The Alan Parsons Coincidence

The Alan Parsons Live Coincidence

February 2004 - driving north on interstate 43 in downtown Milwaukee. The sign read Alan Parsons Live Project. Too busy. Working for Citadel - really a crunch time right now. Too bad.

May 2004 - in Madrid to meet Jacob and Brita before their return to the US. We meet Kevin Houstoun and his very expectant wife Yolanda in a square. It is one of those Saints holidays that occur seemingly every other day in Madrid. Bonnie Tyler and Alan Parsons are giving a free concert in the square that night. We are sitting at a table in the square relaxing digesting a marvelous meal next to the stage. Up pulls a van - an enterouge gets out to check the equipment - it looks like Mr. Parsons himself. We go to the concert - Bonnie Tyler does a great set - the square is completely packed. Madeline, our daughter gets very tired from standing so long. Reluctantly, but empathetically agree, we will have to see Mr. Parsons another time - not tonight. Thinking to myself, that's not likely to happen any time soon - he was just in the US earlier in the year. He is not known for touring or live performances. That is okay - we were close to getting to see him and the entire Spain experience was marvelous. There would have been no way to feel good about keeping Madeline out any longer - she gave it all she had.

You know I never got to see Johnny Cash perform live. Small regret I guess. Johnny Cash is a meme now and is eternal - he can be conjured up with a push of a button.

Early 2006 - what is this? Alan Parsons is coming to our home town of Houghton, Michigan for a live performance? Houghton in the middle of winter? Okay - let's not over-analyze an obvious gift. Turns out a little digging reveals that P.J. Olsson is the lead singer for The Alan Parsons Live Project. P.J. is the son of the head of the music department at Michigan Tech, Milton Olsson. Turns out the three of them P.J. , Alan Parsons, and Milton conspire to have The Live Project come to Houghton during Winter Carnival for a residency as part of a tour de force for the new recording engineering degree at MTU. Milton sets off to orchestrate several of the Project's classic singles using what little archives are available. The Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra directed by Milton will be playing with the Live Project. One of the songs was never before performed live due to orchestration requirements.

Icing on the Cake of Life

We arrive for the concert. I need to pick up a compulsory concert tee-shirt of course - clutter boy. What is this? A video DVD of the Madrid concert is for sale. We will see the Madrid concert after all - a bit belatedly but from a far more comfortable venue - our living room in Houghton.

Sonia and I go to the concert - perfection in terms of the crowd, the energy, the music, seeing father, son, and friend and a star struck orchestra perform an incredible concert - bringing some extraordinary studio music to life.

Magic.