Author Topic: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread  (Read 539688 times)

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Offline OpenYourEyes311

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2205 on: February 24, 2017, 12:51:48 PM »
Also, just popped on Lifeline. This and One took the longest for me to get into but with each listen they get better and better.

What do people think of Leviathan?

Easily my least favorite song on the album. It was a major disappointment when he played it second on the Alive Again tour (the only time I've seen NM). The rest of the show made up for it, but I wish he'd play a different track from Lifeline.
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Offline Mindflux

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2206 on: February 24, 2017, 01:56:55 PM »
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDdcax-SD2E

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Offline darkshade

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2207 on: February 24, 2017, 03:05:09 PM »
Haven't heard Lifeline in a long time, I don't even remember anything about So Many Roads. Title track is of course a classic. Inspired by this thread, I might listen to that one next.

I jumped over to Spock's and put on Beware of Darkness on my way to work, this one was never that great to me, but hearing it for the first time in a good few years and the fact that it's a gorgeous day today, everything just sounded great and it's definitely a grower, and I don't even think it's one Neal's best work, but it's still solid.

Also, blasting Thoughts Pt 5 while driving with the windows down is awesome.

Offline The Letter M

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2208 on: February 24, 2017, 05:32:53 PM »
Announced today (or last night?), MorseFest 2017, September 1st and 2nd! No further details outside of it being held at the same place as usual.

-Marc.

ORLY??



Also, Morsefest has been announced for September 1st and 2nd.  Details will be forthcoming.  :hat

 :lol :biggrin:

 :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm:

Whoops. At least I added that it'll be held in the same place in TN that he usually does. Initial posts by Neal on Twitter and Facebook had not noted that, so there were a ton of comments on Facebook asking where it would be, but the Inner Circle newsletter points out that it'll be in the same place.

Either way, back on the topic of Lifeline - I don't HATE "Leviathan", but I don't LOVE it (not as much as Neal and/or Mike apparently do, but they have a lot of fun performing it, so who am I to stop them!). It's a silly rocker with weird and silly vocals and lyrics, and that's ok. Neal has to do one of those every now and then. It's still in my Top half of the album, though. I'd much rather listen to "Leviathan" than "The Way Home" or "God's Love" or "Children Of The Chosen" (though I've grown to like that one a bit more over the years). It's a shame that Lifeline is such a mixed bag.

What's funny is that it's the only post-SB prog album that Neal has done that has not had it's Making-Of/Sessions released yet. With the release of Testimony 2, every studio album Neal has done solo/with the NMB has had a special edition released containing the Making-Of DVD (T2, Momentum, TGE, TSOAD, and even both Transatlantic albums as well). Then with the Inner Circle, T1, One, ? and SS have all had their sessions released on DVD. Maybe he just hasn't gotten around to it yet, and it's in the pipeline, or perhaps he just doesn't feel strongly enough about the album to WANT to release those behind-the-scenes look. I remember watching some YouTube clips of Mike and Randy talking about the then-upcoming follow-up to SS, and how excited they were, but when it actually came out, a lot of the hype died down for me, and it seemed like no one really talked about it much since then.

This is why I kind of hope that Neal plays the album for Morsefest this year (plus the bonus tracks), just to "lay them to rest" once and for all, and let the whole Neal Morse Band put their spin on them since most of those tracks were only played by Neal's European band at the time, especially the epic "So Many Roads". Do them all ONE LAST TIME, then retire the songs (cuz let's face it - we don't need "Leviathan" on another live album ever again).

-Marc.
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2209 on: February 24, 2017, 05:46:10 PM »
I jumped over to Spock's and put on Beware of Darkness on my way to work, this one was never that great to me, but hearing it for the first time in a good few years and the fact that it's a gorgeous day today, everything just sounded great and it's definitely a grower, and I don't even think it's one Neal's best work, but it's still solid.

Honestly, I have a tough time ranking the Neal-era Spock's stuff.  Beware of Darkness is probably the most consistent, I will say that.

Also, blasting Thoughts Pt 5 while driving with the windows down is awesome.

 :metal

This is why I kind of hope that Neal plays the album for Morsefest this year (plus the bonus tracks), just to "lay them to rest" once and for all, and let the whole Neal Morse Band put their spin on them since most of those tracks were only played by Neal's European band at the time, especially the epic "So Many Roads". Do them all ONE LAST TIME, then retire the songs (cuz let's face it - we don't need "Leviathan" on another live album ever again).

Eh, to me, that album isn't good enough or popular enough to warrant getting the full album treatment at Morsefest.  My brother and I are talking about going this year to both nights, but I won't wanna go the first night if all of Lifeline is getting played.  He has too much great stuff to waste over an hour playing what almost everyone agrees is his worst and most (only) forgettable album. 

Offline darkshade

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2210 on: February 24, 2017, 09:51:59 PM »
I went back to Lifeline, and the title track is still the best. Great tune. Portnoy is crazy, great bass work from Randy George. So Many Roads was cool, but that one still hasn't sunk in. I'll have to listen to it separate from the album. Leviathan is OK but I could see getting tired of it quickly. The rest is whatever, but I didn't mind The Way Home, I think it's one of Neal's better ballads.



Honestly, I have a tough time ranking the Neal-era Spock's stuff.  Beware of Darkness is probably the most consistent, I will say that.


For me it goes like this

V
The Light
Beware of Darkness
The Kindness of Strangers
Day For Night
Snow

I've only listened to DFN and Snow once, so I need to go back and see if my list changes.

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2211 on: February 25, 2017, 08:12:26 AM »
V, to me, is one of those "the parts are greater than the sum" albums, which is the opposite of how Neal albums usually go.  To explain, the epics are two of my favorite SB songs (At the End of the Day might be top 5, while The Great Nothing is probably just outside of the top 10), and I like the other four songs all quite a bit to varying degrees, but as a whole, the album isn't as great to listen to from start to finish as many of their other albums, in large part because it comes off like a bunch of songs on a record, instead of a well-flowing record, which Neal usually excels at.  Plus, Alan Morse was really hit or miss with his guitar tone during pretty much all of Neal's tenure, and it is at its worst on this record.  His heavy tone when he is playing power chords or something is atrocious, which is easy to overlook when focusing on just one song at a time, but when listening to the album from start to finish, where you get hit with it over and over and over, it gets a little annoying.  Does that make sense to anyone?

On the flip side, Snow is the opposite. There isn't a single song on that record that would make my top 10 from the Neal era, but as a whole, it is pretty outstanding (although disc 2 gets rather ponderous for a while with reprises..should have gone from I'm Dying right into I Will Go).  TSOAD is almost his modern day Snow, except TSOAD is more concise and never has that "this is going on for too long" feeling.  And Similitude... has higher highs, except the Snow final track is better than the TSOAD final track, IMO.

Offline Kwyjibo

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2212 on: February 25, 2017, 08:37:25 AM »
For me V is definitely the best, can't really share your complaints. The flow of songs is good and Alan's tone never bothered me. There are some strange sounding distorted guitars but I think they're done on purpose and fit in nicely.

Never could connect with Snow. Mediocre songs, imo, and much too long.

TSoaD does everything right what Snow made wrong. The songs are much better, and it flows nicely.
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Offline utopiarun

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2213 on: February 25, 2017, 08:38:55 AM »
Kev, I agree on V. I listened to that one last week for the first time in a long time and after the incredible "At The End Of The Day" I was basically just biding my time listening to the other tunes, as OK as they are, for the big finale, "The Great Nothing". I find most of SB's Neal era albums to be like that, there are some classic things and some filler stuff. But the classic stuff is just amazing, The Light, Go The Way You Go, The Doorway, The Water, etc.

I would really love to see Neal breaking out of the box. He is so entrenched in his "formula" with MP and Randy George and to my ears as talented as he is, he is using the same "tricks" over and over again. I would love for him to work with an outside producer and bandmates who would push Neal to go outside his comfort zone and create something (I hope) wonderful. Not sure if we will get to see it though.

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2214 on: February 25, 2017, 01:05:50 PM »
For me V is definitely the best, can't really share your complaints. The flow of songs is good and Alan's tone never bothered me. There are some strange sounding distorted guitars but I think they're done on purpose and fit in nicely.

The heavy tone he uses around the 11-minute mark in At the End of the Day, when they come out of the mellow middle section and start rocking, literally makes me wince every time.  It's such a painfully bad tone.  And don't even get me started on his heavy tone at the beginning of Freak Day from Snow. :censored

Never could connect with Snow. Mediocre songs, imo, and much too long.

TSoaD does everything right what Snow made wrong. The songs are much better, and it flows nicely.

Snow does feel like work to get through, but if you take the best 50-60 minutes of it and condense it down for a listen, it's pretty awesome.

Kev, I agree on V. I listened to that one last week for the first time in a long time and after the incredible "At The End Of The Day" I was basically just biding my time listening to the other tunes, as OK as they are, for the big finale, "The Great Nothing".

Right, it does feel like work to get through the whole record, but if I listen to those songs randomly amongst others, I like them all.

I would really love to see Neal breaking out of the box. He is so entrenched in his "formula" with MP and Randy George and to my ears as talented as he is, he is using the same "tricks" over and over again. I would love for him to work with an outside producer and bandmates who would push Neal to go outside his comfort zone and create something (I hope) wonderful. Not sure if we will get to see it though.

I wouldn't hold your breath. :lol :lol

For my money, while a lot of TSOAD was very Neal-ish, quite a lot of it is also pretty fresh, and there are some new sounds and styles in there, thanks to the addition of Eric and Bill.

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2215 on: February 25, 2017, 05:34:08 PM »
Randy George is taking questions on Neal's FB page until tomorrow, so ask away!

I asked him earlier what his five favorite Neal solo/NMB songs were, not counting anything from TSOAD, and his reply was:

The Separated Man
Reunion
In the Fire/Solid as the Sun
Thoughts Part 5
The Call

Great choices.  :tup :tup

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2216 on: February 26, 2017, 09:42:48 AM »
It's official, via Neal on FB, for Morsefest 2017:

Night 1: Testimony 2 and Rare Epics
Night 2: The Similitude of a Dream Live DVD Recording

Offline Nihil-Morari

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2217 on: February 26, 2017, 09:49:37 AM »
It's official, via Neal on FB, for Morsefest 2017:

Night 1: Testimony 2 and Rare Epics
Night 2: The Similitude of a Dream Live DVD Recording

Wow, it's been a while since I posted, been busy I guess. Wanted to check in to ask if anyone has a clue what those 'Rare Epics' could be. I guess he means Seeds of Gold, but since he's played A Whole Nother Trip last Morsefest, what could the others Epics be? So Many Roads? Are there more?
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2218 on: February 26, 2017, 09:54:45 AM »
I could see So Many Roads being one of them, so they get that in there, since Lifeline is being skipped over (thankfully).  I could see him slipping in a Spock's epic, too, like having some of the Spock's guys show up and playing The Great Nothing, or maybe even The Healing Colors... suite.

T2 itself is nearly two hours long, so maybe a shorter epic like Flow.  That would be awesome.

Offline The Letter M

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2219 on: February 26, 2017, 10:00:44 AM »
It might be a safe bet that SMR gets played since he is skipping all of Lifeline. Add the fact that it's only been played two times makes it one of the rarest epics in his live performance history. He could bring back "The Water" but I'm not sure how he feels about the FU section these days.

The "Healing Colors" suite would be interesting, but I feel like he'd be more into "The Great Nothing" (of his 3 20+ minute SB epics).

As for Testimony 2, I hope they do all of disc 2, as I don't think he's played "Absolute Beginner" or "Supernatural" more than a handful of times.

Also, making this performance of TSOAD the official live one is a great idea. The whole stage production will totally enhance the concept, and they'll have plenty of rehearsal time to get it just right without a lot of outside variables affecting the show. Neal can also do a lot more with the production of it all, so I expect a top notch show!

I guess by doing T2 and TSOAD, I wonder if he'll ever do Momentum or TGE?

-Marc.
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Offline Nihil-Morari

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2220 on: February 26, 2017, 10:02:47 AM »
I could see So Many Roads being one of them, so they get that in there, since Lifeline is being skipped over (thankfully).  I could see him slipping in a Spock's epic, too, like having some of the Spock's guys show up and playing The Great Nothing, or maybe even The Healing Colors... suite.

T2 itself is nearly two hours long, so maybe a shorter epic like Flow.  That would be awesome.

Ah yeah Spock's epics, hadn't thought of that. And yeah playing both T2 discs and So Many Roads would be quite an evening in itself.

And getting way ahead, but the release will probably be different from the Blu Ray ór CD/DVD combination, since I think Radiant would want to release the Similitude live version separate from the rest.
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2221 on: February 26, 2017, 10:06:46 AM »
The Doorway is always a possibility, no?  Has Neal ever played The Doorway since leaving Spock's?  It has to be pretty rare, in either case.

Marc, T2 is being advertised, and Disc 2 is part of T2, so I think it is safe to assume all of it will be played.  I can't imagine them advertising that they will play the album and then skipping select songs from it.

Offline Nihil-Morari

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2222 on: February 26, 2017, 10:12:53 AM »
I don't think TGE and Momentum will get the Morsefest treatment honestly. Both have fairly recent good live releases with a top notch band. I do see a TA Morsefest happening though, SMPT:E and Bridge with a cover-set added, or with a couple of newer songs in a second set.
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Offline OpenYourEyes311

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2223 on: February 26, 2017, 01:58:18 PM »
The Doorway is always a possibility, no?  Has Neal ever played The Doorway since leaving Spock's?  It has to be pretty rare, in either case.

Marc, T2 is being advertised, and Disc 2 is part of T2, so I think it is safe to assume all of it will be played.  I can't imagine them advertising that they will play the album and then skipping select songs from it.

I wouldn't assume anything; the first Morsefest advertised One COMPLETE with Bonus Tracks, and they still skipped "Back to the Garden"

Put me in the very small pile of disappointed people who wanted to see Lifeline. Even if it doesn't ever get the full Morsefest treatment, I hope Neal starts playing some more of those songs in his sets. T2 is great, but TSOAD has STILL yet to grab me. The wife said we could go this year, so I'll see how much it is and see if it's worth it to me.
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Offline The Letter M

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2224 on: February 26, 2017, 02:25:29 PM »
I could see So Many Roads being one of them, so they get that in there, since Lifeline is being skipped over (thankfully).  I could see him slipping in a Spock's epic, too, like having some of the Spock's guys show up and playing The Great Nothing, or maybe even The Healing Colors... suite.

T2 itself is nearly two hours long, so maybe a shorter epic like Flow.  That would be awesome.

Ah yeah Spock's epics, hadn't thought of that. And yeah playing both T2 discs and So Many Roads would be quite an evening in itself.

And getting way ahead, but the release will probably be different from the Blu Ray ór CD/DVD combination, since I think Radiant would want to release the Similitude live version separate from the rest.

I would think that they would release the FULL set for anyone who wants it, that is the (so far) typical 4CD/2DVD set of both nights, and a separate Blu-Ray set of both nights. However, they would be smart to also just sell a 2CD/DVD or 2CD/BD set of JUST the TSOAD show, which will probably be the same as he's been touring it, though the encore could be drastically different, considering that on the first leg of the tour alone, he's rotated 4 different songs and done a few variations on the encore set (sometimes only playing ONE song, sometimes three).

I don't think TGE and Momentum will get the Morsefest treatment honestly. Both have fairly recent good live releases with a top notch band. I do see a TA Morsefest happening though, SMPT:E and Bridge with a cover-set added, or with a couple of newer songs in a second set.

In the case of TGE, that's pretty true. Between Alive Again and Morsefest 2015, 6 of the 8 songs released on TGE Special Edition have been played live and released on live formats. The other two are "Doomsday Destiny" and "Agenda", the latter of which has been played as part of the encore (sometimes) on the current tour, so a live release of that is possible for Morsefest 2017. In the case of Momentum, only "Smoke And Mirrors" and "Freak" have yet to be performed live (as far as I am aware), and there's always the chance they could play those at Morsefest this year.

After this upcoming Morsefest, there won't be many songs by post-SB Neal that the Neal Morse Band haven't played live and released, with the large exception being Lifeline, which is a big part of why I'm kind of sad that they're skipping it, but I'd be happy for just the title track and/or "So Many Roads".

The Doorway is always a possibility, no?  Has Neal ever played The Doorway since leaving Spock's?  It has to be pretty rare, in either case.

Marc, T2 is being advertised, and Disc 2 is part of T2, so I think it is safe to assume all of it will be played.  I can't imagine them advertising that they will play the album and then skipping select songs from it.

I wouldn't assume anything; the first Morsefest advertised One COMPLETE with Bonus Tracks, and they still skipped "Back to the Garden"

Put me in the very small pile of disappointed people who wanted to see Lifeline. Even if it doesn't ever get the full Morsefest treatment, I hope Neal starts playing some more of those songs in his sets. T2 is great, but TSOAD has STILL yet to grab me. The wife said we could go this year, so I'll see how much it is and see if it's worth it to me.

This is true - they did skip "Back To The Garden" and it's rattled my brain why they did. It's not like it's an overly complex song, either, and it wouldn't have taken much to learn it. Maybe Neal just didn't feel strongly enough about it to play it? Perhaps that is his feeling about Lifeline, too.

-Marc.
« Last Edit: February 28, 2017, 08:52:46 AM by The Letter M »
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2225 on: February 26, 2017, 06:42:53 PM »
Hmmm, I wasn't aware that Back to the Garden was skipped at the One show.

And in true "they still suck ass" fashion, Radiant is advertising on FB that tickets go on sale on their site tomorrow, but when you go to their site, nothing shows up.  I hate to keep beating this drum, but it really is sad how awful Radiant Records is. They suck.

Offline The Letter M

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2226 on: February 26, 2017, 07:12:41 PM »
Hmmm, I wasn't aware that Back to the Garden was skipped at the One show.

And in true "they still suck ass" fashion, Radiant is advertising on FB that tickets go on sale on their site tomorrow, but when you go to their site, nothing shows up.  I hate to keep beating this drum, but it really is sad how awful Radiant Records is. They suck.

I've been feeling that way more and more lately, and unless I know when a pre-order is going to go live (like, exact day and time, with a lot of advanced notice), I won't be pre-ordering from them anymore. Case in point - Morsefest 2015's pre-orders went live just hours after an email and Facebook post, or maybe less than a day after an email - I'm not sure, I just know it slipped by me in the previous day - and I missed out on the whole "First 100" thing that they usually do. I waited a few weeks to order it, but when I did, I got it from Amazon.com and it was down to 29.99, and with free Prime shipping, that's not bad for a 4CD/2DVD set. I think I have enough things signed by Neal anyway, I can probably let other fans get their signed albums from here on out.

But yes, for one reason or another, "Back To The Garden" was omitted from the One show at the first Morsefest, and I don't think an explanation was ever given as to why, which is a shame, because they went through the trouble of doing the other 10 songs. Hopefully they play both shorter songs of Disc 2 from T2, though, as I do really enjoyable. They're nice breathers after the immense T2  and before the epic "Seeds Of Gold".

Ideally, Night 1 of Morsefest 2017 would look like this:
Set 1 - All of Testimony 2 (fits perfectly on 1 CD)
Set 2 - Absolute Beginner, Supernatural, Seeds Of Gold, Lifeline, So Many Roads (adds up to just over 79 minutes, perfect for a 2nd disc)
Encore - The Water (maybe?) - Looking back at Morsefest 2014 and 2015, they played "The Light" and "Go The Way You Go" respectively, so what's next?...

Of course, Night 2 would be TSOAD in its entirety, so we already know what sets 1 and 2 would be like, but the encore will likely contain at least "Agenda" and probably "The Call", though I wouldn't mind them tossing out "Doomsday Destiny" as well, just to get the last TGE song out there.

-Marc.
« Last Edit: February 28, 2017, 08:53:05 AM by The Letter M »
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2227 on: February 26, 2017, 09:54:43 PM »
My guess is that Radiant will send out an email tomorrow saying the tickets are on sale in like an hour and I will miss out on it, since I have no clue what the ticket prices are right now, and it is going to be a busy day at work tomorrow, so I won't have time to mess with it.  I'll see if my brother (who wants to go, too) can mess with it, but he is an appraiser and usually on the road in the mornings, so it's highly doubtful.

Offline utopiarun

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2228 on: February 27, 2017, 06:36:24 AM »
I'm intrigued by the "rare epics" portion they are talking about, but I think it's more likely that Seeds Of Gold or So Many Roads will get played over the SB epics. Even though I am not going to Nashville, I would love to see The Great Nothing, but IMO MP doesn't really like playing SB era stuff. We did get Harms Way/Go The Way You Go on the TGE tour (loved that!) but for the most part he only likes playing the stuff he was on.

And I don't think there is ANY WAY Neal is going to do The Water with that FU part! I saw Nick era SB do The Water/Go The Way You Go a few years back, omitting the FU part.

Offline kaos2900

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2229 on: February 27, 2017, 06:47:30 AM »
I really want to go but it would cost be around close to a grand for the flight and it's about an 11 hour drive from Omaha. Going to have to wait until it's released I guess. So are they not filming night 1?

Offline axeman90210

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2230 on: February 27, 2017, 09:05:13 AM »
Just checked and flights really aren't bad for me between Newark and Nashville. I'll have to check out Testimony 2 and see how much I like it.
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Offline kaos2900

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2231 on: February 27, 2017, 09:18:46 AM »
That's the other thing, Testimony 2 may be my least favorite of Neal's solo work. It's still good but if I was going to drop the money on Morsefest I should have went to the ?/Sola Scriptura show.

Offline Nihil-Morari

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2232 on: February 27, 2017, 11:29:25 AM »
Although T2 is one of my favourites, (and Similitude keeps climbing towards the top spot) and I'd love to visit the US once, I just can't see myself at Morsefest. I'd love to be there, but I can't stay longer since it's not in my holiday period, flight tickets are close to 1.000 USD, and it's a 27-32 hour journey each way. (Keeping in mind that next to accommodation the weekend itself with meet and greet is still 330 euro's. They should compensate for people spending a lot on travel  :biggrin: )
Maybe once, if they do a Transatlantic one, and I can stay longer I'll consider it.
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Offline OpenYourEyes311

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2233 on: February 27, 2017, 04:44:31 PM »
Welp! The wife said it was okay, so I've booked my tickets to Morsefest 2017! I'm pretty pumped about it. We're going to be driving Thursday night from Massachusetts down to Nashville (17 hours, whew!). Got the hotel ready for us and everything.

T2 is my absolute favorite album by Neal, so I'm looking forward to that night the most. I really hope they decide to NOT leave out Absolute Beginner and Supernatural, but it'll still be a killer show either way. TSOAD is a good album, too, and I'm excited to see it since I couldn't make it to the tour earlier this year. My wife will most likely be lost in the noise, but she'll have a good time. And we're gonna go to the Inner Circle concert, too, so she'll probably like that more since it's most likely a little more subdued and acoustic.
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2234 on: February 27, 2017, 06:14:45 PM »
Radiant still blows :lol. but my brother and I got tickets for both nights, so we will be there.  It's only about 300+ miles from St Louis to Nashville, so the drive is manageable. No worse than going to Chicago and back.

Offline The Letter M

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2235 on: February 28, 2017, 09:01:34 AM »
I really want to go but it would cost be around close to a grand for the flight and it's about an 11 hour drive from Omaha. Going to have to wait until it's released I guess. So are they not filming night 1?

They're are most certainly filming both nights, as has been the norm for the last 3 Morsefests. The note about TSOAD being filmed means that THAT performance will be the official tour release of the album (like we had Alive Again for the TGE Tour, Live Momentum for the Momentum Tour, Testimony 2 Live In LA for the Testimony 2 tour, etc.). Morsefest 2017's second night will be the documentation of the TSOAD/Road Called Home Tour, and if they're smart, they'll sell that set separately, but also in addition to the first night for a complete Morsefest 2017 live package (4CD/2DVD).

-Marc.
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Offline bosk1

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2236 on: February 28, 2017, 09:09:26 AM »
The note about TSOAD being filmed means that THAT performance will be the official tour release of the album (like we had Alive Again for the TGE Tour, Live Momentum for the Momentum Tour, Testimony 2 Live In LA for the Testimony 2 tour, etc.).

Which is fine because, as much as I love Neal's music, and as much as I generally ascribe to the "more is better" theory, I am starting to feel oversaturated by Neal Morse live releases and don't need to be overwhelmed with 2 per album cycle.  It's hard for me to even keep track of which release is which anymore.
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Offline The Letter M

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2237 on: February 28, 2017, 09:14:40 AM »
The note about TSOAD being filmed means that THAT performance will be the official tour release of the album (like we had Alive Again for the TGE Tour, Live Momentum for the Momentum Tour, Testimony 2 Live In LA for the Testimony 2 tour, etc.).

Which is fine because, as much as I love Neal's music, and as much as I generally ascribe to the "more is better" theory, I am starting to feel oversaturated by Neal Morse live releases and don't need to be overwhelmed with 2 per album cycle.  It's hard for me to even keep track of which release is which anymore.

I started to feel that way with Dream Theater's live albums after awhile. Like, did we need another live version of Metropolis, or Pull Me Under, or more recently, Breaking All Illusions. At least with The Astonishing (assuming they'll release a live version of it), there won't be any live-song re-hashes since the whole album was played live each night on that tour.

At least with Neal, when he tours on a new album, you can bet that he'll play nearly all of it, if not most of it on that tour, so the live set varies a bit. I was a bit bummed when, from the T2 tour on, they did snippets of One and Sola Scriptura, only to end up doing (almost, in the case of One) the whole thing for each at Morsefests later on. Not like anyone would've known, but I won't complain, since we've got full live versions of those songs and albums now.

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Offline bosk1

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2238 on: February 28, 2017, 05:13:53 PM »
I may have missed it if it was posted, but here is their set from Cruise To The Edge:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWZtzJZ64A0

Man, Neal is such a great performer, and this band is REALLY starting to gel.
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread
« Reply #2239 on: February 28, 2017, 05:34:06 PM »
The note about TSOAD being filmed means that THAT performance will be the official tour release of the album (like we had Alive Again for the TGE Tour, Live Momentum for the Momentum Tour, Testimony 2 Live In LA for the Testimony 2 tour, etc.).

Which is fine because, as much as I love Neal's music, and as much as I generally ascribe to the "more is better" theory, I am starting to feel oversaturated by Neal Morse live releases and don't need to be overwhelmed with 2 per album cycle.  It's hard for me to even keep track of which release is which anymore.

I get what you mean, but he has so many songs, from his various bands, that he does a great job at not repeating many of them.  I suspect much of the non-T2 and non-TSOAD songs at Morsefest this year will be songs never seen on any of his live DVDs prior.  And he always has Spock's stuff he can play towards that end, like Harm's Way/Go the Way You Go on the Alive Again live recording.  The advantage of being so obscure and unknown is Neal really doesn't have any "must play" songs, so he'll never have a Tom Sawyer, ya know, one of those songs that appears on all or most live DVDs.