{"id":13968,"date":"2016-12-11T17:16:25","date_gmt":"2016-12-11T23:16:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/?p=13968"},"modified":"2016-12-12T00:45:03","modified_gmt":"2016-12-12T06:45:03","slug":"supertramps-roger-hodgson-gives-far-little-bit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/?p=13968","title":{"rendered":"Supertramp\u2019s Roger Hodgson Gives Far More than a Little Bit"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Lonn M. Friend<\/p>\n

Arcada Theater, St. Charles, Illinois (Final stop on the near completely sold out, North America Tour 2016)<\/p>\n

Swiss philosopher Carl Jung coined the term, synchronicity<\/em> to describe a \u2018confluence of events,\u2019 or ineffable alignment where coincidence is dismissed and all things appear connected. The Universe, at least for an instant, makes perfect, poetic sense. It\u2019s a matter of personal perspective. What you see is what you get. When I get to see a performer that jettisons me back to my youth aboard a cosmic carpet of classic songs forever woven into my subconscious, I get aligned and all is well with the cosmos.<\/p>\n

\"roger-hodgson-at-arcada-theatre-st-charles-il-12-08-16-1\"<\/p>\n

On December 8, 2016, Roger Hodgson, founding member of the storied \u201870s progressive hit making British supergroup, Supertramp, got on stage at the ancient and precious Arcada Theater in St. Charles, Illinois and for two hours, made the insane outside world evaporate and the audience inside, one. \u00a0John Lennon\u2019s voice was silenced on this night 36 years ago and Greg Lake \u2013 the velvet piped vocalist of King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer \u2013 had passed away a few hours ago. \"arcada-front\"The emotional chi in the room was palpable. We all felt it because we\u2019re rock fans, united by kindred generation, concert goers, old stoners, lovers and loners, devoted for decades to the divine directives of the gifted storytellers that not just informed but gave meaning and essence to our entire adolescence.<\/p>\n

The lights dim as theater owner and affable emcee, Ron \u201che\u2019s one of us\u201d Onesti, enthusiastically introduces our heroic headliner and his band of merry minstrels. The second his digits commence their ivory dance into an opening riff as familiar as our own heartbeats, we escape our midlives, cast asunder aches, pains, fears and inhibitions and join Sir Roger in song. \u201cSo you think you\u2019re a Romeo\/Playing a part in a picture show\/Take the long way home\/Take the long way home.\u201d Thousands of miles from my angel city birthplace and the neon desert where I currently reside, I know that here, now, in this snow covered sanctuary of soul and sound, I am\u2026home.<\/p>\n

Roger Hodgson, Rick Davies, John Helliwell, Dougie Thompson and Bob Siebenberg arrived on my vinyl doorstep shortly after my 18th<\/sup> birthday in 1974 via the mind-warping LP, Crime of the Century<\/em>. \"crime-of-the-century-4ee32c331def1\"Local alt rock radio station, KROQ, was spinning the infectious, \u201cDreamer\u201d and \u201cBloody Well Right,\u201d but it was the seven-minute existential opus, \u201cHide in Your Shell,\u201d that hit me in the solar plexus and sent me on a bee-line to my local record shop, Moby Disc. It spoke to me then and still does today.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was 23 when I wrote that song,\u201d recalled Hodgson in the 2014 remaster liner notes. \u201cConfused about life and like a lot of people are at that age, trying to hide my insecurities. I\u2019ve always been able to express my innermost feelings more openly in song and \u2018Hide in Your Shell\u2019 came to me at a time when I was feeling very lonely \u2013 lonely both in life and within the band \u2013 with no one who shared my spiritual quest.\u201d \"roger-hodgson-at-arcada-theatre-st-charles-il-12-08-16-10\"Bulls eye. No wonder my eyes were glassing over as he passionately delivered the soaring final verses. \u201cCan\u2019t you hear what I\u2019m saying? I\u2019m hoping I\u2019m pleading I\u2019m praying.\u201d Church, Temple, Mosque \u2013 don\u2019t matter. We\u2019re in this congregation together, getting animated, roaring the words that we\u2019d repeated hundreds of times either while driving around town with the windows down or in a concert hall on the outskirts of Chicago where both my parents were born. Impervious to shame or judgment, mindlessly and magnificently out of tune, we collectively croon, damn near cracking the theater\u2019s near hundred-year old ceiling.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour passion is amazing,\u201d comments the silver-topped fellow sitting next to me. \u201cI\u2019m a Supertramp fan since the beginning but you know every word. I really appreciate that.\u201d He apologizes for getting up to take a leak three or four times, fallout from being a prostate cancer survivor. \u201cCaught it early, I was lucky. Music helped me heal. Especially Supertramp. Those albums never get old and still sound amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"roger-hodgson-at-arcada-theatre-st-charles-il-12-08-16-20\"<\/p>\n

Back in the late \u201880s when I was editing RIP magazine and helping chronicle the ascension of Guns N\u2019 Roses, Slash called my office. With his initial Appetite for Destruction<\/em> royalties, he\u2019d purchased a house in the Laurel Canyon area of L.A. And, as I would see and hear for myself, a brand new state of the art stereo. \u201cDude, you gotta come up and check out my system,\u201d he said. An hour later, I entered the pad as my guitar wielding friend was laying a platter down on his freshly unboxed turntable. I caught instant sight of the LP jacket on the floor. Crime of the Century<\/em>. \u201cIt\u2019s the best sounding record I own!\u201d he smiled.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis one I wrote on a pump organ when I was 19; it just fell out of me,\u201d Roger cajoles the captivated crowd before waltzing effortlessly into the title track from the group\u2019s landmark 1979 LP, Breakfast in America, <\/em>which like 1975\u2019s Crisis? What Crisis <\/em>and 1977\u2019s Even in the Quietest Moments<\/em>, \"roger-hodgson-at-arcada-theatre-st-charles-il-12-08-16-39\"I bought the day they were released, wearing the grooves off in joyful worship of each masterpiece. The set continues with, \u201cLady,\u201d the aforementioned, \u201cHide in Your Shell,\u201d the 2000 solo gem, \u201cAlong Came Mary,\u201d \u201cSoapbox Opera,\u201d \u201cEasy Does It\u201d (accompanied by a thousand pair of whistling tonsils). The uplifting, \u201cSister Moonshine,\u201d and the inspiring, \u201cLogical Song.\u201d This is\u00a0the point in the proceedings where I realized that no Super-stone would be left unturned. Our venerable host was going to mine his deep vault of timeless tuneage and give us what we were hoping for and desperately in need of \u2013 remembrance and escape.<\/p>\n

Moving from the electric to the grand piano for what he referred to simply as a prayer, it gets pin drop quiet for, \u201cLord is it mine?\u201d Peppering the Tramp fest with a second offering from 2000\u2019s Open the Door<\/em>, \u201cDeath & a Zoo,\u201d before a monster stride that features, \u201cIf Everyone Was Listening,\u201d \u201cEven in the Quietest Moments,\u201d \u201cChild of Vision,\u201d \u201cDreamer\u201d and the orchestral mind blow, \u201cFool\u2019s Overture.\u201d As my ears detect the brief sample chorus of \u201cJerusalem\u201d \u2013 the unofficial anthem of England penned by 18th<\/sup> century poet, William Blake \u2013 my strange synchronous rock psyche recalls the ELP version from Brain Salad Surgery, <\/em>another prog classic released the same year as Crime<\/em>. I\u2019m transported back to the rafters at the Long Beach Arena, senior year of high school, mesmerized by Keith\u2019s keyboard wizardry, Carl\u2019s spinning drum kit and Greg\u2019s mellifluous vocals. Flashbacks and shell cracks, where am I? Who am I? I\u2019m a galactic pilgrim, moving through the ether on an interdimensional craft molded from the melted shards of melody and memory. Can I put my hand in my head? Oh yeah!<\/p>\n

The set concludes with 1984\u2019s arousing, \u201cHad a Dream,\u201d and the ubiquitous, heart-anthem, \u201cGive a Little Bit,\u201d where I spontaneously grab a perfect stranger in the rear lobby and start dancing. \u201cDon\u2019t you need, don\u2019t you need, don\u2019t you need to feel at home?\u201d The answer is yes, and thanks to Roger Hodgson and the outstanding fans of St. Charles, I do.<\/p>\n

\"roger-hodgson-at-arcada-theatre-st-charles-il-12-08-16-23\"<\/p>\n

The Arcada crowd empties out into the snow flurried darkness as two dozen VIPs receive their handshake and photo with the man that\u2019s just enchanted them, I approach the 66-year-old enlightened troubadour, handing him a copy of my second memoir, Sweet Demotion: How an Almost Famous Rock Journalist Lost Everything and Found Himself (Almost), <\/em>bearing the inscription, \u201cRoger \u2013 My Shell (slightly cracked). Peace, xx, Lonn.\u201d I mention that there are several substantial Supertramp passages in chapter 21 where I recount my visits to the Hollywood recording studio where Breakfast in America<\/em> was mixed and fumble a comment about visionary producer Ken Scott (the George Martin of Supertramp), who now lives in the San Fernando Valley where I grew up.<\/p>\n

I was on assignment to compose a bio for the All-American Rejects record, When the World Comes Down. <\/em>\u201cI meditated in that room while lead singer, Tyson Ritter prepared to lay down a vocal track.\u201d As I spoke, Roger\u2019s attention never varied. I felt an immediate and genuine sense of communion, which emboldened the exchange. \u201cThe chemistry with Rick Davies was historic and rare,\u201d I offered. \u201cFour perfect albums. That kind of yin yang creative relationship is always impossible to maintain. Ten years was remarkable.\u201d<\/p>\n

His smile was disarming and transparent. \u201cIt couldn\u2019t last too long, right?\u201d he said. \u201cNo,\u201d I responded. \u201cHis shadow and your light manifested those magnificent songs. Much as I would have loved to see the original band on stage again, I never really believed there would be a reunion.\u201d We chatted a bit\"roger-hodgson-at-arcada-theatre-st-charles-il-12-08-16-1\" about these terrifying, crazy times – from Brexit to the billionaire heading for the White House. \u201cIt\u2019s going to get a lot worse, I fear,\u201d he sighed. \u201cAlways darkest before the dawn, eh?\u201d I mused. \u201cYes, indeed,\u201d agreed the artist that had spent a lifetime helping people discover their own inner light through his awakened and evolving musical expression.<\/p>\n

I told Roger that I saw both the Crime<\/em> and Crisis <\/em>tours at the Santa Monica Civic auditorium as well as the Breakfast <\/em>arena performance at the L.A. Forum. The handshake goodbye turned into a hug and he left the room caressing my book in his right hand as another verse sparked to mind from a personal favorite that was not in tonight\u2019s repertoire (probably because it\u2019s more a Davies composition). \u201cGoodbye Stanger, it\u2019s been nice, hope you find your paradise.\u201d Wonder if he knows this stranger named Friend is still looking but that the last couple hours came pretty damn close.<\/p>\n

As we exit the grande olde<\/em> hall, Ron grabs a Cub blue Arcada cap from the swag shop and plants it on my head. \u201cYou\u2019re welcome here anytime, man,\u201d he beams. It\u2019s heartening to find a great rock venue actually run by a great rock fan that loves his gig, his building and his patrons as much as he does the music.<\/p>\n

\"img_3829\"<\/p>\n

As I jump into the passenger seat of big Jim\u2019s SUV \u2013 my generous host and editor of the website where this piece is featured – he flicks on 93 XRT, one of the coolest most adventuresome FM stations in the country. \u201cL.A. Woman\u201d by my hometown Doors is playing, a Jungian exclamation point to the transcendent night. December 8th<\/sup> is not just the day John Lennon, Dimebag Darrell, Razzle Dingley and Greg Lake died, it\u2019s also Jim Morrison\u2019s birthday. The Doors took their name from the William Blake verse, \u201cIf the doors of perception<\/strong> were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, Infinite.\u201d Forever connecting dots on my long way home.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For more on Roger Hodgson, including upcoming tour dates, click here<\/a><\/p>\n

For photo gallery from the Roger Hodgson show at Arcada Theatre, click here<\/a><\/p>\n

Setlist for Roger Hodgson, St. Charles, IL 12-08-16<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Take The Long Way Home<\/li>\n
  2. School<\/li>\n
  3. Breakfast in America<\/li>\n
  4. Lady<\/li>\n
  5. Hide in Your Shell<\/li>\n
  6. Along Came Mary<\/li>\n
  7. Soapbox Opera<\/li>\n
  8. Easy Does It – Sister Moonshine<\/li>\n
  9. The Logical Song<\/li>\n
  10. Lord is it Mine<\/li>\n
  11. Death & a Zoo<\/li>\n
  12. If Everyone Was Listening<\/li>\n
  13. Quietest Moments<\/li>\n
  14. Child of Vision<\/li>\n
  15. Dreamer<\/li>\n
  16. Fool’s Overture<\/li>\n
  17. Had a Dream<\/li>\n
  18. Give \u00a0Little Bit<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    By Lonn M. Friend Arcada Theater, St. Charles, Illinois (Final stop on the near completely sold out, North America Tour 2016) Swiss philosopher Carl Jung coined the term, synchronicity to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":13942,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,41,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music-news","category-features","category-reviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13968","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13968"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13968\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13942"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}