Rick Wakeman and the English Rock Ensemble - Live from Buenos Aires (DVD + CD)

After 30 years as one of rock's greatest keyboardists, Rick Wakeman remains blazingly prodigious in this performance from September 2000. Recommended above other Wakeman DVDs, Live from Buenos Aires finds the synth wizard "in the zone" with his handpicked English Rock Ensemble, featuring Wakeman's son Adam (also on keyboards) and rock-solid drumming by longtime associate Tony Fernandez. Excerpts from "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" wisely eschew the storybook narration, focusing on the musical ambition of Wakeman's prog-rock opus. And while Damian Wilson's vocals are adequate (his version of Yes's "Starship Trooper" makes you yearn for Jon Anderson), Ant Glynne's fiery guitar is a fine match for Wakeman's warp-speed arpeggios. Unfortunately, the accompanying Official Bootleg CD is as bad as the DVD is good; it's an amateur one-mic recording from 1997, and the song listing is inaccurate. "1984" replaces "Robot Man/Paint It Black," Yes's "Wurm" is listed but not included, and Chrissie Hammond's exquisite vocals deserve a better showcase. The DVD's enjoyable interview clips offer modest compensation. --Jeff Shannon