The show in Charlotte last night was pretty damn good..Was loud but clear ...Crowd was loving it..Originally Posted by flatliner
The show in Charlotte last night was pretty damn good..Was loud but clear ...Crowd was loving it..
To elaborate, the show was at The Neighborhood Theater in the "hipster" NODA hood...They had reserved chairs set up in front of stage, ended up with 9th row, 1 off aisle. Standard metal chairs with padded seat, no arms, so not the most comfortable, but much better then standing ..The only complaint about the venue it reeked of years of spilled beer ..Started about 8:10 with a few minutes of canned music with the background video. From the start, till the end, sound was really good. Neal left the stage a bunch of times for his "costume/prop changes. Broke out that double neck guitar a few posts back a couple of times.. Halfway through there was a 15-20 min intermission which I certainly appreciated. Finished up about 10:20, and I called it a night,( up at 5am !!) but heard him come back for an encore when I was exiting. Overall I highly recommend this tour..The show in Charlotte last night was pretty damn good..Was loud but clear ...Crowd was loving it..
Just listening to the album now, since they called a snow day at the office and I'm here all alone (yea).
So far I'm loving it and looking forward to the Toronto gig Feb 21.
DtB
i did the unthinkable.... i'm going to hell!
i cut the album back to about 62 minutes.......
01 Welcome To The World
02 Overture (edited)
03 The Dream Isn't Over (edited)
04 Dark Melody
05 I Got To Run
06 To The River
07 The Great Adventure
08 Venture In Black
09 Hey Ho Let's Go
10 Vanity Fair
11 The Great Despair
12 A Love That Never Dies
Sounds like the problem with the Atlanta show was the venue...City Winery is pretty small.....I LOVE the new album, but believe me when I say I’ve never been to a concert (and I’m 62) before where the sound was so loud and distorted that it was clipping! The left stack of speakers sounded like they actually just gave up halfway through the second set! Even my earplugs didn’t help! Thought I’d lost hearing in my left ear (as I sat only about 5 feet from said stack).....but it’s slowly coming back.....Glad your experience was much better.....
So much music....so little time....
Do tracks on the album segue into each other, or are they all separated by some space? I mean on the full album - just wondering how that worked on your version. And how long again is the entire album? I sure it's mentioned above.
Also probably mentioned, but is Neal playing the entire new album on this tour? And is he adding some encores of other material?
They play the entire album, followed by around a 15 minute encore that touches on every album! They end it with the last refrain from the new album.....
So much music....so little time....
it segues through fine. i only had to make 2 edits on the Overture & 'Dream' so it blend in between WTTW & DM. but there's an abrupt stop on Despair. but otherwise it plays thru seamlessly. if i included Freedom Calling it links the last 2. and yes the band is doing the whole album and 30 minute encore.
Last edited by BravadoNJ; 02-13-2019 at 08:02 AM.
Saw them in Boston. Phenomenal. The volume was perfect. Did increase it slightly for the encore. But the new album is great and the band is in their usual top form
Hmm. I see he's actually coming to Seattle in a couple weeks. Wonder if I should go? I confess I haven't heard any of his solo albums after 'Snow'. I liked parts of Snow but don't listen to any SB these days. But Neal and Mike sure like it! Perhaps I should revisit the Morse experience!
I'm planning on going next weekend, and like you, I haven't heard any Neal since Snow, and haven't seen him live since he left SB. He just doesn't tour, so I figure now or never. Can't be that expensive.
He has put out some good music post-SB, so if you haven't heard any of it I suspect you may enjoy the show and/or be pleasantly surprised. The DNA of Spock's Beard is still there, albeit presented through a very different filter. His current band is definitely talented; they have a different chemistry than SB, but that's a positive IMO as it can mean some unexpected twists and turns being brought to the music.
As someone who listened to his albums Testimony (which had some very good songs on it), One, and some others, personally I just became a tired of Neal's style. Which is not to say that it's bad or that I dislike it. I still love the guy, and his playing/singing. It's just that when it comes to hearing new music, I'm less inclined to check out Neal's stuff nowadays and lean more towards other things. I've tried to get into TSoaD, but kind of gave up for now at least. Maybe one day I'll come back and it will click for me. It is what it is, and I certainly won't put down his albums or anyone who likes them.
That said, I'm still down for a new CD from Transatlantic, whenever that happens.
Well, that's the place I was coming to circa Snow. I was already burnt on Spock's Beard's music back then, finding it hewing a little bit closer to the AOR side of things than I prefer most of the time. I said I haven't listened to any of Neal's music since he left Spock's. That's true. I haven't listened to any of Spock's Beard's music since Neal left either. So I don't go into next week's gig with great expectations, and I don't anticipate a personal Neal revival. More like checking up on an old acquaintance with whom I lost touch years ago.
That's understandable. I didn't hear SB until around 2003, after Neal had already left, so to me all of it was "new".
I do think that with Snow they were starting to really get somewhere -- and then Neal left. Oh well.
Hope you enjoy the show!
i can declare now that i like The Great Adventure better then Similitude Of A Dream. there are about 6 or 7 fantastic songs on this album that carry it higher. and my top 5 NM albums are now 1. ?, 2. SS, 3. TGA, 4. SOAD, 5. TGE
they play Toronto Thursday... maybe Mike can lure some local talent to join them for a tune....
Last edited by BravadoNJ; 02-17-2019 at 12:59 PM.
Great show in Boston. The new album comes off really great live. We were in the second row (happily, there was GA seating) and the energy of the crowd was wonderful. The band seemed to feed off the crowd's enthusism. First time at the Sinclair, very good sound. Great to see Brett at the show! Now I wish we had tix for Montreal...
Great to see you too, and certainly an epic show. Very different than the last time I saw Neal Morse at Passim, the tiny folk club just two doors away!
Saw Neal Morse last night at the Keswick, left just after the intermission. More and more I find him to be a one trick pony. Bombastic sequences in between soft acoustic interludes. Story is always person goes adventuring, runs into the devil, finds salvation. Sorry, I guess unless you are into Christian rock... not my cuppa tea, and have given him multiple views. Theater was probably only half full on a Saturday night... and I understand why. You love him (people singing along - waving their arms).... or you don't. It actually made me appreciate Transatlantic and his other projects less. Same formula over and over. IMO of course, but went with two friends and all left with the same opinion. They are all great musicians which is the really sad part.
Don't want to go down this road, but wifey and I are Jewish, way secular and love Neal's music and have since we first heard SB around '95 or so....
not trying to imply anything, just a making an observation. Im fine with it, just realized its not for me.
Bombastic sequences in between soft acoustic interludes. ?? Just what we proggers want...And at the Charlotte show, they were only waving their arms at the end...Adios Mios..
Great show, great performances, and great sound from where I was (4th row left) at the Keswick last night. Neal is always fun whether it's Neal Morse Band, Transatlantic, Flying colors, or solo at the Sellersville Theater. I can not even imagine how he manages to put together all of his music, the tours, the back round movies and the bands, and keeps it so dynamic, (maybe a little corny sometimes, but I think that is part of the fun). If one doesn't appreciate his "thing" then it is maybe not as good for them perhaps. But, Neal is going to be Neal (110% effort from him and the band) and that is what I like most about him. I think the crowd at the Keswick was a decent size last night, I go to many shows there and I have seen far smaller turnouts. The good thing that I see is that at most every concert I go to, no matter who is playing, that although I feel there could be a bigger crowd, is that the bands themselves play as if the hall is full. I really appreciate that.
I would probably go down to the Keswick to watch Neal and Mike play Beatles name that tune, but that's just me.
I used to love Neal but got very bored with the repetitive nature of his music. I only have the first few SB albums now and I like Flying Colors too but otherwise I got off the bus years ago I'm afraid.
I just don't understand why every epic track that Neil is involved with has to start with a 4-minute long ultra-bombastic overture.
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