MORSEFEST 2022: THE ABSOLUTE WHIRLWIND

What we have here is a five-CD set lasting nearly 4½ hours, with complete renditions of the albums 'The Whirlwind' and 'The Absolute Universe', plus songs going all the way back to 2000's 'SMPTe'. The line-up is of course Neal Morse (keyboards, acoustic guitar, vocals), Mike Portnoy (drums, vocals), Roine Stolt (guitar, vocals) and Pete Trewavas (bass, vocals) and they have been joined on this occasion by Ted Leonard (guitar, keyboards, percussion, vocals). Transatlantic have always been known for their extensive live albums, and to have been present in the audience on those two nights must have been something quite special indeed.

For night one, the band performed 'The Whirlwind' in its entirety, the first time they had done so in 10 years. They also added "Into the Blue" and "Shine" from their fourth album 'Kaleidoscope' as well as the classic ballad "We All Need Some Light." As a surprise, they also played a song they had never previously performed live - their cover of the Procol Harum classic "In Held 'Twas In I" from the first Transatlantic album 'SMPTe.' The second night saw the full performance of 'The Absolute Universe', bringing together all the songs from the two different versions, and then closing with a medley from their first two albums including "All of the Above," "My New World," and "Stranger In Your Soul."

This is Transatlantic at their best, in the live environment where everyone has total trust and faith in each other. The band may have had an extensive break, but their history together goes back more than 20 years, and I still feel Pete must get a huge lift out of playing with these guys given it is so very different these days to his day job. This is a prog act who redefine what it is to be just that in the 2000's, looking back to the Seventies but lifting that into the modern context and producing music which is both essential and incredible. Symphonic, massively over the top, this is a joy from beginning to end and the addition of Leonard is just the icing on the cake as the band somehow manages to life to new heights. Simply remarkable.

Neal Morse and his band wanted to bring Transatlantic to Morsefest since 2000. It will be a reality in 2022 in Tennessee. This package of 2 Blu-rays has more than 4 hours and a half of music. The band played the complete "Whirlwind" and "Absolute Universe," plus some songs from their catalog. What is special here is the inclusion for the first time live of the cover of one of, if not the first 18-minute epic of progressive rock by Procol Harum, "In Held (Twas) In I." We have here a punchier version with added percussion. They also reproduce the sound of the original Hammond organ in a specific passage. The band has the addition of a percussionist, a choir, and a string quartet. But I have to say that we don't hear the orchestra much with this big soundstage produced by the band. The ballad "Shine" was written by Neal upon the inspiration of Paul Hanlon, to whom the album is dedicated. He has been a fan of Neal's music since the beginning and was supposed to fly from the UK to see this show, but passed away 2 days before. Neal was very emotional during the song. In the second ballad, "We All Need Some Light," we hear a duel of guitar between Neil and Roine, and for the first time in this calm passage, the violin's presence is heard. Then it's the complete "Whirlwind" suite. The epic song with multi-movement parts that take you on a long journey of musical crescendos. As much as I love long epic songs from many progressive rock bands, in the case of Neal Morse and Transatlantic, they always seem a bit too long. There are some recurrent themes, which is the norm for many epics, but I get a feeling of too much similarity in some sections of those songs.

The second disk is the "Absolute Universe" album, which is still enjoyable for me since it is the latest album. This is another hour and a half of music, but this time I am not that bored with the music. So, you have a lot of music on this package that will please Transatlantic fans, but having heard those albums a lot in the past year's studio and live versions, I won't go back often to listen or watch.