The Daily Mining Gazette - Published: Friday, August 03, 2007 Print Article | Close Window Alan Parsons returns to Rozsa CAPTION: Gazette file photo Alan Parsons, seen here from his Feb. 2006 appearance, will be returning to the Tech Rozsa Center again this year. Tickets go on sale Monday. By SARA WAISANEN, DMG Writer HOUGHTON — Most of rock music’s legendary figures haven’t ever made it to the Keweenaw once. Fortunately, one of them is making a return trip. The Alan Parsons Live Project, led by famed musician, engineer and producer Alan Parsons, will reunite with the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra for two shows at Michigan Tech University’s Rozsa Center on Oct. 12 and 13. The group, including lead singer and Houghton native PJ Olsson, previously delivered a sellout concert at the Rozsa in February 2006. “This is a pretty exciting event,” Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra (KSO) and Michigan Tech Concert Choir Music Director Milton Olsson said. The event features a “full-blown rock and roll concert with a symphony orchestra,” Milton said. “It’s classic songs in a modern setting.” Parsons first gained attention for his engineering and production work, including the Beatles’ “Abbey Road,” and Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon.” In 1975, he formed the Alan Parsons Project, which featured a rotating cast of musicians with Parsons’ studio wizardry at the hub. Parsons will play many of that group’s classics, including “Games People Play,” “Eye in the Sky” and “Time,” as well as songs from his recent recording “A Valid Path,” according to a recent statement. Members of the APLP include lead singer/songwriter PJ Olsson, keyboardist Manny Focarazzo, guitarist Godfrey Townsend, drummer Steve Murphy and bassist John Montagna. The KSO will play orchestrations expressly written for Parsons by noted film composer Andrew Powell, Manny Focarazzo and Milton Olsson, according to a written statement. The 2006 concert was a huge success and Milton is looking forward to their next appearance. “I’ve had people say that was the most exciting show they’d seen anywhere,” he said. “It was a dynamite show.” The KSO enjoys accompanying Parsons’ rock and roll music, Milton said. For many of the college students that are members of the KSO, “it was the highlight of their college careers,” Milton said. “(They are) fabulous people and wonderful musicians,” he added. Milton’s son PJ grew up in Houghton and still lives in the area. He’s been singing with Parsons since mid-2003 and worked with Alan on their album, “A Valid Path.” The album earned PJ and Parsons a Grammy nomination in the Surround Sound category, Milton said. PJ has released four albums, including this year’s “Ironwood Sessions.” He has been featured in Newsweek, USA Today, Rolling Stone and has performed alongside Rufus Wainright, Beth Orton, Bob Singers, Train, Michelle Branch, The Flys, and many more, as well as performing on the Late Show with David Letterman, according to a written APLP profile. Tickets for the Alan Parsons Live Concert go on sale Monday. Tickets can be purchased online at tickets.mtu.edu, by calling the box office at 487-3200 or by visiting the box office. Prices are $40/$35 for the general public, and $25/$20 for students. The first three rows are $50. The show is sponsored by Michigan Tech’s Department of Visual and Performing Arts, Portage Health and Heartland Communications Group, Inc.