Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread

[OpenYourEyes311]

Best Buy hasn't shipped my Morsefest discs yet. I had some points to use so I got them nearly free.

*edit: just got shipping notification.  yipee!

Yeah, Amazon hadn't shipped them and had an estimated arrival time as next Thursday-Saturday. I was all like FUNKDATNOIZE and called up and complained. They should be here by 8pm on Friday now. 

[Nihil-Morari]

Watching the ending of the first Blu Ray right now. I can only express how much I adore Neal Morse as an artist and as a person. Usually when things get too churchy I can't take it, but with Neal it all looks so real to him, and I love that.
The music sounds as good as ever, most instrumentalists are the best he's ever had in his touring bands, and Neal really shines. Sure his falsetto makes key moments rather fall flat, and there are always a couple of people on stage not playing, as well as the crowd shots make you realize it's not really the Radio City Music Hall. But then Neal gets into shot, and you can't not smile when he smiles, and feel sad when he cries. It's his best concert video by far, I really think so. Even considering they just play music from 2 albums. (apart from the encores of course)

[ronnibran]

So I haven't been listening to Neal much in quite some time (or much prog in general for that matter).  I finally ordered Morsefest just cause I was actually there.  It arrived in the mail today so I started watching with not much anticipation....

Oh my goodness....  I'm sure it's a combination of many things, but I got sucked in so quickly.  Eyes were welling up with tears already on the first overture.  Neal is a fantastic entertainer.   So full of emotion and so genuine.  And the Testimony album is like an old friend that when you revisit from being away a long time it's like you never left.  Those comments aside, this is a great live release!!!  I don't listen to live music like EVAR so I just got the blu ray. 

I know it's a long ways off but I'm sure to look forward to getting the next Morsefest Blu-ray also.

[The Letter M]

Well, MORSEFEST 2015 is approaching. Anyone here going to attend? If so, YOU ARE SO VERY LUCKY!!! Especially since Nick D'Virgilio will be a special guest! Makes me wonder what SB songs they will play for the encores.

I also wonder how they will fill out the sets each night, considering both Testimony and One are pretty lengthy albums (120 and 90 minutes, respectively), while ? and Sola Scriptura are fairly shorter (60 and 75 minutes respectively). I guess the 2nd half of each night will likely be songs from The Grand Experiment or Momentum, with some SB classics while NDV is out there. Hopefully none of the non-Testimony/One tracks they played last time, but if Portnoy was anywhere near the song suggestions outside of the two albums, I'm sure we'll get something unique and special!

-Marc.

[Nihil-Morari]

How about a big Snow medley? There has never been a live release of that, so that would be really awesome. I mean, I wouldn't complain if they played The Great Nothing, or At The End of the Day, or Flow, or The Healing Colors of Sound, or... or... They really can't go wrong. (well, if you forget about All on a Sunday  )

[Nihil-Morari]

In reaction to what you said, Marc, I don't really think they'll play stuff off Momentum or The Grand Experiment. Isn't the plan now to continue this trend and work their way through every NM prog album? Next year would be Lifeline/T2, the year after that Momentum and The Grand Experiment. It would be mind boggling to have a beautiful live release of every solo album NM has done. Just one show each year will keep people coming too I think.

I think we won't see newer NM songs as encores. d'You know what? I'd love to see A Mind Beside Itself! Or what about more proggy songs from his worship albums? Songs like Cloudburst. Add in a couple of old SB tunes and I'd buy it all.

[yeshaberto]

just arrived at the hotel for morsefest. 
can't wait to hear my two favorite morse albums

[The Letter M]

The Call
The Grand Experiment
Go The Way You Go
Macarthur Park
A Whole Nother Trip
New Jerusalem
? Album

Looks like I was right! They played songs from their latest album to help fill out the set, four to be exact, and I'm pretty sure MacArthur Park and New Jerusalem are being played for the first time!

And last year, I had hoped they'd play "A Whole Nother Trip" and it looks like they've finally done it! I'm so glad Neal decided to bring out that hidden gem of an epic!

Looks like over two hours of amazing music was played tonight! Cannot wait to see what they do tomorrow night with Sola Scriptura!

-Marc.

[The Letter M]

In reaction to what you said, Marc, I don't really think they'll play stuff off Momentum or The Grand Experiment. Isn't the plan now to continue this trend and work their way through every NM prog album? Next year would be Lifeline/T2, the year after that Momentum and The Grand Experiment. It would be mind boggling to have a beautiful live release of every solo album NM has done. Just one show each year will keep people coming too I think.

I think we won't see newer NM songs as encores. d'You know what? I'd love to see A Mind Beside Itself! Or what about more proggy songs from his worship albums? Songs like Cloudburst. Add in a couple of old SB tunes and I'd buy it all.

Why would Neal cover a Dream Theater song?!

Also, I doubt they'd do Testimony 2 since a fairly definitive live version, with Mike and Randy, was already released from that album's tour. Granted, it doesn't have the dozens of extra musicians Morsefest would offer, but it feels a BIT too soon to me. Testimony 2: Live in LA only came out 4 years ago after all.

Maybe they'll skip a year and Mike and Neal can do Transatlantic's first two albums for a weekend with Pete, Roine, Daniel and maybe Ted?

Or....now bear with me... How about SNOW? With Spock's Beard, all members past and present?

Either way, I wouldn't MIND another full live version of T2 so soon, especially if it meant definitive live versions of all the Lifeline songs with Mike, Randy and the rest (and I do mean all 9 songs, including the two bonus tracks). "So Many Roads" is a fun epic! Also, if they play T2 again, they'd have to pull out the two Disc 2 tracks they didn't play last time - Absolute Beginner and Supernatural.

- Marc.

[Nihil-Morari]

The Call
The Grand Experiment
Go The Way You Go
Macarthur Park
A Whole Nother Trip
New Jerusalem
? Album

Looks like I was right! They played songs from their latest album to help fill out the set, four to be exact, and I'm pretty sure MacArthur Park and New Jerusalem are being played for the first time!

And last year, I had hoped they'd play "A Whole Nother Trip" and it looks like they've finally done it! I'm so glad Neal decided to bring out that hidden gem of an epic!

Looks like over two hours of amazing music was played tonight! Cannot wait to see what they do tomorrow night with Sola Scriptura!

-Marc.

Haha! I typed A Mind Beside Itself?! I totally meant A Whole Nother Trip! That has been a wish of mine for quite a couple of years now, I can't wait for the release of Morsefest 2015 now!

[KevShmev]

Wow, A Whole Nother Trip??  That's pretty random, but pretty cool.  Now, if only Neal would play the best song from that album, Everything Is Wrong, which incidentally is one of the most gorgeous things he's ever written. 

[Nihil-Morari]

Wow, A Whole Nother Trip??  That's pretty random, but pretty cool.  Now, if only Neal would play the best song from that album, Everything Is Wrong, which incidentally is one of the most gorgeous things he's ever written. 

I actually really like that album. A lot of diversity, but songs really have their own character on that album. Although I must disagree with you, It's Allright is the best thing on that album.

[KevShmev]

I have long defended that album, especially when people start that "Testimony was really his first solo album" non-factual nonsense.  Everything Is Wrong, Emma and The Man Who Would Be King are my favorites, but It's Alright is very nice as well.  Every song on that record is at least good, and the majority are pretty great. 

[ronnibran]

No set list yet from night two?!

[The Letter M]

No set list yet from night two?!

The Door
The Conflict
Heaven in My Heart
The Conflict
Waterfall
At The End Of The Day (w/Nick D'Virgilio)
Wind At My Back (w/Nick D'Virgilio)
Encore:
The Whirlwind (Medley)  (w/Nick D'Virgilio)


Looks like another TGE track and two SB classics with NDV, plus some medley version of "The Whirlwind" (haven't heard which parts, exactly, but I imagine it was similar to the one Transatlantic played on their last tour). A poster on FB shared a pic of NDV singing "Rose Colored Glasses", which tells us he was in the encore and that at least RCG was played as part of the medley.

Not a bad set, and while I love "Wind At My Back", I feel like Neal plays it a LOT, more than "We All Need Some Light" or "June". Ah well...at least NDV made it special!

I'm glad we will finally have a full live version of SS considering the live versions have all been truncated or mashed up into medleys, and over the course of several tours.

-Marc.

[Nihil-Morari]

I really love At The End Of The Day. So it's great to have a good release of that one.

But isn't it a bit of a short setlist? Depends on how long the Whirlwind medley is I guess. Cool of Neal to pick The Whirlwind btw, not All Of The Above, which would've been awesome too, but has been released more often. I'm interested to see how The Whirlwind would sound when Roine's not playing. I still haven't seen the encores of Morsefest 2014, I'm dying to watch this band play Stranger.

[r0cken]

The "I can see the light" vocal line is the guitarist Eric Gillette.  I really like his voice, and wish they would have utilized it more.  His vocals were also on Thoughts pt 5 off of Momentum.

This.
Don't remember on which song exactly I noticed the backing vocals, but I was very impressed.
I SO want to hear more of his singing. I know he had an album out in 2013, but if I'm not mistaken it's mostly instrumental.

[Nihil-Morari]

BTW I ordered both the Blu Ray and the CD set of Morsefest 2014 at my local record store. The blu ray got there a couple of days after the release day, but the CD/DVD set still isn't there. Anyone else have problems with that? I'd love to listen to Morsefest goodness in my car.

[Nihil-Morari]

MASSIVE BUMP BUT FOR GOOD REASON


Apparently Neal Morse's Morsefest this year features Snow! Got an email, a bit puzzle-y but it has to be Snow this year. It says 'expect the unexpected' so, will it be played by Spock's? Or the original Spock's? I'm massively excited!

[The Letter M]

MASSIVE BUMP BUT FOR GOOD REASON


Apparently Neal Morse's Morsefest this year features Snow! Got an email, a bit puzzle-y but it has to be Snow this year. It says 'expect the unexpected' so, will it be played by Spock's? Or the original Spock's? I'm massively excited!

Called this last year, that the next MORSEFEST will feature SNOW in its entirety, hopefully with the whole current band, Neal, and Nick as well.

They can play all of Snow one night, then a reverse-chronological set the other night, ending with an epic performance of "The Light" (because you gotta), then an epic encore of "Falling For Forever" with all 7 band members on stage!

-Marc.

[ronnibran]

I am ready to get tickets and plan a vacation in Nashville.  Even if it's not Snow (don't see how it could NOT be), my family was bummed I skipped this last Morsefest (they enjoyed traveling with me even if they didn't participate in the shows).  Looking forward to more details on Monday.

[The Letter M]

I am ready to get tickets and plan a vacation in Nashville.  Even if it's not Snow (don't see how it could NOT be), my family was bummed I skipped this last Morsefest (they enjoyed traveling with me even if they didn't participate in the shows).  Looking forward to more details on Monday.

Ditto. As someone who makes enough to get by, I am planning to seriously consider saving up a TON of money to plan a trip to Nashville to see one of my favorite albums performed by one of my favorite musical groups/artists of all time. I don't normally go out to concerts or even take long vacation trips like this, but I am willing to make an exception.

-Marc.

[hefdaddy42]

Morsefest will feature Snow performed in its entirety by all past and present members of Spock's Beard.

Might be a great opportunity for a one-time only performance of Falling To Forever, as well.

[Nihil-Morari]

I'd love to go. Snow is one of my favorite albums of all time, and I'd love to immerse myself in it in a live setting. But airplane tickets alone (yes I've checked) are 1200 euros, so that's over 1300 dollars. Then there's accommodation, the tickets themselves... Could turn out to be over 2000 euros for a week. That's too much. I'll buy the blu-ray next year 

[hefdaddy42]

I would love to go as well, and it would be much more feasible for me theoretically (Tennessee is the next state over to the west), but my wife is currently unemployed, so there isn't much disposable income to go around.

[ronnibran]

Dang, 2nd show will be an "unplugged" storytellers type show with Neal Morse, Nick DV, Casey McPherson, and Eric Gillette. 

My personal opinion is that the first Morsefest was the "ultimate" Morsefest, getting to see Testimony and One in entirety.  I was lukewarm on the idea of the Morsefest 2.  But this definitely seems to me like a SUPER idea.  I'm really hoping I go.

[ytserush]

Dang, 2nd show will be an "unplugged" storytellers type show with Neal Morse, Nick DV, Casey McPherson, and Eric Gillette. 

My personal opinion is that the first Morsefest was the "ultimate" Morsefest, getting to see Testimony and One in entirety.  I was lukewarm on the idea of the Morsefest 2.  But this definitely seems to me like a SUPER idea.  I'm really hoping I go.

I was tempted by the first two. That's not the case at all this time although the second show might be interesting...especially if they break out into Beatles songs.

[The Letter M]

I was tempted by the first two. That's not the case at all this time although the second show might be interesting...especially if they break out into Beatles songs.

Good point. Neal is an out-right Beatle-maniac, and I'm sure Nick, Casey and Eric are pretty familiar with them. Considering they are all multi-instrumentalists and singers, there's a chance for some amazing covers of Beatles songs, or even each other's songs!

-Marc.

[The Letter M]

The new Neal Morse Band album, coming this fall (Sept or Oct), will be a DOUBLE CONCEPT ALBUM!!!

Mike Portnoy
2 hrs ·
NMB Album Update (and some bold words from yours truly...):

This selfie was snapped at the end of last night's session where we listened to playback of the entire new Neal Morse Band album from start to finish (only my drum tracks are finished so far)...
WOW! I am absolutely speechless....

As much as I initially fought against the idea (for very obvious reasons), it has grown into a double concept album....

I usually never say this about new albums I make, but I honestly feel this album is an absolute masterpiece...and probably in the top 3 of the most defining albums of my entire career (along with DT's Scenes From A Memory and TA's The Whirlwind)

I'll just say this: If you think you've heard the Prog Album of 2016, you ain't heard NUTHIN YET!!!! Wait til you get a load of this...😎
(the album is slated for release approx Sept/Oct...more news coming soon!!)

Looks like the year for double concept albums...Dream Theater, Tiles, and now Neal Morse. Who else is getting those out this year? lol

Looking forward to this. Neal hasn't done an original concept idea in awhile (not since Sola, and I know T2 came out after that, but it was a continuation of an existing idea, and Lifeline, Momentum, and the Grand Experiment weren't conceptual at all, so it's nice to see Neal return to his early solo album roots like Testimony and One, at least by design). Cannot wait to hear this doozy of an album!!!

-Marc.

[bosk1]

If you think you've heard the Prog Album of 2016, you ain't heard NUTHIN YET!!!!

I guess we'll see.  Yes, we shall see...

[Nihil-Morari]

I'd love to hear this! A big story, quite possibly religious, and a couple of long songs, big epic endings and a lot of heartfelt music. I'm loving the fact that they've got two discs worth of material. And like you said Mark, going back to a concept album is a good thing. He hasn't done one in a while. I was watching the Making of Sola Scriptura a couple of weeks back, and Mike really discusses the fact that Neal shouldn't do ANOTHER concept album. After Snow, Testimony, One and ?. It's a funny thing that since then T2 has been the only one.


And before the storm starts: Neal already said it could be a double album, even before Mike joined them in session. Just to not even get people started.

[KevShmev]

Hmmm, I wonder what this album will be about...

Jokes aside, Neal has toned down the religious stuff a lot in the last few years, to where they sound more spiritual than overtly religious, and I hope that continues.

[The Letter M]

We also have to think that Neal has probably been thinking about doing SNOW for Morsefest this year for a LONG time, especially to get the boys in SB and NDV as well to join in on it. A LOT of planning has gone into it, I'm sure, so maybe with that in mind, Neal has written something along those lines for the new NMB album?

Granted, unlike Snow, and anything else he's done before, a lot of this new music is also co-written by Bill, Eric, and Randy. I'm sure Mike has had his usual arrangements thrown in during his stay in the last couple of weeks whilst tracking his drum parts. With the drums done, all that's left is for the other four to lay down their final parts (which will probably take the next month or two), then Rich to mix them all (which will carry us through the summer), then off to master and press. September seems like an ideal release date. I suspect a fall tour to follow as Neal's plans after Morsefest haven't really been settled yet, and with no Transatlantic or Flying Colors studio dates set yet, I'm sure he'll be free to gear up for a MASSIVE NMB tour this fall to promote the new epic album!

At this point, I'm expecting anything. His concept albums have gone from huge chunks of smaller pieces, huge pieces with smaller movements, looooong single epics with longer sections within them, and just a bunch of epics. I'd like to see him mix it up a bit here, more like ONE, with a couple of 25-minute epics, a few shorter pieces under 8 minutes, and maybe a few 8-15 minute pieces here and there, ya know, to really stretch out their musical muscles.

There has been and will be SOOOO much good prog coming out there, and no shortage of double concept albums either (DT's Astonishing, Tiles' Pretending 2 Run, and now the new Neal Morse Band)!!!!

-Marc.

[ronnibran]

Nice!  Strong words from MP.  I'm excited for sure.  I was personally underwhelmed with The Grand Experiment, but maybe was just progged out last year. Was not expecting to read about a new double concept album.  Excellent news!!!

[KevShmev]

The Grand Experiment was great, and I suspect this will be, too.