Only a drummer who grew up with this music understands how absolutely difficult this tune is to play on drums. The rhythm is a cross between a fast bop and a bolero and rock n roll. I am embarrassed to say how long it took me to learn it and get it to the right tempo. This guy Chad Wackerman is KILLING it. Thanks for the very rare post.

Speaking of killing it, I think what Alan Pasqua does here is absolutely some of the finest keyboard playing I've ever heard. I'm a professional keyboardist, and I really want to give total respect to this great great great musician. You can see how much Holdsworth loves him too

fred is such an easy song. that's why we love it. when i saw allan play it in LA in 2010, i was five feet away from him. He was clearly distracted and still angry at the drummer for being an hour late, without a phone call. SO Allan was completely LOST during the solo, it was obvious.At the end of his solo, he looked at me and said "sorry'. lol! afterward, i talked to allan for several minutes, as was usual, but when i greeted the drummer, who was an hour late, i said 'hi, nice to meet you, nice of you to show up' and he retracted his hand before i shook it! hah!~

Chad is a hell of a drummer

I engineered this show - can't wait for his return gigs here in SF !!

I can't believe how Chad Wackerman can play such a technical piece with such a straight face. He's really one of the best in the world!

Tony would be happy to see this

Chads drumming is just on another level. This groove is so difficult to play and he just does it with ease. What a performance!!!!

I Been a Wackerman fan since the Road Games E.P.... I am jealous (In the best way) of his stick control

I had the great honor of seeing these guys 11 years ago at the queen elizabeth hall in London, everyone on the stage was on fire but Allan Holdsworth to me was the standout musician that night, from his playing to the way he executes his jaw dropping solos was nothing short of awe inspiring, i thought to myself this guy isn't human, he must be from another planet. Bassist Jimmy Haslip and drummer Chad Wackerman were a true powerhouse rhythm section and Alan Pasqua sounded fantastic, what an unbelieveable band & one of the best concerts i've ever been to.

Great song,Great band. Tony RIP. Chad does a great job on Tony's work.

Love the way Chad plays, really plays the drums👍

Alan Pasqua's solo is overwhelming...definitive, I'd say...

Holdsworth is unstoppable!!!

Outstanding players. Had to bring out my 2 Lifetime albums.. yes vinyl.

Such fluidity with his drumming 👏

Unbelievable from top to bottom.

Happened to catch this at Yoshis during this run with a guitar friend who had never seen a fusion guitarist. I think he'll never be the same again. And Chad Wackerman is the real deal and a great guy as well.

Una joya del jazz fusion y del supergrupo, the new tony williams life time, alan pasqua y allan holdsworth uno de los mejores guitarristas de fusion de la historia... Y de los mas solicitados.... Un buen tributo a un baterista insuperable como fue tony williams y este hermoso tema Fred, que fue uno de los que me inicio e n mi pasion por el jazz en mi infancia. Recomiendo el album que incluye este tema, que se llama Believe it, de the new tony williams life time.

Tony isn't there but the sound is still good. Chad is a great drummer. Not easy filling Tony's shoes...

That keyboard sound is very “Hatfield And The North”!

Absolutely amazing playing from everyone.

Epic Performance rest in peace Allan Holdsworth your incredible music inspires and lives on 😁

R.I.P. maestro.

I have seen them in the new-morning in Paris that year, and had the chance to talk a little with Alan, sharing a beer and a cigarette, what a joy I had when he asked me for one.

A Great Tribute .

I saw Allan with what might've been this same lineup on February 2, 2010 at Sculler's in Boston, where I got him to pose for a picture with me and also sign my Tony Williams Lifetime "Believe It" album. What memories, and how time flies, and how great people disappear from our lives. RIP Tony and Allan.

Incredible

Great performance I think Tony would be proud they did Fred justice Loved Lifetime first heard Tony with Stanley Clarke, Jan Hammer, Bill Connors did not hear lifetime till late seventies

I saw these guys do this live in about '04 at the IMAC in Huntington NY. Alan had hand cramps. I was ten feet from him. It didn't matter they were phenomenal.

Tony freaking ripped. One of the best drum grooves ever. I can listen to Tony's Fred on loop all day. Love Tony, Wackerman, Bozzio, Lenny White, Vinny, Gadd, Cobham, and others but Tony was one of a kind and taken from us too early. I respect all musicians but when you hear today's kids saying "Lars Ulrich is the best, John Bonham is the best, etc it's like....please." Sad state of affairs is today music. I grew up in the 90's and 200's as a teen and 20 something now Im an old fart (not in the grand scheme of things). Grew up listening to Zeppelin, the Doors, etc but also listened to pop music, fusion, jazz, electronic, reggae, etc. At least bands used to be on the charts instead of only rap, bubble gum pop, etc All of it is mass produced synthetic corporate dross. Such a shame. I'm all for a catchy hook and the feelings a song can evoke, etc but man, where has the musicianship and appreciation for musical virtuosity gone? Listen to Holdsworth. The man is a genius. If any of never heard it before, I highly recommend Jonas Hellborg's "The Word." If you can find it, it is a masterpiece. It is Jonas on bass, of course, with Tony on drums and varius strings. It is eerie, atmospheric, surreal, and amazing. The song Miklagaard is one of Tony's coolest drumming pieces. Sounds simple but it is so textured, and just masterful.

Chad survived the incredibly difficult Zappa audition scourge, eloquent testimony to Mr W's virtuosity. Interestingly, FZ, not one loose in his praise for contemporary musicians, stated publicly the Allan Holsworth was one of his favorite guitarists.

great band.Top muzyka ,grana przez wybitnych muzyków .Jaka lekkość, jaki feeling.Allan ,będzie nam Cię bardzo brakować. Wielkie GRANIE. Dzięki za Wszystkie piękne nuty!Twój do zgony fan!

Chad is flat out amazing Matt.

I live in the Bay Area. I remember when Tony passed from complications of gall bladder surgery. He lived in Daly City. Right next to S. F. The S. F. Chronicle included a two sentence obit that I missed. My friend told me about his passing and how it was an afterthought. I literally went into my recycle bin and found the 2 sentence obit from the S.F. Chronicle on the, arguably, greatest drummer of all time. I think Chad holds a candle. I know I do.

Tony's band with the 2 Alans and the other Tony is one of my favorites. Saw them in San Francisco. Talked to Holdsworth a bit. Super nice guy, a real gentleman. I agree with Mr. Behrens about Wackerman vs. Williams. Wackerman is an amazing drummer but Tony was not a drummer as much as a force of nature. A friend of mine was playing bass with Tony after the Holdsworth/Pasqua band and he got me into a number of shows. Watching Tony play live was kind of like being dropped into an electrical storm/hurricane. Saw them play a last minute gig one night in a club with about 10 people in the audience. One of Tony's best performances. Swiss triplets became lightning and thunderbolts. Tony WAS human, some shows better than others. But when he was ON, better get to the storm shelter, you're in a category 5.

great band.Top muzyka ,grana przez wybitnych muzyków .Jaka lekkość, jaki feeling.Allan ,będzie nam Cię bardzo brakować. Wielkie GRANIE. Dzięki za Wszystkie piękne nuty!Twój dozgonny fan!

Thnx for posting this. One of my favorite live Holdsworth solos I've found so far, + nice piece of music and great drummer/band.

.... damn, what a supertight performance !!

adoro questo brano e adoro questi meravigliosi musicisti...

Sublime

Jimmy Haslip was sick!

Monsters!! What a beautiful !! Cgrats from Brazill

Why is anyone else allowed to play guitar other than Allan?

Chad is more accurately and holding back, than Ronald Brunner and Virgil Donati! They play more of competition-style. Thanks Chad for your interpretations..

RIP Allan :(

Amazing, jazz as it should be imo. In the early 90's, I went to Andy Summers condo in Venice, Ca, to record some tracks for an Amnesty Internation play we were making. this was during Andy's Charming Snakes tour and Chad had his DW kit set up in the corner, never met him, but always admired his playing.

History.

RIP. Legend.

my favorite love song - can't get enough of this one - brilliant!

Great version, thanks!!!

WOW

ohhh man! this is just over the top!

How can anyone down vote this ???

Allan, Chad, and Mr. Tibbs came to the Van Dyck in Schenectady last night as a trio and did this one as well as many from Metal Fatigue, IOU, and Road Games. It was an incredible show and Chad was particularly mind-bending. It would have been nice to have Alan Pasqua along for the ride, but they did a hell of a job without him.

Sublime!

Thanks, I'm keeping an eye on his website for this.

I saw an interview with Chad Wackerman after the death of Allan Holdsworth, Chad said of Allan: “He didn’t strum the guitar” 😅

The Whackermost!

Sorry about the aspect ratio being all messed up but it was fine when I uploaded and has been fine for ages.Now it's all weird and can't be adjusted. Sorry but beyond my control. You Tube have been messing with the pages lately.

I love this version along with the one on "Blues For Tony"

Allan is oone of my early days influence, I find myself finding scales and harmonies nowadays in a similar to his way.

One of my favorite tunes since I bought the album around the mid 70's.... Before Allan Holdsworth joined UK... still a master piece.... Looking for the chord changes,.. anyone,.. ?

Too bad the video aspect ratio is messed up, but great audio, thanks for posting. BTW, if you can actually sit at your keyboard and use the word "terrible" to describe Chad's drumming here, you are apparently deaf.

One of my fav 5 solos (original w/ Tony Williams)

It's a good interpretation, albeit a tiny bit slow. Wackerman's good, and that part is much harder than it looks, but he keeps the feel really well. Still-- it's impossible to truly replicate that original Tony Williams feel-- light and fast, with moments of intensity and constant color... oh yeah, and the straight 8th notes with the left foot throughout the entire solo section. Truly one of a kind. RIP Tony.

This is what happens when you put four masters of their craft in the same band.

Sounds like I am in my Gran Turismo Garage

I find myself here again, commenting again. Did anyone else notice that as they wound that tune down, their synchronization was perfect despite not even looking at each other? Like a Vulcan mind meld. Start around 8:12 ish.

He's a bad ass!!

Will go down as one of the best guitar solos of all time. Maybe the best. Chad is an amazing drummer. He needn't take a back seat to Tony because he knew. Everyone takes a back seat to Tony.

yes

liked Jimmy Haslip and Dave Carpenter the best....and Gary Novak.... and of course Chad and Gary.... all good line ups, Johnson, Tibbs.... keyboards/singers when Allan had them....

Holdsworth's tone sounds like a baby dinosaur

1:48 Weather Report's Teen Town quote?

Tony would be proud..

Listen to the original and listen to Tony's _musicianship_ and _lyrical skills_ as a _percussionist_. There's simply no comparison.

no apologies required.

Allan's coming to the UK in 2013 apparently

No one comes close.

difícil de ver algo mejor en el mundo

you bet, Bob

Are those hats 12"? They sound great

Ha wackerman didn't even TRY the roll at the end!

@77syzygy amazing XD! this song for me, is fucking hard on drums!!!!

is jimmy's bass stringed up-side-down?

I disagree conservaslayer...please check out more chad wackerman's performances to get a right opinion about him. He's just a top drummer.

5:17

6:23 Easy to miss how fast Allan is actually playing. Shawn Lane level. Only for a few seconds - enough - and seamlessly integrated into his solo. Of course, fast isn't the point, but it's an important part of his sound. I really hope that I hear someone who is as talented and accomplished as he was before I die. Bonus points if they are as humble as Allan was. Statistically speaking I have 18 more years, so please, whoever you are, hurry up. :)

huh?

whah?

needs to be faster !!!! lol

I like Chad Wackerman's _drumming_ [it's OK], but he's not anywhere in the same league as _percussionist_ Tony Williams was. If you cannot understand this distinction, I cannot help you any further.

Tony was Tony, and incredible drummer as well as musician, Chad is an excellent drummer as well as musician¡¡ So why are you compare them? Maybe you are not a musician at all¡¡

Nice but it's missing the Funk!

positively not.

Not crazy about Chad’s drum take vs the original - foot work not as interesting and kind of vanilla

Tony is a legend for but Chad Wackerman got more technicality skills than Tony Williams

Camera crew has attention deficit disorder.