Baja Prog 2007 day 1

[progdirjim(Admin)]

Well do I feel stupid. On Wednsday night, the second slot was supposed to be Indukti; the second band was announced as Indukti; but in fact it was Fromuz who played. So I've updated the post to reflect that, and that certainly explains why there was no violin. Apparently one of the members had a visa issue that took a few extra days to resolve.

So last day, afternoon acts were La Perra, bass and drum duo - good, but felt more like a clinic or demonstration than music to me. Enjoyable for a little while, but left me a bit cold. Second band was (for real) Indukti. They have a heavy Tool like sound which I'm not a fan of, but if you're into hard rock/Tool, you'll really like them. They were tight and profesional, and had a bit more depth than Tool to my ears. Also, the violin, when featured more prominently, forced them to tone it down a bit and made for some enjoyable passages.

Night time show opened with Lazuli - wild instrumentation - two guitars, mallet perscussion, miscellaneous percussion, stick, and the Liode (or something like that) that was invented by the guy playing it. They had some interesting passages, especially when the mallet percussion was featured. But they suffered from a muddled sound - not sure if it was them or the sound board. Sound was pretty good for everyone else.

Next up was Balletto di Bronzo. Classic Italian keyboard/bass/drum trio. The keyboardist/vocalist and only original member was, shall we say, flamboyant. Wildly entertaining. Serious keyboards and vocals, mostly a heavier ELP sound. Pretty good stuff. They played their classic "Ys" album in it's entirety, which was a treat.

Final act, Focus. They were awesome. Thijs Van Leer is a big fellow, and his voice has lost some of its former range (which was absurdly wide when he was younger), but he still has it, and is quite the keyboardist and flautist. Original drummer Pierre Van Der Linden is back in the fold, and I've always liked his style - Jazzy and lots of classic rudiments, but well integrated into a rock style. New bassist is good. New guitarist had some pretty big shoes to fill in Jan Akkerman, and did a fantastic job. I'm not big on comparing players, but he was greatly talented, and his sound was a perfect mix of his own, but with references and homage to Akkerman. A pleasant surprise. They played some new stuff, and a good selection of older stuff including many of the Focus X pieces and Sylvia. A personal favorite was Eruption in it's entirety - the entire side 2 of the Moving Waves album. Hamburger Concerto would have been nice, but just not enough time.

(I missed ROSfest the year RPWL played there)

Whew! It's good to be home. 18 bands in 4 days,,,

Fantastic reviews Jim....made me feel I was there and you can't ask more from a review than that.

Maybe we can discuss that over a pint or ten later in the year.

Glad you had a great time and got home safe.

[Himbo]

I went to the Festival for the first time this year, coming from Northern California. The event was terrific from beginning to end - very, very well done by Alfonso Vidales! Not only was the Hotel Airiza festivities top-notch, the events were well-attended by the local citizenry. Mexicali's local Classic Rock station played progressive rock all week on the radio, and interviewed several of the headliners on the air!

Besides the headline acts, I thought Ritual was the best band. Judging by the enthusiastic ovations they got after each song, I think most of the crowd felt the same way. Their guitarist and singer - Patrik Lundstrom - was easily the strongest vocalist of the bands there. Great showmanship and sense of melody. He was mobbed by everyone when he and the band went in the hall after the show, and at the subsequent outdoor events.

Second best for me was Lazuli Their musicianship was outstanding, covering many unusual instruments, including the Leode which was created by it's player, Claude Leonetti. Very good stage presence by their vocalist Dominique Leonetti (brothers?)

For me, best of the rest would be Cast, RPWL and Satellite. And I can't leave out the guy who locked himself in the handicapped stall in the Men's room each nite at the Theatre and entertained us with his percussion and vocalizing. He even held a light show with a flashlight! Strange but hilarious - talk about your captive audience!

[VAXman(Admin)]

Originally Posted by progdirjim

(I missed ROSfest the year RPWL played there)

Which is what got me there in the first place.

Originally Posted by progdirjim

Whew! It's good to be home. 18 bands in 4 days,,,

Did you go to the after bash at Alfonzo's villa?