GONG!!!
I know I haven’t made any posts about ProgStock for the past couple of years, relying instead on my programs and t-shirts and online reviews to preserve my memories of those festivals. But one week ago today, I witnessed a musical performance so singular in all my experience, there’s no way I can let it go without comment.
The ensemble in question goes by the name of Gong, and while that is a name I have heard many times over the years in Prog circles, I never really knew much about them. I gathered that they were legendary to some greater or lesser degree, and dated back to the 70s, where they earned a reputation as a premier psychedelic/space rock band. A quick glance at their Wikipedia page revealed not only a formidable discography that was hard to follow with so many branches and offshoots, but even different versions of the band operating under various names and with a small army of various players rotating in and out of Gong in its numerous permutations. The history became so tangled and far-reaching that I quickly concluded there would be no practical way for a neophyte such as myself to properly vet this band and familiarize myself with their catalog in time for ProgStock, so this was one of those occasions where I chose to go in cold and experience the performance with no expectations whatsoever.
Well, that’s not entirely true. Based on what I’d read, I knew to expect nothing that might be expected. Even so, I did not expect what I got.
Phideaux was the first opening performer on Sunday this year, playing just as a duo with his longtime keyboardist Mark Sherkus and celebrating the 20th anniversary of his second album “Ghost Story” (how appropriate for October!) by playing such gems as “Beyond the Shadow of Doubt” and “Come Out Tonight,” while others such as “Kiteman” and “Wily Creilly” took on new depth and resonance in these stripped-down versions. This mini-set was only half an hour or so, but stands as one of this year’s highlights for me. After Gong’s set I spotted Phideaux himself standing relatively by himself at one of the cocktail tables in the meet-and-greet area, and approached him for what would turn out to be the best batch of conversation I would have with him out of his three ProgStock appearances so far - another highlight of the weekend for me.
But back to Gong.
They hit the stage in most unexpected fashion - which is to say, they came out hard and powerful, rocking the house. I said to myself, “Oh, they’re a rock band after all. Wasn’t expecting that.”
Then, after about ten minutes and a couple of songs, they stopped being a rock band and became … something else.
I’m not sure what.
I would describe it, but I knew as I sat there watching them for the next hour-plus that I would never find words to describe what I beheld. It was music, of that I am fairly certain, but beyond that … At one point they played without break for a solid 25 or 30 minutes, and I had no idea if it was all one song, a medley of several songs, a tour de force of inspired improvisation, or some combination of the three. Much of it was instrumental, but much of it was not … and when there was singing, it wasn’t always singing so much as vocalization. And the energy - my fucking god, the energy. The drummer smashed out his frenetic single-stroke rhythms with unrelenting fervor, and for long stretches I could not tear my gaze away from him. The only comparable percussive display from previous ProgStocks that I can think of was when Rocket Scientists played their “Dark Water” medley/jam that went on for ten or fifteen minutes and I thought the drummer must keel over at any moment from sheer exhaustion. Well, this drummer topped that by pouring it on throughout most of the set, with only occasional breaks during the quieter passages. And when former Frank Zappa guitarist Mike Keneally joined them for a short jam, it only took what was already insane musical mayhem and bumped it up to the next level. It was the kind of transcendent, trance-like music that could very easily grow tedious, and yet it never once fell into the kind of tiresome noodling that I’d experienced with bands like Brand X or Rueter, Motzer & Grohowski. This music was transformative, grabbing the listener and pulling them in and taking them for the wildest ride of their musical life. I actually laughed out loud once or twice during their set, astounded by the sheer audacity of what was hitting my eyes and ears, and I’m not sure any other band has ever elicited such a response from me. It was precisely the kind of unexpected experience I go to ProgStock in hopes of finding, and something to treasure in all its amorphous grandeur.
I may write more of ProgStock 2024, but for now let me continue a tradition I started with my last ProgStock entries two years ago: a list of all my CDs acquired at this year’s festival:
1. “Chameleon” - Magenta
2. “The Twenty-Seven Club” - Magenta
3. “A Cell to Call Home” - Advent Horizon (Saturday’s first main band)
4. “C.O.R.E.” - Circuline (Saturday’s second main band)
5. “Unobtainium” - The Cyberiam
6. “Mannequin” - Kyros (Friday’s first main band)
7. “Celexa Dreams” - Kyros
8. “Impostor!” - Stratospheerius
9. “Empires Never Last” - Galahad
10. “Seas of Change” - Galahad
11. “Quiet Storms” - Galahad
12. “The Long Goodbye” - Galahad
13. “Spooky Action at a Distance” - Pattern-Seeking Animals
14. “The Story of I” - Patrick Moraz (the “I” in the title is actually a graphic symbol with no counterpart on any computer keyboard)
15. “Lifesigns” - Lifesigns (Sunday night’s festival closer)
16. “Cardington” - Lifesigns
17. “Audio Arcane” - Liquid 56 (a freebie from the guitarist of 3RDegree, from one of his side projects)
Not as many as I’ve bought some previous years, but still quite a decent haul. I’ve got hours of listening ahead of me!