Lazland playlist

Thanks, Nick. I am looking forward to DT. It is on a Saturday night, so we will not have to rush about the following morning to get Ioan to school as we did today! I will be listening to Images and Words a fair bit over the next couple of weeks. It has been quite a while since I had that on.

And so to a sort of gig review of ARW.

We had a wondrous night. The Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff is Wales' biggest indoor gig venue. It is not bad as these places go, and it was nice not to be subjected to endless searches and rudeness by the security staff, all of whom were great. Beer was expensive, though. £4.50 for a can of Tetleys

It was not a sell out, although they have, I believe, sold out three venues on the tour. I would put an estimate in of about 90%, so, in the context of these guys in 2017, a great effort. The official Yes would not, I believe, even bother with this venue in Cardiff.

In terms of the band, this was about the most joyous Yes related gig I have had the pleasure to see. My wife and son both had a fantastic time, so it was worth every penny. This is very much a five piece. Lee Molino is a drummer with huge energy and sound. In fact, with every respect to Alan White, this was the best Yes drumming I have seen since Bruford on the ABWH gig. Similarly, Lee Pomeroy is one hell of a bassist. His rendition of The Fish was true to Squire in not just spirit, but execution as well. He is one hell of a showman, and a great addition to this tour. I am sorry, but Sherwood comes nowhere near.

As for the three "main" participants themselves, well. Anderson looks and sounds remarkable, as if his major illness, the one which got him chucked out of Yes, had never happened. At 72, he is in the shape of someone twenty years younger. Hell, I would struggle like hell to jump up and down in the manner he did with Pomeroy during the Owner end bit.

Waleman is simply still the maestro. I have to say that Awaken has never sounded more majestic than it did last night. My wife has just told me how she spent the whole track with her eyes closed, allowing the sound of a band at the top of their game wash all over her. Rick has also added his own textures and interpretations to the Rabin era tracks, and they sound far better for it, and I say this as a fan of that era.

The boy Rabin himself? Well, just as I remember him live in the 90125 tour, really. His voice is not as strong, no, but he has always been, and always will be, a rock guitarist. He will never be a Steve Howe, but his musicianship, if it ever was, will not be doubted again. He brought his interpretation to classics, and, in particular, his work on a huge Heart of the Sunrise was packed with sound and feeling.

The setlist (I will not reproduce it in full here, as it is the same as previous gigs reported elsewhere) was a healthy mix of classic 70's and the more controversial 80's and Union eras. A really pleasant surprise last night was a live rendition of a track I never really came to terms with much on the original album, this being Rhythm of Love. It absolutely soared, and was very well received. Lift Me Up, a great track from Union, was exceptional, as was Changes, Hold On, and the set opener, the rocking Cinema.

Of the classics, Perpetual Change was added deliberately as a track neither Rabin or Wakeman played on originally. It was the first hearing of this live for many years in my case, and it sounded magnificent. A real old fashioned symphonic rocker. And You & I was a lovely as ever, and Rabin handled the guitar duties wonderfully. I've Seen All Good People and Roundabout were as they have always been, Yes crowd pleasers.

Awaken, however, stood out. I still simply cannot believe just how good this band play such a soaring piece of music. The hairs stood on the back of the neck for much of it, and seeing Anderson in rapture playing the harp, whilst the band played the delicate beauty and intricacy of the mid section was a sight in itself.

We loved it all. It was as near to a perfect gig as I have had the pleasure of seeing. To share it with my family was great, and the reception these guys got throughout was sheer adoration, and they fed off of it, and gave it back in spades. The standing ovations at the end will live with them and I for some time.

If you can, get a ticket for this tour. Whilst this version of a much loved band has, I believe, plenty of legs in it, they are getting older. See them whilst you can and whilst they are capable of putting on a show such as this.

Steve. Thought of you when I found this out.
I'm not wasting anytime come July to buy this one!

Wow!

http://teamrock.com/news/2017-05-03/marillions-misplaced-childhood-set-for-deluxe-edition?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=17745&utm_term=3849668&utm_content=317657

progbethyname wrote: Steve. Thought of you when I found this out. I'm not wasting anytime come July to buy this one! Wow! http://teamrock.com/news/2017-05-03/marillions-misplaced-childhood-set-for-deluxe-edition?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=17745&utm_term=3849668&utm_content=317657

It's funny, Nicholas, but, as much as I love Misplaced Childhood, I will not be getting this.

I do, occasionally, get box sets, but not as a rule. The last one I got was Crimson's Larks Tongue in Aspic, and, to be honest, there are only so many times you can listen to Easy Money without getting a bit fed up, as great as it is!

Misplaced Childhood was a fantastic album. I saw the live set of this at Milton Keynes, The Garden Party as it was billed, and we had a great day. Tull supported them, by the way, Anderson's first gig following his throat problems.

It was, however, very much an album of its time. I truly believe that Marillion are a proper progressive band, in that they have, in the ensuing 30 years, constantly strived to move their music and art forward, refusing to rest on past laurels.

So, I will continue to put the original album on as a bit of a nostalgia fest, and revel in Mr Dick's finest recorded moment, and it was great, the anger that came through on the second side especially emotional. But there I will leave it. I do not think the original can be bettered. It was extremely special at the time. But they are still vital as a band, and I do not see the need to spend money on this at all.

Alright Steve! Looks like DT lit up Caerdydd in a fine, professional fashion once again.
What I love about DT is that they deliver to the audience 100% of their skills on any tour or leg.
Know one has ever told me otherwise. Truly one of the best live acts around in my humble opinion.
I must say, the DT machine really does look healthy and probably stronger than ever. Each member takes very good care of themselves and doesn't get caught up in the classic downfall of hard drugs n' alcohol. I am so curious to see how long DT can go and of course what will they do next? Personally, I hope they go really heavy again...like Train of Thought heavy. I'm sure your son may feel the same way. :)
Anyway, I'm glad to hear nice Italian food and Ronnie James DIO blasting on a PA was present before the your show. Good way to kick things off and thank you for telling/sharing with me. You've got an enormous prog heart and your son Loan, couldn't be in greater hands...I wish my dad liked prog!!! Haha.

Also, about the above mentioned link above about the 'Steven Wilson Remix for Marillion's Misplaced Childhood 4cd set/with Blu-ray' is surely gonna be a purchase by you, yes?
I can't tell you how excited I am for this box set, especially given my love for hi-res audio. Mr. Wilson always delivers. He should get the 'Prog God' award some day. :)

Cheers Laz.