Richmond, VA – It is not too often legends come to Richmond. It is even less often when we discover that a legendary piece of rock has its roots in Richmond, VA. On the evening of March 24, 2026, keyboard legend Rick Wakeman, with his son Oliver Wakeman, brought the tunes and the stories to the National in Richmond, VA.
This was the second time I was able to catch Rick live. The man is a legend. This time around he introduced his legend in the making son, Oliver to us as well.
The night kicked off with a solo piece by Rick on the grand, “The Dance of a Thousand Lights“. This symphonic piece, adapted to the grand, had the crowd on the edge of their seats. What a powerful way to start! While it is true that Rick may not be able to move as nimbly as he could in his younger years, his fingers were up to the task of wowing us all!
We were then introduced to his son, Oliver. Like his father, he took to the grand and gave us a bit of his own work, a piece called “LJW“. Like father like son… indeed it was grand!
It was no surprise, as both had been keyboardists in the band, YES, that they would play a medly of various hits that they were part of. They named it, “Yes Suite (Awaken/And You and I/The Gift of Love/Wonderous Stories/Words on a Page/Roundabout)“. The fun part about this is, with Dad on keys and Oliver on Grand, they took turns playing that which they were part of. This was awesome!!
Going back to my youth, I did not learn of Rick’s talents through YES, I actually learned of him when I purchased his solo tape, Myths And Legends Of King Arthur And Knights Of The Round Table. I remember the awe at the story and the music. On this night, he and Oliver performed “The Last Battle / Merlin the Magician“. Leading into the medley, Rick and Oliver told a story of a druid event that took place north of Stonehenge several years ago. The leader had asked Oliver’s son if he would help passing out food. Afterwards, the leaders asked the child’s name and he proudly proclaimed, “Arthur”. The leader’s eyes lit up as he shouted, ‘I knew you would return!!’. There were a lot of wonderful stories!
After Rick made a comment regarding the aging effect on liquid biology, he left the stage for a bit while Oliver told the story and played his song, “November Wedding“. This was a song he did for his friend, fantasy writer and drummer, Rodney Matthews.
Rick returned much more relaxed. The next medley was a tribute to both Dave Cousins (Strawbs) and Rick’s father, another great pianist. The piece included “A Glimpse of Heaven / Sweet Georgia Brown“.
The next piece was quite unique to Richmond (I love stories) as this was his first big solo album and Richmond played a part in the making. The story was so much fun. You see, there was a time when people read these things called books. Rick was trying to think of a concept for his album and was struggling. He was in Richmond, and while flying out, purchased a book at the airport about King Henry VIII. As he was traveling, reading the book, the tale of each wife put a tune in his head. An album was born. “The Six Wives Suite”
To wind down the night, he and Oliver once again played a medley of an awesome story told on the keys. That story being Journey to the Center of the Earth. This was actually the first vinyl Rick I had ever purchased and still sits in my record collection. Again, a great story told in music.
Of course, there had to be a funny statement going into the encore. Rick asked what was the point of an encore… I mean they were just standing off the stage anyhow. It got a good laugh (as the standing O folks were taking a seat).
Check out “Life on Mars“!
They finished off the night with a David Bowie hit tribute that Rick had worked on, “Life on Mars” and “The Jig“.
One hour and 45 minutes had gone by so fast. It was hard to believe it was over so soon. Each time I get to see Rick, and now his son, perform, I am in awe. Rick’s music epitomizes the power of stories that can be told through music. Thank you Rick for your music and I look forward to hearing more from Oliver in the future!!
Rick and Oliver Wakeman Gallery
Oliver – Website l Facebook l Instagram l X l YouTube
Rick and Oliver Wakeman Setlist
The Dance of a Thousand Lights
LJW
Yes Suite (Awaken/And You and I/The Gift of Love/Wonderous Stories/Words on a Page/Roundabout)
The Last Battle / Merlin the Magician
November Wedding
A Glimpse of Heaven / Sweet Georgia Brown
The Six Wives Suite
Excerpts from Journey to the Centre of the Earth
Encore:
Life On Mars
The Jig
Show Date: March 24, 2026
