Spock's Beard - Live

Year of Release: 2008
Label: InsideOut/SPV
Catalog Number: IOMDVD 018
Format: CD/DVD
Total Time: 121:51:00

In May 2007, Dutch venue De Boerderij together with progzine iO Pages organized the first edition of the iO Pages Festival. On May 26th next to Mangrove and Dial the audience were treated to a good three hours of Neal Morse. The day before, it was Steve Thorne who opened for the one and only Spock's Beard. It's that particular Spock's concert of May 25th in Zoetermeer, Holland that you can now find on a single DVD and a double audio CD.

With Neal Morse already present on the day Spock's Beard would perform, everyone had their hopes up for a one-off reunion. Especially as we all knew this concert would be filmed for a DVD release, we were all very curious to see what would happen. Sadly, although Neal was there during the soundcheck, he didn't show up in the evening. In a way, maybe it was for the best, as you never know, people might start thinking Neal might rejoin the band fulltime.

As the presenter of the iO Pages festival, I'm glad I finally got to see a Spock's Beard's concert that particular evening, because, as you might know, a presenter has to be all over the place, only watching a glimpse from every act. Thank god for multiple cameras which now give me and all of you the chance to witness this great concert from every possible angle. When I compare the material on this new live registration with that of the 2005 Gluttons For Punishment release, then only "Surfing Down The Avalanche" gets a repeat here (with Ryo standing on top of his keyboards to show the strength of his instruments, so how about that for endorsement?). So all of the rest of the material is new with a very large chunk reserved to the band's latest studio offering including the monumental "As Far As The Mind Can See" epic.

This time around the band has also delved into its archive in order to deliver a diverse selection from their entire career. From the band's 1995 debut The Light they glued together "The Water" and "Go The Way You Go." From the follow-up Beware Of Darkness there's "Walking On The Wind;" from 1998's Kindness Of Strangers comes the magnificent "In The Mouth Of Madness," and "Crack The Big Sky" is lifted from their 1999 release Day For Night.

Since Neal Morse's departure, most of the vocal duties have been taken care of by Nick d'Virgilio, which means that for live duties the band is augmented with drummer Jimmy Keegan. And what better way to illustrate the skills of a drummer than by giving the man his own drum solo. Sadly, once he hears the word "drum solo," good old Nick can't help himself and has to be behind the drum kit as well, so make that a "drum duel" instead. In "Skeletons At The Feast" guitarist Alan Morse shows just what a great axeman he is, whilst Jimmy Keegan goes for some stage diving. Another tour de force, this time of the superb bass playing by Dave Meros, comes during "Walking On The Wind." Great song, great vibe! And if that wasn't enough, "Hereafter" highlights the incredible skills of Ryo Okumoto on piano, adding a fragile almost classical edge to the already incredible output. Full marks also for the audience who keeps silent throughout!

It strikes me how much "Dreaming In The Age Of Answers" sounds like vintage Level 42. Great split screen footage as well, which shows both Alan and Nick playing slide guitar. As an encore the band takes us way back to their humble beginnings. By mixing "The Water" with "Go The Way You Go," you get the perfect ending to a stunning two hour show. Spock's Beard Live is a wonderful souvenir for those who attended the show in person and a nice compensation for those of you who live so far away they might never be able to witness this great band live ever. Armed with a decent surround system it'll be like you're on stage with the band yourself. Make sure you have a towel handy coz' you'll need it!

Tracklisting:
Intro / On A Perfect Day / In The Mouth Of Madness / Crack The Big Sky / The Slow Crash Landing Man / Return To Whatever / Surfing Down The Avalanche / Thoughts (Part 2) / Drum Duel / Skeletons At The Feast / Walking On The Wind / Hereafter (Ryo Solo) / As Far As The Mind Can See / Rearranged / Medley : The Water - Go The Way You Go

Musicians:
Nick d'Virgilio - vocals, drums, guitar
Ryo Okumoto - keyboards
Alan Morse - guitar, vocals
Dave Meros - bass
Jimmy Keegan - drums

Discography:
The Light (1991)
Beware of Darkness (1995)
The Beard Is Out There Live (1995)
Official Live Bootleg (1996)
The Kindness of Strangers (1997)
From The Vault - 1995-1998 (1998)
Day For Night (1999)
Live At The Whiskey and NEARfest (1999)
Don't Try This At Home (2000)
V (2000)
Snow (2002)
Feel Euphoria (2003)
The Light - The Artwork Collector's Series (2004)
Octane (2005)
Gluttons For Punishment (2005)
Spock's Beard (2006)
Live (2008)
X (2010)
Brief Nocturnes And Dreamless Sleep (2013)
The Oblivion Particle (2015)
Noise Floor (2018)

The Beard Is Out There Live (VID) (1995)
Spock's Beard's Home Movie (VID) (1998)
Live At The Whisky (VID) (1999)
Making Of V (VID) (2001)
Don't Try This At Home & The Making Of V (DVD) (2002)
The Making Of Snow (DVD) (2004)
Live (DVD) (2008)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin US

Added: July 25th 2008
Reviewer: John "Bobo" Bollenberg

Artist website: www.spocksbeard.com
Hits: 2704
Language: english