JR 2004 - Solo Improvisation with a twist?

[wasteland]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KQzS1FEp4RM

So, I casually ran into this exceedingly rare audience video of what admittedly is the first solo performance in Italy by JR. The date is not made explicit, but I believe it dates back to July 2004 for a number of reasons (no facial hair + Kurzweil + actually being in Italy for a three-date only minitour in that month).

Anyway, this beautiful improvisation is dedicated by Jordan to his family, who was in attendance that night, and it features a very strange musical occurrence: at one point (somewhere after the 5:00 mark) the improvisation begins to mirror a number of chord progressions from the guitar solo in The Best Of Times (which was written in late 2008 / early 2009).

Now, I must admit I am a complete layman in music theory, and being able to understand what a chord is probably the most advanced theoretical notion I have. So, this could all be very well a (quite impressive nevertheless) case of pareidolia. If that's the case, music scholars, enlighten me!

If indeed the similarity is legitimately remarkable, well, it might be worth a thread

[The Letter M]

That's pretty incredible! I'm glad someone was around to capture this event.

As for the music itself, it does bear a striking resemblance to "The Best Of Times", but I think those chord progressions are a bit common, but it doesn't negate the possibility that JR had this music set aside and brought it up later on during the writing of BC&SL.

If we still got "Making Of" or "Demo" releases from YtseJamRecords, I wonder if BC&SL's Demos would've mentioned this in the liner notes? Perhaps someone who can contact JR himself can forward this video to him and ask if it was inspiration for TBOT?

-Marc.

[Xenon]

I just wanted to say that Jordan is such a nice authentic guy 
And this a beautiful piece.

BTW it is a common chord progression.

[hefdaddy42]

BTW it is a common chord progression.

This.

Still, that's a neat find.

[BlobVanDam]

Good observation, wasteland. I think it's possible JR recalled that same progression subconsciously, or maybe even JP if he wrote it for TBOT, or maybe it is just coincidence.
There were several years inbetween the two uses, so I don't think the keyboard solo backing track was actively on anyone's mind when they were writing TBOT.

[Onno]

Nice find Marco!

[mikeyd23]

Really cool video, thanks for sharing!

It is a common progression, but you never know.  JR may have brought it to the table when the band was writing BC&SL because he had it sitting around all those years and was looking to do something with it, or it could have just come out of him during those writing sessions and he may not have realized the connection.

Regardless, that video was very enjoyable to watch either way!

[theseoafs]

As others have said, it's an extraordinarily common chord progression -- just the circle of fifths.  I think I Will Survive has a very similar progression but transposed, for example.