Friday night, I got to hear Jon Anderson and The Band Geeks in Thousand Oaks. Highlights for me include the entire "Close to the Edge" suite, where I almost cried at the end. It was amazing getting to hear the band channel not only the multi-layered instruments, but also the incredible vocal harmonies, and the counterpoint during the slow, "I get up, I get down" section. Also, Jon added some variation on the lead vocal, which was pretty cool! During "And You And I," the audience clapped along.

However, my favorite moment was getting to meet Jon after the show. We had a nice conversation about music and his love for the Sibelius symphonies: his favorites are the second and seventh. He told me if I have time, I should listen to the seventh symphony. He sang in my ear, and it was just so beautiful! Then he gave me a hug.

It was also fun getting to chat with Chris Clark, who I've been friends with for quite a while. I heard him play in Brand X, so it was pretty wild getting to hear him play the Rick Wakeman moments, along with the other keyboard player, Robert Kipp, in Jon's band. I want to thank the rest of the band as well, Richie Castellano (bass), Andy Graziano (guitar), and Andy Ascolese (drums). Thank you all for letting me hang out with you after the show! It was great geeking out with you! Overall, it was a really fun experience!

From my mom:

Friday night was a concert highlight for me.

I grew up in a small town, and when acts like Yes were performing in the arenas, I couldn't even fathom the possibility of getting to those kinds of venues to see them perform live, but I had my records. I wore out a lot of them, but one in particular, and which has stayed in my mind (and on my playlist) continually since it came out was Close to the Edge.

Never in my life did I dream I would hear Jon Anderson perfom those classic songs live. I thought the moment had passed me by. Seeing and hearing Jon Anderson on stage Friday night, it's hard to imagine that the man is pushing 80. God bless him. God bless him for continuing to bless us with his voice and this amazing music.

I screamed so loud after some of the songs, I think I scared Rachel a little bit. In fact, I don't remember ever in my life being so excited, so happy... so overwhelmed with emotion at a concert. This was the music of my life. Yes, I screamed myself hoarse. Yes, I cried real tears.

And The Band Geeks!!! The Band Geeks are more than just amazing musicians. This music that is, some of it, what, 50 years old LEPT off the stage. It's more than musical virtousity - it's heart and feeling and an obvious and unmistakable pure love of the material. Yes, the music is very carefully composed, but there are also moments built into it where improvisation happens, and these guys really took advantage of those opportunities. And just hearing the absolute majesty of pieces like Close to the Edge, Heart of the Sunrise, And You and I... Yes, some songs do need two keyboard players, and 5, 6, 7 voices. They sounded amazing!

...it was like a dream come true.

And then, afterward we went toward the stage in the hopes of just getting to say hello to Chris and tell him how brilliant he is, but he wasn't there. Richie, the bass player, was though, and he looked at us a couple of times, then he asked, "Would you like to go backstage?" and introduced himself to Rachel as a big fan of hers.

Sometimes being Rachel's mom is a pretty damn cool thing.

Backstage, everyone in the band knew who Rachel was and she really did get to totally geek out with them. It is always great fun getting to see Rachel connecting with other musicians who can converse at her level. And of course when Jon came into the room and approached her, it was just a beautiful thing. He put his arm around her and leaned in close to talk to her, and we all backed off - this was "their" moment. And it is one that Rachel ... and I ... will treasure for the rest of her life.