor Horn's vocals as best he could. This was an entertaining number and the crowd showed its approval. This was followed by the King Crimson track "In The Court Of The Crimson King". Original King Crimson member Ian McDonald surprised the crowd when he joined the band onstage and played the flute during the song. After that, the band slowed it down a bit with acoustic versions of two Alpha-era songs, "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes" and "Don't Cry". Business picked up with the Emerson Lake And Palmer instrumental "Fanfare For The Common Man". Although the song was to feature the talents of Carl Palmer, Geoff Downes' keyboard playing was quite prominent as well. Incorporated into this early 70s classic was an extremely powerful drum solo by Carl Palmer. Despite being nearly 60 years of age, Carl played this with such commanding force and presence ... many drummers a third of his age would be hard-pressed to match his unassailable quality and manner. He even added some tricks to his solo by balancing a drum stick on one of the cymbals. "Fanfare ..." could very well have received the loudest, most exuberant response and applause of the evening ... and this includes both Asia and Yes. The band carried on with fan-favorite "Soul Survivor" and ended their set with the popular hit single from 1982, "Heat Of The Moment". There was fantastic audience participation on "Heat Of The Moment". The crowd bid the band farewell as they left the stage. This was not the final goodbye to Steve Howe though as he would return moments later.
The band's setlist was as follows:
01. Wildest Dreams 02. Only Time Will Tell 03. An Extraordinary Life 04. Video Killed The Radio Star 05. In The Court Of The Crimson King 06. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes 07. Don’t Cry 08. Fanfare For The Common Man/Drum Solo 09. Soul Survivor 10. Heat Of The Moment
Asia's members: Geoff Downes: keyboards, vocals John Wetton: bass guitar, lead vocals Carl Palmer: drums Steve Howe: lead guitar, vocals
Photos of Asia's performance (all taken, cropped and uploaded by the author):
Check out Carl - pretty funny:
After a short break, Yes, with Steve Howe pulling double session, hit the stage (as a recorded version of Igor Stravinsky's "Firebird Suite" was piped into the venue), and opened with the intricate "Siberian Khatru" ... a song that achieves a rare feat combining very technical arrangements with the kind of melody and beat that can get a crowd to dance and party! The performance and ability of new vocalist Benoit David of this song assured me that this would be an excellent evening of Yes' music. "Siberian Khatru" was followed by "Your Move/I've Seen All Good People". Chris Squire was very conspicuous during this song - he really got into it with his plucking of the bass prior to the final round of choruses. Fantastic stage presence by Squire. Next up was a track from the Drama album, "Tempus Fugit" ... a song Chris Squire would usually play during his bass solos, the latter end/final few seconds with help from other band members in years past. Yes has not performed "Tempus Fugit" live since the year 1980. Oliver Wakeman provided the electronic "Yes Yes" vocal parts. Speaking of songs not performed in a long time, the fourth number of the night was "Astral Traveller". The band dusted this one off last year and prior to that, it has not been in a Yes setlist since 1971. The song included a rousing drum solo by Alan White who smacked the skins with vigor so much so that one cannot see the retirement of this seasoned performer anytime soon. A fine display of bright lights accompanied White during his solo. The band carried on with a delightful rendition of "And You And I" - David shined on this one. After that, Steve Howe sat in a chair for his guitar solo which included "Pyramidology", a song from his Natural Timbre CD released in 2001. When his solo was over, he introduced the song as "Pyramidology" and then said, "It's a song about Pyramids". Pretty funny. The chart topping hit single from Yes' LP 90125, "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" was next and this was the only time Jon Anderson's voice could be heard during the set as the band allowed samples of the song to be played. Squire's brief bass part/solo during the second verse was very pronounced and Howe played his own solo in place of Trevor Rabin's original composition. This was followed by "Machine Messiah" with its foreboding intro. This is as close to Heavy Metal as Yes gets! During the slow part of "Machine Messiah", smoke was pumped onto the stage adding ambiance to this musical epic. The crowd offered loud and enthusiastic praise when the Drama-era track was completed. Like all the other songs from the Drama album, this too has not been performed by Yes since 1980. The audience instantly recognized the very familiar beginning of the ninth track on the evening, "Roundabout". This one showcased the talents of all the members of the band especially Wakeman and Squire who pounded the bass with energy and showmanship. Yes closed their set with the powerful and varied "Heart Of The Sunrise". All of them left the stage only to return with an encore, the 38-year-old masterpiece, "Starship Trooper", a song I recall hearing from my siblings' rooms in my very early childhood. Wakeman's solo during "Starship Trooper" was really cool and David did a really good job with this final song of the evening.
Final assessment: The incorporation of the two Drama selections into the setlist was without question a real treat for hardcore Yes fans and historians. I was glad to hear them and yes, I have been waiting a long time to hear these. The Drama line-up was scheduled to tour in 2005, but ultimately could not due to a visa situation. I was surprised Geoff Downes did not join the band onstage for the songs considering he played on the Drama album. It was also odd to see Steve Howe introducing the songs he did not perform on in the studio (songs from albums he was not on). I tell ya what though - Steve Howe can play ... that's for sure. Oliver Wakeman's keyboards were turned down a bit much and he was in the dark for a good portion of the show, but when he could be seen or heard, he filled his father's place quite well. All in all, it was an incredible event and I am glad I went.
The setlist of the gig:
01. Siberian Khatru 02. Your Move/I’ve Seen All Good People 03. Tempus Fugit 04. Astral Traveller/Drum Solo 05. And You And I 06. Guitar Solo/Pyramidology 07. Owner Of A Lonely Heart 08. Machine Messiah 09. Roundabout 10. Heart Of The Sunrise ---------------------------- 11. Starship Trooper
Yes' members: Chris Squire: bass, vocals Steve Howe: lead guitar, vocals Alan White: drums Oliver Wakeman: keyboards, vocals Benoit David: lead vocals, tamborine, rhythm guitar
Photos of Yes' performance (all taken, cropped and uploaded by the author):
