In April 2005, invited by the Ministry of Culture, the Cuban Music Institute and the Swiss foundation, “Association Friends of Cuba” – Rock Keyboard legend Rick Wakeman travelled to Havana, to perform a series of concerts that will forever be recognised internationally as an enormous event for the Cuban people, and a historic moment marked by the importance of one of the first and largest official Rock concerts ever to be performed on the Island.
The trip was initiated by the Swiss-Cuban solidarity group which supports and sponsors a hospital in Havana specifically for children with cancer. With the intention of raising awareness for the charity Rick was happy to help in any way he could before continuing his tour to Mexico and Costa Rica.
This DVD captures the spectacular performances along with a documentary on this momentous event which will undoubtedly be worthy of an entry in the chronicles of rock music history.
“Made in Cuba”, the DVD will present Rick Wakeman with his band the English Rock Ensemble performing to a 5,000 capacity crowd live at the Karl Marx Theatre in Havana, Cuba.
Wakeman devoted most of the concert to classic tunes from the 1970s, including songs from his "The Six Wives of Henry VIII" (’73), "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" (’74) and “King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table” (75) albums, plus a recent stage favourite from the “Out There” album called “Cathedral of the Sky” and the YES classics “Starship Trooper” and “Wurm”.
A report by AP about the final concert said, “The crowd roared when he played ‘Arthur’ -- the theme song for a weekly cultural program on Cuban television titled, ‘History of Cinema.’”
Band Line Up:
Rick Wakeman – Keyboards
Ashley Holt – Vocals
Lee Pomeroy – Bass & Vocals
Dave Colquhoun – Guitar & Vocals
Ashley Soan - Drums
DVD Track List Include:
1) Journey to the Centre of the Earth
2) The Recollection/The Spaceman
3) Catherine Parr
4) The Visit/The Return of the Phantom
5) Jane Seymour
6) Shed Building
7) King Arthur
8) Cathedral of the Sky
9) Merlin the Magician
10) Starship Trooper/Wurm
Sound Options: Presented with a choice of Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS and Stereo sound options.
Special Features:
The Road to Cuba: A documentary capturing the behind the scenes action on Rick’s visit to Cuba
Photo Gallery: A huge collection of exclusive images from Cuba
http://www.rwcc.com/new.asp