Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread

[gmillerdrake]

Any other St. Louis forumers going to Thursday nights show at Delmar Hall besides me and KevShmev?

[The Letter M]

Good news everyone! Neal just sent out his January IC Newsletter and has updated us about the release of Morsefest 2015 - apparently it's off to manufacturing and is slated for a March release!

I'm willing to be pre-orders will start in the next week or two.

-Marc.

[KevShmev]

So, Neal Morse in St. Louis tonight...

I've seen a lot of things in my life, but that...was awesome!!

[gmillerdrake]

So, Neal Morse in St. Louis tonight...

I've seen a lot of things in my life, but that...was awesome!!

Yeah.....pretty incredible show. Like i was saying to you there, it's one thing to hear it on a CD or download but to see that in person. Wow! Such amazing talents.

I knew Eric Gillette was good and all but man....that dude is unreal and can sing his a$$ off! Was just blown away by the whole thing.

My wife, who is a casual PROG fan....was super into it. She talked about the show the whole drive home and just how amazing she thought It was.

I hope Neal makes St. Louis a permanent stop.

[KevShmev]

Yeah.....pretty incredible show. Like i was saying to you there, it's one thing to hear it on a CD or download but to see that in person. Wow! Such amazing talents.

For sure.  What a shame that such amazing talents play to such small crowds these days, though.  That's such BS.

I knew Eric Gillette was good and all but man....that dude is unreal and can sing his a$$ off! Was just blown away by the whole thing.

Yep, he is a beast of a player.  And Bill Hubauer is pretty unreal, too.  He pretty much nailed the piano intro to The Mask, which was damn impressive.

My wife, who is a casual PROG fan....was super into it. She talked about the show the whole drive home and just how amazing she thought It was.

Yes! A new fan.

I hope Neal makes St. Louis a permanent stop.

I'd be surprised, given the crowd size - maybe, what, 250-300? - but I hope he was right when Portnoy said this won't be the last time Neal comes to St. Louis.

[KevShmev]

More thoughts:

-Eric Gillette had a nasty cold last night. You never would have known it watching him sing and play the guitar.
-The friend I went with met four of the five members after show (my brother and I bailed after a bit, and naturally the band came out to their tour bus right after that ). He said they were all friendly, with Bill being the most chatty.
-Remembering bosk1's post about The Man in the Iron Cage, I was like, I am standing up during this song no matter what.  I did for the first 30 seconds or so, but then the scattered people around me who had been standing then sit down, and I wasn't about to be the one jerk standing and blocking everyone's view, so I sat. Damn it, I tried.
-I commented that Neal was channeling his inner Peter Gabriel with some of those robes, masks, etc.  A bit hokey, but that's rock and roll, right?
-I think I did a pretty good job of watching all five members a lot, but it was not to be drawn back to watching Neal up there.  He really was born to perform on stage.
-The end of The Call was one of the most absurdly awesome endings to a concert I've ever witnessed. 

[bosk1]

-Remembering bosk1's post about The Man in the Iron Cage, I was like, I am standing up during this song no matter what.  I did for the first 30 seconds or so, but then the scattered people around me who had been standing then sit down, and I wasn't about to be the one jerk standing and blocking everyone's view, so I sat. Damn it, I tried.

Go with my blessings. 

I would have done the same thing.  It's a shame for the band and not having the crowd show any energy, but it is what it is, and they get that.  They know the fans are enjoying the music even if they may not be showing it outwardly.  And people are entitled to enjoy a concert the way they see fit.  But it is a lot more fun when people are somewhat outwardly demonstrative of that enjoyment. 

To take an extreme example, going back to when I saw DT in Reno, for those that may not have seen my posts on the subject, the casino theater they played in had an orchestra pit in front of the stage.  They had cleared the pit and were letting fans go down there and stand if they didn't want to stay in the seated area.  There was a guy right up in front a couple of feet from me that was saying he knew what the encore songs were, and that he was going to start a mosh pit for the last song.  ...and when Pull Me Under kicked in, he did just that.  So during the band's final song, you had everybody down in front moshing for the entire thing, and we were all smiling and laughing out loud and just the fun of being so over-the-top demonstrative for what you normally see at a DT show.  That's a bit much, and I wouldn't remotely expect that to catch on and be a thing at a prog band's shows.  But the point is, we just went for it, and the fans who participated had a great time, and so did the band seeing us do that.  You don't have to just stand like a statue with your arms folded just because it's prog.

[KevShmev]

Haha, that's great.

I tend to pick my spots now to stand at concerts.  My upper back has been a bit achy since Tuesday, and my thought all week was...just hold up long enough for the concert...   And it did.  Now, by the time I got home, I did feel like someone had taken a sledgehammer and bashed me with it - even though I didn't stand a lot, I was still pretty active in my seat with moving to the music, air drumming, etc. - but I'll be fine.  I am working a 1/2 day this afternoon and then my physical therapist will dig into me tonight and I'll be all good again.

Also, I forgot to mention: we got just the one encore last night.  With them doing five nights in a row this week, it looks like they have been doing just one encore a night this week, instead of three like they did at the first show.  I was okay with that.  Considering how awesome the new album was and then The Call, I could not have asked for any more. 

[Big Hath]

saw them Wednesday night at a REALLY small club in Dallas (first time Neal has been to Dallas).  The place was absolutely packed, and there was pretty good energy from the crowd.  The place having no seats helped.

Anyway, this band is really good.  Couldn't get over how good they sounded vocally.

[Stadler]

PM me, if you need to, because I don't want to spoil it for anyone else, but did/do they play "Supernatural"?

[KevShmev]

saw them Wednesday night at a REALLY small club in Dallas (first time Neal has been to Dallas).  The place was absolutely packed, and there was pretty good energy from the crowd.  The place having no seats helped.

Anyway, this band is really good.  Couldn't get over how good they sounded vocally.

Very nice.

That is one thing I will say about our crowd last night: even though I wish it would have been livelier during the songs, every time they had to give the band an applause, it was pretty loud.  Neal even uttered a "wow" at the end when taking their bow and the crowd was cheering (I was close enough to read his lips).  That was neat.

[KevShmev]

From last night:

[gmillerdrake]

saw them Wednesday night at a REALLY small club in Dallas (first time Neal has been to Dallas).  The place was absolutely packed, and there was pretty good energy from the crowd.  The place having no seats helped.

Anyway, this band is really good.  Couldn't get over how good they sounded vocally.

Very nice.

That is one thing I will say about our crowd last night: even though I wish it would have been livelier during the songs, every time they had to give the band an applause, it was pretty loud.  Neal even uttered a "wow" at the end when taking their bow and the crowd was cheering (I was close enough to read his lips).  That was neat.

I agree. I think the band was happy with the St. Louis gif. Neal tweeted that he loved the venue and he loved the crowd, and despite the crowd sitting and standing off and on....there were a lot of loud applause moments throughout the night.

I can't get over what an awesome live show that was. I will travel for the Neal Morse band gigs from this point forward....i must see more!

[Mladen]

Wow, Bill must be a tremendous asset to the band. Keyboards, vocals, saxophones, violins and... is this a mandolin now? Such an amazing musician.

[KevShmev]

I can't get over what an awesome live show that was. I will travel for the Neal Morse band gigs from this point forward....i must see more!

I hear that! My brother who was with me is already saying he wants to go to Morsefest now every year.

Wow, Bill must be a tremendous asset to the band. Keyboards, vocals, saxophones, violins and... is this a mandolin now? Such an amazing musician.

Damn right.  You watch that guy and can't help but think, where was this guy before??  How was someone that talented under the radar for so long?  It boggles the mind.

[gmillerdrake]

Wow, Bill must be a tremendous asset to the band. Keyboards, vocals, saxophones, violins and... is this a mandolin now? Such an amazing musician.

Yep. His voice is very powerful, it's really something. And then there's the whole virtuoso musicianship thing.

[MinistroRaven]

Bill was for a looong time the keyboard player from a Christian parody band called Apologetix.

[KevShmev]

I think I have now reached the point where I can say The Grand Experiment and The Similitude of a Dream are the two best albums of Neal's solo/NMB career. 

[bosk1]

They are definitely up there.  But it's hard for me to put them above One, Sola, and Testimony.

I would probably put them just behind those three, but it is SO close.  And then I would put Momentum just behind those. 

[KevShmev]

I touched on this in the other thread just now, but my rankings of Neal's solo/NMB albums right now would probably look like this:

Top tier
The Grand Experiment
The Similitude of a Dream

Second tier (just a hair below the top)
One
?
Testimony 2

Third tier
Momentum
Neal Morse (debut)
Sola Scriptura

Last tier
Testimony
Songs from November
It's Not Too Late
Lifeline

[bosk1]

Mine probably goes:

Top tier
One
Sola Scriptura
Testimony

Second tier (just a hair below the top)
The Similitude of a Dream
The Grand Experiment

Third tier
Momentum
Testimony 2

Fourth tier
?
Lifeline


I haven't heard the unofficial collections, so no comment on those.

[KevShmev]

I didn't count the worship CDs either.

[bosk1]

Oh, I thought that's what Songs from November, It's Not Too Late, and Neal Morse were.  I didn't realize there were others as well.

[Mosh]

No those are more singer/songwriter styled solo albums. The worship CDs are totally different and there are quite a few of them.

[KevShmev]

Don't mind bosk1.  He is just doing his usual silliness about the non-prog albums.

[Mosh]

 

I'm slowly wading through Neal's solo work. Haven't heard the new one yet, I want to be in the right mood for my first listen. I did check out One though and I have to say this was the first time I was particularly impressed with a Morse solo album. The other ones I've heard so far (both Testimonies, Grand Experiment, Sola Scriptura, and Momentum) all have their moments but weren't consistently amazing, but One really floored me. Maybe the other albums are growers, but I've found that my favorite Neal Morse related songs/albums are the ones that grab me right away.

[The Letter M]

Apart from "A Whole 'Nother Trip", Neal's first two solo albums, and Songs From November, are decidedly NOT very prog, but are still very Neal. There's some good songs among them, especially ones line "Emma", "The Wind And The Rain", and a few others, but those two stick out in my mind the most, as well as the title track from "It's Not Too Late".

I cannot wait to get Morsefest 2015 because of the live debut of "A Whole 'Nother Trip", which I've wanted Neal to play live for AGES now, and I'm glad he finally got around to playing that early epic of his (which has some early Neal trademarks, like the latin section, and the heavy-guitar riff section, and more!).

My rankings might change on a day-to-day basis, but here's how they rest right now:

Top Tier - One, ?, The Grand Experiment
Second Tier - The Similitude Of A Dream, Testimony 1 & 2
Third Tier - Sola Scriptura, Momentum
Fourth Tier - Lifeline

For me, One (especially the 11-track correct order) is pretty much a masterpiece, and I really enjoy ? as well, as it was the newest album Neal had released just around the time I discovered SB/TA/Neal music, so it got a LOT of attention. And as for TGE, it's an amazing balance of long and short songs, a really great re-interpretation/cover, and an astounding epic - it's a really well-rounded album by a very talented band!

My second tier, oddly enough, make up the longer concept albums, and I love them all just the same as the top tier, but they can take a lot of time to get through, and I can only truly appreciate the albums as wholes, which mean there are some weaker parts here and there when taken as tracks or chunks of tracks. These three are really greater than the sum of their parts.

Third tier are just the remaining two albums above what I (and many others) still consider his weakest effort among his solo/NMB prog works, and I think even Neal feels that way. Since that album came out, he's only regularly played two tracks ("Lifeline" and "Leviathan"), and only occasionally played one or two of the other shorter songs. The epic "So Many Roads" has only ever been played twice, and never by Randy or Mike. I think it would be great if Neal did the whole thing, bonus tracks and all (and perhaps "Starless" as well) in the next Morsefest. Play Lifeline and Testimony 2, give us definitive live versions of "So Many Roads" with Randy and Mike (and Eric and Bill, of course, which would be awesome considering the clarinet solo in there), as well as another version of "Seeds Of Gold", just so I can hear Eric play Steve Morse's guitar solo! Make it happen, Neal! Morsefest 2017...or 2018 - Lifeline & Testimony 2 Live!

-Marc.

[KevShmev]

It's hard to gauge which albums Neal likes the most based off live plays, considering whatever new album he is touring on dominates the set list, and then it seems like he all but avoids the 2nd most recent album except for maybe one or two tracks, so its then a matter of songs eventually making it back.  I mean, has anything from T2 been played live since the tour for that album?  Then you have monster epics like Alive Again, Seeds of Gold and World Without End, all of which were played on the tours from the albums they are from, yet not since. 

[The Letter M]

Even so, with all of that in mind, even on the Lifeline tour, he didn't play "God's Love" or "Children of the Chosen" (and still hasn't to this day). "So Many Roads" got 2 performances, and both "Fly High" and "The Way Home" have been played 6x each, made more interesting by the fact that they've played "Crazy Horses" 9x. The two L-songs have been played the most.

As for T2 songs since the T2 tour, Neal played some for the Testimony encore at MorseFest 2014, but I think that's about it, aside from a stray "Jayda" here or there. I think playing both Lifeline and T2 would be perfect for the next MorseFest for all of these reasons, because the songs have all been underplayed, so getting them with a big performance complete with wind, brass, choir, and more would be a great a great way to document them the way Testimony, One, ?, and Sola Scriptura have been so far.

Hard to believe Testimony 2 will be 6 years old this May, and Lifeline will be 9 years old this October.

-Marc.

[KevShmev]

I'd hate to see one of the Morsefest nights wasted on Lifeline, but, then again, I am sure Neal and the band knows that album isn't highly regarded, so the rest of the set list for that night would probably be insane to make up for it.

Personally, I think it'd be cool if they did The Grand Experiment one night (bonus tracks and all) and TSOAD the other night this year.  It's easy to say, "Well, they'll get to those eventually," but you never know if the band will be the same in two or three years.  Might as well get recorded versions of those entire albums at Morsefest while the iron is hot (although I am sure they already have a show in Europe picked out to record TSOAD for its own release).

[gmillerdrake]

I'd have to go with something like this....

Top tier
One
The Grand Experiment
Testimony

smack between top two tiers is:

The Similitude of a Dream

Second tier (just a hair below the top)
Sola Scriptura
Testimony 2

Third tier
Momentum
?
Lifeline



Speaking to the talk about 'One'....and I hadn't spun that album in an easy two years being that I've been listening to so many other things. I threw that in last week when road tripping for a meeting I had a few hours away and man...I had forgotten just how incredible that album is. First off...it was such a neat feeling to kind of 'rediscover it'. I'd probably listened to that album 100 times but like I said it'd been a while since the last time and man it was just so refreshing and soothing to the spirit.

[KevShmev]

Yep, One is pretty special.  I still am not overly wild about the Spirit and the Flesh reprise being tacked on to Help Me (I made my own mp3 of Help Me that fades out at just the right time), but otherwise it is a perfect record.  And while I love two of the three bonus tracks, I think it made sense to not include them on the real album.  It would have been too long that way.  King Jesus and Back to the Garden are great, but better as bonus tracks.

Also, I tried listening to a bit of Lifeline earlier, but it's just so blah.  God's Love and Children of the Chosen might be the most blah back-to-back combo Neal has ever done.  So Many Roads is really the only song worth taking the time to listen to, and even that one takes dedication given its length.  The title track could have been a great 6 or 7 minute song, but instead is a bloated 13-minute mess.  But hey, Neal has so much great stuff, that I will forgive him for the occasional hiccup.

[bosk1]

Don't mind bosk1.  He is just doing his usual silliness about the non-prog albums.

How is it silliness to just point out that I haven't listened to them and, therefore, don't really know anything about them?

Also, I tried listening to a bit of Lifeline earlier, but it's just so blah.  God's Love and Children of the Chosen might be the most blah back-to-back combo Neal has ever done.  So Many Roads is really the only song worth taking the time to listen to, and even that one takes dedication given its length.  The title track could have been a great 6 or 7 minute song, but instead is a bloated 13-minute mess.  But hey, Neal has so much great stuff, that I will forgive him for the occasional hiccup.

Agreed on pretty much all counts.  I don't even like Leviathan, and don't understand the affinity Neal seems to have for it that he thinks justifies playing it so frequently.

[The Letter M]

I'd hate to see one of the Morsefest nights wasted on Lifeline, but, then again, I am sure Neal and the band knows that album isn't highly regarded, so the rest of the set list for that night would probably be insane to make up for it.

Personally, I think it'd be cool if they did The Grand Experiment one night (bonus tracks and all) and TSOAD the other night this year.  It's easy to say, "Well, they'll get to those eventually," but you never know if the band will be the same in two or three years.  Might as well get recorded versions of those entire albums at Morsefest while the iron is hot (although I am sure they already have a show in Europe picked out to record TSOAD for its own release).

I'm not so sure we'd get TGE at the next Morsefest, mostly because 4 of the 5 album's songs were already released on Alive Again, and those were the 4 played on that tour. The fifth song is now being played, and it'll likely go on the eventual The Road Called Home live album (or whatever it'll be called). As for the 3 bonus tracks, 2 of those songs were played at Morsefest 2015 - the one NOT played was "Doomsday Destiny", and who knows, they could pulled that out this tour. So in reality, of the 8 songs released on TGE, 7 have been played live, and have been, are about to be, and will be released on official live albums.

As for Lifeline, while I do agree it is a bit mediocre, I think playing it all just ONCE at Morsefest would give fans (at least those who like some or most of the album) a chance to have a definitive version of the album played live, especially since only 4 of those 7 tracks (9 if you count the 2 bonus songs) have been released. Like you, I think if they did Lifeline as the 1st set on a Friday night concert, they could do the 2 bonus tracks, maybe "Starless" and a couple of other classic or epic Neal tunes to "make up for it".

I'll be honest, I only like 4 of the 7 songs on Lifeline myself, that being the title track, "Leviathan", "Children Of The Chosen" and "So Many Roads", but I'd still love to hear the whole band play these tunes at some point, so rather than dedicate a song-slots on a whole tour to any of them, one night at Morsefest would be a bit more ideal, especially if it meant that he'd play them "one last time" and never bring them out again (which I'm sure a lot of fans might be happy about ).

On the upside, doing Testimony 2 on Saturday night, with the second disc as part of the 2nd set, would be AMAZING, especially since Neal's only ever played "Supernatural" once (which might have been a solo acoustic performance, too).

-Marc.

[KevShmev]

The good thing is that Neal usually announces what will be played at Morsefest, so if Lifeline actually is a part of it, my brother and I will know ahead of time to avoid that night.   I can't imagine we'd go for both nights anyway, although it's always a possibility if both nights feature something really awesome.