AND NOW EVERYBODY TO THE STAGE

In the mid-Eighties I witnessed this pleasant neo-prog band for the first time in the (in) famous Dutch youth-center Het Paard in The Hague, Holland. After the concert we had a vivid conversation with the band members who were enjoying their marihuana stuffed sigarettes, a famous Dutch treat! Watching this DVD they still make the same kind of music after more than 20 years: a blend of straightforward neo-prog rock songs with a catchy beat and harder-edged guitar riffs (No Place For The Innocent, Nostradamus, The Last Waltz and Masters Of Illusion) and more compelling, symphonic prog inspired compositions with bombastic eruptions and sensitive guitar work (Breaking The Spell, The Black Night and Am I Really Losing You?). The 'setlist' spans their entire carreer: from the anti-Vietnam war song Kow Tow and the 'crowd pleaser' The Black Night (strong rendition) from the early era to tracks from their latest CD Believe (like the wonderful The Edge Of The World). The band plays inspired, there is pleasant interaction with the crowd, the lightshow is beautiful and I enjoyed Nick Barrett his sensitive, often howling guitar soli, especially the Floydian slide guitar play in some tracks. So nothing wrong with this professional and pleasant DVD, an excellent addition for every neo-proghead, this band is still 'alive and progging'!