On February 22 and 23 of this year, Rick Wakeman CBE and the English Rock Ensemble revisited his multi-platinum back catalog — solo and with his former band YES — with two sold-out concerts at the prestigious London Palladium. Their performances received such a rapturous response from audience and media alike that Rick has decided to take the show on the road, with “The Return Of The Caped Crusader…” tour of the U.K. in 2024.
The tour will start in Glasgow on February 15 and then visit Liverpool, Manchester, Brighton, Cardiff, Birmingham, York and Gateshead before concluding in Bristol on February 28. The two-part show will consist of Rick‘s new arrangements of classic YES material for band and vocalists, followed after the interval by his much-loved epic “Journey To The Centre Of The Earth”.
Rick will, of course, be playing the leading role on keyboards, while the English Rock Ensemble lineup will be the same as the Palladium shows: Dave Colquhoun (guitars and backing vocals),Adam Falkner (drums),Lee Pomeroy (bass and backing vocals),Hayley Sanderson (vocals) and Adam Wakeman (keyboard, guitars and backing vocals).
“I was amazed to discover that we could have sold the Palladium shows many times over and the clamor for extra shows by fans who missed out was overwhelming,” comments Rick. “Following the great reaction and reviews of the shows, I am really pleased that we can again perform the classic YES / ‘Journey To The Centre Of The Earth’ Palladium program. Who knows? If these are successful, maybe we can do the ‘Six Wives’ / ‘King Arthur’ show at a later date!”
Whether as a solo artist, with his own groundbreaking albums “The Six Wives Of Henry VIII”, “Journey To The Centre Of The Earth” and “The Myths And Legends Of King Arthur And The Knights Of The Round Table”, or as a band member of YES, helping to create the trailblazing records like “Fragile”, “Close To The Edge” and “Tales From Topographic Oceans”, Rick Wakeman holds legendary status in the history of progressive rock. Expect to hear classic rock brought bang up to date by Rick and the English Rock Ensemble, playing at the top of their game in a not-to-be-missed tour.
Tickets and VIP packages for “The Return Of The Caped Crusader…” tour 2024 go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 19.
2024 tour dates:
Feb. 15 – Glasgow, Scotland – Royal Concert Hall
Feb. 17 – Liverpool, England – Philharmonic
Feb. 18 – Manchester, England – Bridgewater Hall
Feb. 20 – Brighton, England – Dome
Feb. 21 – Cardiff, Wales – St David’s Hall
Feb. 23 – Birmingham, England – Symphony Hall
Feb. 24 – York, England – Barbican
Feb. 25 – Gateshead, England – Sage
Feb. 28 – Bristol, England – Beacon
Photo credit: Lee Wilkinson / Glass Onyon PR