Rank the Marillion albums - Hogarth era

[moecurlythanu]

They sold out the same venue a year later on the "Clutching" tour. After that they still played Grand Rapids every year, but played a smaller venue. Each year the crowd got a little smaller. The last time they played the city was "This Stange Engine" to probably around 800 to 1000 people. Unfortunately they have never been back.

I saw them in GR on the 'Clutching' tour. We got the full stage show, including Fish's wardrobe changes (which unfortunately added a bit of a cabaret aspect.) Caught them in Detroit a couple nights later on a smaller stage, with a very truncated show, mostly due to Fish having a "fuckin' awful cold."

[the winter tree]

I saw Dream Theater open for Marillion in NYC on the first USA Hogarth tour. They had a different singer than JLB. I found out later that the club owner had no idea that Fish had been replaced until they stepped out on stage. Many in the crowd booed and heckled Hogarth during the first few songs and the whole keyboard rig lost power during the 2nd song, "Script For A Jester's Tear". By the end of the show Hogarth had won the crowd over, especially after a spine-tingling version of "The Space". It was fascinating to observe.

I saw them later on the same tour at a club with only about 30 people in attendance. I talked with one younger guy who was a new convert and he looked at me like I was crazy when I mentioned that Marillion was influenced by 70s Genesis.

[JKL2000]

Since we're counting, I saw him at Jones Beach for Rush in June 1997 and he once said he went to the Rush Coliseum show in 1996 but had to leave early to get to the Dream Theater gig at Birch Hell on December 14, 1996 (which I did see) That was a great weekend as I saw Rush at the Meadowlands on December 15, 1996.

Portnoy gets around when he can.


As for Marillion shows, (without looking at the stubs) I saw:

Misplaced Childhood Tour --twice opening for Rush. (I think the headlined a few gigs on nights off as I have a video of a full show in LA around here somewhere)
Clutching At Straws -- once.
Seasons End -- Three times.
Holidays In Eden -- Three times
Six of One Tour acoustic -- once

This Strange Engine -- once
Marbles -- Twice
Sounds That Cannot Be Made -- Twice

No Marillion weekends for me at this point. I'm still kicking myself for missing those Radio City shows, but I hated Rush back then and didn't know who Marillion were.


As far as Fish goes:

Sunsets On Empire -- Five times
Raingods With Zippos -- Twice
13th Star -- Twice

So when you saw Marillion open for Rush, it was on the Power Windows tour?

I saw the at Radio City - I would have loved to see one of those full us shows back then. I wasn't into Marillion when I saw the Radio City shows, but the event of Rush playing unreleased material was too exciting anyway.

[JKL2000]

I saw Dream Theater open for Marillion in NYC on the first USA Hogarth tour. They had a different singer than JLB. I found out later that the club owner had no idea that Fish had been replaced until they stepped out on stage. Many in the crowd booed and heckled Hogarth during the first few songs and the whole keyboard rig lost power during the 2nd song, "Script For A Jester's Tear". By the end of the show Hogarth had won the crowd over, especially after a spine-tingling version of "The Space". It was fascinating to observe.

I saw them later on the same tour at a club with only about 30 people in attendance. I talked with one younger guy who was a new convert and he looked at me like I was crazy when I mentioned that Marillion was influenced by 70s Genesis.

Re the first NYC H era show, wasn't it a band called Flies in Fire that opened for them? Or were there two legs?

[SteveSly]

I saw Dream Theater open for Marillion in NYC on the first USA Hogarth tour. They had a different singer than JLB. I found out later that the club owner had no idea that Fish had been replaced until they stepped out on stage. Many in the crowd booed and heckled Hogarth during the first few songs and the whole keyboard rig lost power during the 2nd song, "Script For A Jester's Tear". By the end of the show Hogarth had won the crowd over, especially after a spine-tingling version of "The Space". It was fascinating to observe.
.

Similar thing happend the first time I saw Hogarth in Grand Rapids. As mentioned earlier they were headlining a smaller venue (about 1500), but it was sold out. He never got booed that I remember, but the audience was definitely lukewarm during the first few songs. By the end though, he had them in the palm of his hands, and the place was going bonkers. Hogarth certainly won me over that night as well.

[JKL2000]

I saw them twice each on the Seasons End and HiE tours, and I'd say H (and band) won the crowd over each night. h was so energetic then, and also clearly liked and appreciated the Fish material - that was infectious.

[ytserush]

Re the first NYC H era show, wasn't it a band called Flies in Fire that opened for them? Or were there two legs?

Yuck. I tried to forget about them. Aside from Dream Theater, those bands that opened for Marillion in the US during the EMI years were quite the endurance test for me.

As I recall, there were three US legs for Seasons End.

The infamous 11/14/1989 gig (Never thought I'd EVER see Dream Theater live back then) a February 1990 gig where the show didn't start until after the Tyson-Buster Douglas fight (Which I guess they expected not to last very long.) Those two were in New York City.

Then there was the June 8, 1990 gig at the Stone Pony (my soon to be wife's first Marillion gig.) Hogarth tried very hard not to let the small confines of the Stone Pony stop him.

I don't recall any booing at any of these shows. There may have been a wait-and-see attitude, but I think there was an acceptance fairly early on.

[JKL2000]

^^ That 1989 show I somehow didn't find out about, which blows. How small was the Stone Pony? The stage at Lost Horizon in Syracuse was really small and had a metal pole right down the front middle of the stage. I was standing right in front center. You couldn't keep h off the pole, so I was like three feet from his face the whole show. The Feb 1990 gig was the one with Flies on Fire, at the new (then) Ritz, right?

[ytserush]

^^ That 1989 show I somehow didn't find out about, which blows. How small was the Stone Pony? The stage at Lost Horizon in Syracuse was really small and had a metal pole right down the front middle of the stage. I was standing right in front center. You couldn't keep h off the pole, so I was like three feet from his face the whole show. The Feb 1990 gig was the one with Flies on Fire, at the new (then) Ritz, right?

Don't remember, but I know that Feburary 1990 gig was the Buster Douglas-Tyson fight. They wouldn't start the show until it was over figuring that it was going to be a short fight. I don't think Marillion went on until sometime after midnight.

I suppose it must been Flies On Fire (yuck!) based on the process of elimination unless they opened a gig during the Holidays Tour. I suffered through a lot of bad openers during those Dream Theater and Marillion gigs in the 1990s.

The Stony Pony is pretty small and I don't recall the stage being very high either. You could tell on Hogarth's face that he was thinking of something crazy to do. I think he tried to climb up on the cabinets, but he couldn't stand upright because he would have hit his head.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that it was the Power Windows tour that Marillion opened for Rush. Unfortunately, I go to any of the Radio City gigs.

[JKL2000]

Oh, and I forgot to mention that it was the Power Windows tour that Marillion opened for Rush. Unfortunately, I go to any of the Radio City gigs.

But they also opened for Rush at Radio City for a string of shows before Rush recorded Grace Under Pressure so Rush could try out some new material. They debuted The Body Electric, Kid Gloves, and Red Sector A. I saw two of these shows but sadly ignored Marillion. But it did bring Marillion to my attention, and when I heard He Knows You know on the radio soon after, I bought their albums and became a fan.

[ytserush]

Yup. Five of them. You wouldn't happen to know if any Marillion recordings exist? There are several Rush recordings from this run (which are listenable), but I have not heard of any Marillion.

I remain envious of anyone who saw these shows. I think they are an important milestone in both bands histories.