I saw Alan Parsons last night

[arturs]

Great show. Some prog rock, pomp rock, AOR, even a few yacht rock tunes. But it all worked well as a whole. I don't consider myself a big fan but I know and like most of the hits. The only two albums I own and have ever owned are Tales of M&I and Eye in the Sky.

So it was a big and pleasant surprise that they played all of Eye in the Sky. Really a strong album from start to finish. And it was played very well as was everything.

All legacy bands out there playing primarily 30/40 year old hits should take note: this is how you do it. The musicians were impeccable. Superbly talented and very well rehearsed. Vocalists could hit every note with ease and grace. Four of the band's frontline sang, so they could easily handle the different vocal styles of Rainbow, Zakatek, Woolfson, etc.

Parsons himself took a few vocals, something I believe he never did on the records. But his voice worked well when that distinctive Englishness was needed. And the other vocalists seamlessly swapped in when a melody went out of his range.

One interesting note: Parsons promised us that everything was 100% live, which you might doubt because of how full and in tune the band sounded. Except, he admitted they used a taped orchestra on Silence and I. Personally I wouldn't have used it; I think the keysman could have handled it well enough on his own. But still great that everything else was truly live.

In sum an exciting solo night out: definitely worth the very reasonable $35 (same thing I paid for Santana a week before. There are still major acts with reasonable ticket prices...)

[JKL2000]

^ Good review!

[Camelogue]

Glad a good time was had. A lot of these bands/artists are having a last go round,(as are a lot of us!)

[Digital_Man]

Glad you enjoyed it. I saw them about 12 years ago or so at Zollner Arts Center (yep, that place) and they were quite good(I don't remember how it was billed but I think as APP). I also saw APP open for Yes back in 1998 and while they were good then, most of the antsy Yes fans seemed to be talking over APP's set.

[moecurlythanu]

When the last APP thread popped up, I searched for tour dates with the intention of buying a ticket, but alas, Dayton & Michigan were the closest. I passed, but might reconsider on the Michigan, as an Ann Arbor trip is in order.

Edit: It's sold out, and I'm not doing StubHub.

[nycsteve]

I saw them once , I think they shared a bill with Yes. I enjoyed them live. This thread reminded me and I added some albums on the Apple stream library for work listens.

[3LockBox]

When the last APP thread popped up, I searched for tour dates with the intention of buying a ticket, but alas, Dayton & Michigan were the closest. I passed, but might reconsider on the Michigan, as an Ann Arbor trip is in order.

Edit: It's sold out, and I'm not doing StubHub.

I wouldn't think you'd travel to "that state up north" anyway 😁

[3LockBox]

I saw him at a casino venue 5or 6 years ago and he and his band were stellar. I was a little pissed when, after AP announced that the next couple of songs were off his latest album, about 10 or 15 people got up and bolted to the lobby. He must have audibled because the very next song was one of the classics. He also sang that night as well and sounded pretty good too.

[SteveSly]

Nice review! Really looking forward to seeing APP on Cruise To The Edge. I would consider myself a pretty big fan. Own all of the APP and solo albums. Did he do anything from his most recent album?

[loshammeros]

Glad you enjoyed it. I saw them about 12 years ago or so at Zollner Arts Center (yep, that place) and they were quite good(I don't remember how it was billed but I think as APP). I also saw APP open for Yes back in 1998 and while they were good then, most of the antsy Yes fans seemed to be talking over APP's set.

I agree,they were quite good

[moecurlythanu]

I wouldn't think you'd travel to "that state up north" anyway ��

Been there many times, and have a generally favorable impression of it.

[EBES]

Great show. Some prog rock, pomp rock, AOR, even a few yacht rock tunes. But it all worked well as a whole. I don't consider myself a big fan but I know and like most of the hits. The only two albums I own and have ever owned are Tales of M&I and Eye in the Sky.

So it was a big and pleasant surprise that they played all of Eye in the Sky. Really a strong album from start to finish. And it was played very well as was everything.

All legacy bands out there playing primarily 30/40 year old hits should take note: this is how you do it. The musicians were impeccable. Superbly talented and very well rehearsed. Vocalists could hit every note with ease and grace. Four of the band's frontline sang, so they could easily handle the different vocal styles of Rainbow, Zakatek, Woolfson, etc.

Parsons himself took a few vocals, something I believe he never did on the records. But his voice worked well when that distinctive Englishness was needed. And the other vocalists seamlessly swapped in when a melody went out of his range.

One interesting note: Parsons promised us that everything was 100% live, which you might doubt because of how full and in tune the band sounded. Except, he admitted they used a taped orchestra on Silence and I. Personally I wouldn't have used it; I think the keysman could have handled it well enough on his own. But still great that everything else was truly live.

In sum an exciting solo night out: definitely worth the very reasonable $35 (same thing I paid for Santana a week before. There are still major acts with reasonable ticket prices...)

Saw the Albuquerque show April 17, basically by accident. My wife and I were in town that night on the way to Santa Fe and weren't sure what to do with ourselves because the Rattlesnake Museum was closed for Easter. Saw a flyer on a telephone pole, pulled up Ticketmaster on her phone and saw some good seats available at a good price.

Your review is a good one and I totally agree. I'm not a big fan of some of the simpler material in the set list but the energy and skill sold me even on songs I don't normally love. Excellent vocals, especially the gentleman who did the Colin Blunstone tracks, which I would normally expect to suffer at the throat of basically anyone else. Loved seeing Alan take a lead.

[Yaman Aksu]

A good cover of Sirius + Eye in the Sky for this thread.
https://youtu.be/XWTQiQlQhGs