There is a Nektar album thread, but not really a tour thread so here goes.....
I saw Nektar at The Token Lounge in Westland MI (outside of Detroit) Tuesday night.
First a little background on how I discovered Nektar. Way back in the day, I was thumbing through albums in a used record store. I stumbled upon an album called “Through The Ears”. It was a compilation album from a band called Nektar whom I had never heard of. I looked at the cover of the album and thought it was cool. I looked at the back of the album at the song titles and they looked cool too, and some of them were quite long. I had no idea if the album was prog rock or what, and this was years before the internet so you couldn’t just look it up. The album was in the used bin and cheaply priced, so I decided to take a chance and buy it. When I got the album home and put it on my stereo, I couldn’t believe my ears at how good it was, and especially that I had never heard of this band. I eventually picked up their entire catalogue at the time and the rest is history.
By the time I discovered Nektar they had already broken up, so I figured my chances of seeing them live were non-existent. Then NEARfest announced the re-union show in 2001. I was extremely happy to get the chance to finally see this band. Although the band re-formed with various lineups over the last two decades, they never played anywhere near me, so I figured the chances of seeing them again was not going to happen, especially after Roye died a few years ago. Fast forward to last year when it was announced that the band was back together doing a new album and an extensive U.S. tour. The closest date was Detroit, which is a two-hour drive for me, but getting the chance to see them again was worth it so we got tickets since this is the first time the band have played in Michigan since I have been aware of them.
A Detroit area band called Cat Lung opened the show. I had heard of these guys, but never seen them. I guess I would call them a mix of progressive rock and art rock featuring a 4-piece lineup of guitar / vocals, drums / vocals, bass, and a woman who played flute, keys, Theremin, and vocals. I enjoyed them quite a bit. They were all very good musicians. The final song featured a Theremin solo. Unlike most bands that just make noise with the electronic gizmo, this woman could really play it. In fact, I think it is one of the better uses of the instrument that I have ever seen.
Next up were Nektar. The current lineup features original members Dereck “Mo” Moore, and Ron Howden along with former members Randy Dembo, and Ryche Chianda. Rounding out the band was new keyboardist Kendall Scott. Mick Brockett was also on hand for visuals and special effects. The band mixed it up with several songs from the new album along with plenty of classics. With Dembo and Moore both in the band, at times there were two basses being played at the same time, which was certainly different, but it worked. Chianda handled the majority of the lead vocals and did a fine job. Both Howden and Moore also took turns at the lead vocal mic. Who knew Howden could sing and he had a great voice? Moore did a great job on the rocker “I’m On Fire” from the new album too. Newest member Scott was great on keys seeming to fit right in. Chianda’s guitar work was flawless all night as instrumentally everyone in the band were in top form. The Token Lounge is a club with kind of a typical low stage, so Brockett’s multi-media projections were a bit cramped due to the low ceiling, but it was still a cool addition to the overall performance. The set list was about what I hoped for as they touched on all of their 70’s classic albums. I really enjoy the new one too, so hearing a bunch from it was also enjoyable. The crowed was decent for a Tuesday night. It was kind of hard to tell how many people were there. The club had low tables set up on the main floor and then there was a section of high-top tables in the back. The high-top tables seemed to be pretty full, while there were empty chairs at the low tables in the front right in front of the band. I found it a bit odd, but this is a prog audience, so who knows.
After the show the band stuck around and we got to have a nice conversation with both Mick Brockett and Mo Moore, both of whom were very hospitable. The drive home was a bit of an adventure though. While we were in the club, the temperature had dropped into the 20’s and a winter storm had descended upon southern Michigan. The normal two-hour drive became more of an endurance test. At one point about halfway home, the police had closed the highway, so we had to follow semi-trucks through country roads for a long stretch in order to eventually make it back to the highway. I got home about 3:45AM, so it was a long night, but worth it. If this show is coming to your town, go see them! Here is the set-list:
THE LIGHT BEYOND
RECYCLED
SKYWRITER
LOVE IS / THE OTHER SIDE
THE DREAM NEBULA / DRIFTING
REMEMER THE FUTURE PART I
DESOLATION VALLEY / WAVES
REMEMBER THE FUTURE PARTS 2 & 3
LOOK THROUGH ME
I’M ON FIRE
FIDGITY QUEEN
GOOD DAY
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Originally Posted by GuitarGeek
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