Procol Harum at Clearwater, USA

Jim Stratico reports • 29 July 2012

Having played the prior two nights in outdoor amphitheatres with temps and humidity in  the 90's, I'm sure Procol welcomed this air conditioned indoor venue.

Ruth Eckerd Hall is billed as one of the top five venues in the US and it did not disappoint. It was a packed house with close to 2,200 folks, again mostly YES fans (their tee-shirted fans outnumbered Procol's by at least twenty to one).

Sound was awesome, no better place to hear Procol.

Gary at his best again vocally. He sported a suit jacket this time, fitting in with the classical elegance of Ruth Eckerd Hall (bring back the tails and grand piano!).

Two "signers" were present throughout the evening for the hard of hearing. Watching them rock it out with sign language on Simple Sister was a treat in itself. So much so that Geoff insisted they join the band for the band's final bow.

The audience was again very extremely appreciative of their performance, with the applause growing louder and louder as the night progressed. (In contrast, it seemed just the opposite for YES). 

Gary feigned leaving the stage after AWSoP, but Geoff called him back for Conquistador, creating the illusion that it was a real encore.

It is just great to see Procol getting such a positive reception, at least for the two shows I've seen. Significantly better reception than the shows in 2010 with Jethro Tull.

In that respect, touring with YES seems to have been a wise choice afterall.

Procol dates in 2012