Van der Graaf Generator

Unlike most of their ’60s and ’70s contemporaries, the cult prog band Van der Graaf Generator evolved with integrity intact. Selling out was never in the cards for an idiosyncratic band forever below the radar of pop culture and beyond what came to be called alternative, even if their music is one of rock's ultimate alternatives. The county fair circuit was never an option for a band that played only once in the United States, a 1976 concert in New York, before abandoning all hope of cracking the American market. They were categorized in the '70s as progressive rock, surely the most fitting description, but made awkward company with the likes of Yes and ELP. So it’s big news that three decades later, Van der Graaf Generator has belatedly embarked on the group's historic first American tour, making this show a must-see for anyone with even a passing interest in prog-rock or experimental music.