Procol Harum at Mote Park, Maidstone, UK, 24 July 2016

Ramblin' Man Prog Stage review from Wrinkly Rockers' Club

Sunday 24 July 2016

... So with the sun beginning to set and the need for more alcohol, the Wrinkly Rockers’ Club group decision was made to trek up to the Prog Stage area for the final time and from the safety of the Beer Tent observe the first part of Prog veterans Procul [sic] Harum's headline set.. All the trademark features you would expect from Procol are present: the double keyboards with the delicious interplay between Hammond organ and piano, the steady authoritative bass lines, the majestic tunes and, of course, Gary Brooker’s commanding vocals. If some Rock vocalists make life hard for themselves by adopting a vocal delivery in their early 20s that gets more and more difficult to pull off as they hit their 70s, then Gary Brooker chose wisely. Brooker’s cool and melancholic vocals are as strong tonight as they were in 1967, when the band first hit the charts with A Whiter Shade of Pale.

While I love the unique sound of Procol Harum I must confess to only [sic] never ever having owned a Procol Harum album ! So after taking us on a stunning journey as dusk arrived through the likes of  opener Shine on Brightly [sic], Pandora's  Box,  Conquistador, A Salty Dog and Homburg there was just one song left. Finally the band hit on the familiar chords of A Whiter Shade of Pale, one of the most recognisable, most majestic and surely one of the most beautiful songs of the late 60s. A powerful end to a magnificent performance. For me they must now rank alongside Pink Floyd in the great British Progressive Rock pantheon. And at the end of day two of the festival just the perfect band to chill out (and drink to!) So good that we stayed longer than we intended to ... (well I was only going to stay for thirty minutes!).

Read the whole review here

Procol dates in 2016 | Setlist