Rick Wakeman takes festive tour to Bexhill and Southampton

Among the dates for his Not Quite As Grumpy As Last Year tour will be Bexhill’s De La Warr Pavilion on Friday, December 3 and Southampton’s Central Hall on Saturday, December 11.

“I have missed it so much. I hated the uncertainty. I am somebody that is not good at not knowing what the future holds. I always like to know what I am aiming for. If I’m doing an album, I like to know the release date. I think it’s about having a reason to do what you are doing. I like deadlines. I’m good with deadlines. But it’s also I just love being on stage and meeting people. I am very much a people’s person and I think I always have been. But it was great to get out to America to do a dozen shows. I went out in October through to the beginning of November. It was difficult in some ways. The practical difficulty is that America is a bit of a mess. People think we’ve got it bad over here but it’s nothing compared to over there. Half the country thinks Covid is a hoax and the other half are absolutely paranoid and are convinced they’re going to die. The rules are very strict over there for concerts and I think that’s right. Quite a few bands have gone over there and someone has got Covid and everything has been cancelled so it’s good that the rules are strict. All the audiences have to be double jabbed and tested before they come. They have to wear a mask throughout. And we stayed in just four hotels and used them as hubs.