Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread

[Thoughtspart3]

Like others have said the TGA just gets better with each listen.  Disc 2 is fantastic, especially the last half.  I was brought to tears a few times with the finale.  It beautifully builds and feels just the right length.  "To the ri-ver, I am go-ing!" Love the cord progressions.  Can't wait to see this live in Philly.

[ytserush]

More of a fan of disc two as well.

[dedSurroun]

If you ask me, ? is still my favorite Neal Morse record.

It's his best, by far. Better than any solo work (including Testimony).

In my opinion, of course.

[Zydar]

I'm watching this clip of 'The Light', from a festival in 2008 with Spock's Beard. Such a great song, and they seem to be having a blast up there together with Neal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdfN3Qe9wZQ

[axeman90210]

I have to say, The Great Adventure is clicking with me faster than TSOAD did when it was first released. Similtude was really helped by seeing it performed live, so I'm curious to see how I feel after my two NMB shows this week (Wednesday in NJ and Saturday in Philly).

[KevShmev]

3/5 of the band performs 'Vanity Fair' at the WCCB-TV studios in Charlotte, North Carolina:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqJ-U2Ou08o&feature=player_embedded

[Architeuthis]

That was awesome!   

[KevShmev]

Q & A with the band from Cruise to the Edge below. I watched this last night and it was highly entertaining.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m5cXQ6g1WM

[Mebert78]

Q & A with the band from Cruise to the Edge below. I watched this last night and it was highly entertaining.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m5cXQ6g1WM

Thanks for sharing!  Really enjoying this so far.  Can't wait for Sunday's show in Westbury, NY!

[Mladen]

That was very cool. Randy strikes me as a funny guy. 

[KevShmev]

Yep, Randy definitely seems like the jokester of the band, and Neal is pretty good with the one-liners as well.  I have seen and heard enough interviews recently to deduce that Eric is a very quiet guy.

[gzarruk]

Yep, Randy definitely seems like the jokester of the band, and Neal is pretty good with the one-liners as well.  I have seen and heard enough interviews recently to deduce that Eric is a very quiet guy.

Did you see Neal's Instagram post yesterday where Eric sings the country version of "The Great Adventure"? That was funny

[faizoff]

I'm still on cloud nine since I saw the band on Saturday and did the meet and greet package. Meeting Mike was an experience I will never forget. I can't believe I went all fanboy and was giddy like a little girl. I got some stuff signed and had small talk with them all. Neal was so kind and generous and spoke the most.

I never saw the band live before and had only seen their video performances, I have all their blurays and almost all live DVDs. They are such a fun band to watch and the album is amazing to hear live. I've got to make a huge effort to try and see them live for morsefest this year.

I've been on a binge on all the albums for days now and it keeps getting better and better on every listen.
Not sure about any rankings but I just have to say Alive again on the live show is absolutely transcendent to watch. The middle section with them all switching instruments is a riot.

[frogprog]

Nice double neck in the tv appearence! Just have been too early for MP. Even Neal has bed head!

[axeman90210]

The Jersey City show last night was great. I got to the venue at 6:30 for 7pm doors and 8pm show and there were only 4 people lined up already. Combined with only 8 or 9 for VIP and I got a prime seat in the second row on Eric's side (the tickets were GA but they put out chairs in the front of the venue). The new album slays live, and my god that encore medley They took a bunch of awesome parts from awesome songs and jammed it all into one 20 minute prog speedball. I think they might have been a little disappointed that we were sitting for the whole show, at Mike's little talking point he mentioned that we looked too comfortable   But everybody at least stood for the whole of the encore. Very excited to be catching this show again Saturday in PA.

[kaos2900]

The Jersey City show last night was great. I got to the venue at 6:30 for 7pm doors and 8pm show and there were only 4 people lined up already. Combined with only 8 or 9 for VIP and I got a prime seat in the second row on Eric's side (the tickets were GA but they put out chairs in the front of the venue). The new album slays live, and my god that encore medley They took a bunch of awesome parts from awesome songs and jammed it all into one 20 minute prog speedball. I think they might have been a little disappointed that we were sitting for the whole show, at Mike's little talking point he mentioned that we looked too comfortable   But everybody at least stood for the whole of the encore. Very excited to be catching this show again Saturday in PA.

When I saw them a couple of years ago the audience sat the whole time as well (except for encore). Not my preference. I believe when I see them in Lawrence it will be standing room. I'm doing the VIP so I have concerns about being in the front.

[faizoff]

The meet and greet in Orlando had about 25 people I think. Though they were supposed to start it around 6 pm, soundcheck was still going on up until 6:30 and we didn't get in until 7 to meet everything. I was very thankful there were chairs because by that point I was so tired from the wait plus the 2 hour drive and didn't have time to get any food.

The VIP people get in first regardless of how long the line is, they called our names out and gave the lanyards and posters. I was able to sit right up front in front of the subwoofer literally one foot away from Randy.

[ytserush]

Nice double neck in the tv appearence! Just have been too early for MP. Even Neal has bed head!

Irony is everywhere.

[DT2003]

The Jersey City show last night was great. I got to the venue at 6:30 for 7pm doors and 8pm show and there were only 4 people lined up already. Combined with only 8 or 9 for VIP and I got a prime seat in the second row on Eric's side (the tickets were GA but they put out chairs in the front of the venue). The new album slays live, and my god that encore medley They took a bunch of awesome parts from awesome songs and jammed it all into one 20 minute prog speedball. I think they might have been a little disappointed that we were sitting for the whole show, at Mike's little talking point he mentioned that we looked too comfortable   But everybody at least stood for the whole of the encore. Very excited to be catching this show again Saturday in PA.

Definitely a great show. Was a bit shocked at how small the crowd was. I drove around for a half hour trying to find parking and finally found a spot and got to the door right at 7 and was shocked how few people were there. I got there at the time the doors opened and was able to get a seat in the front row right in front of Eric. With that said the guys put on an incredible show. It was great seeing TGA live and the encore was phenomenal. One thing I noticed being right in front of Eric is that he does not look at or interact with the crowd and even the other guys in the band at all.  He also left the stage often in between songs and sometimes even during songs. I don’t recall ever noticing those things before when I’ve seen them so not sure if he was just under the weather or if this was normal. With that said, his playing and singing were great!

[DT2003]

Given how prolific Neal is and how often he releases music, I would imagine he was a bit bummed having so little "real band" time last year to work on the album while Portnoy was off wasting time with Sons of Apollo (although he'd never say it, since Neal is far too classy to publicize it).  I mean, Neal Morse Band is supposed to be a full-time band now, yet they basically had to take a big chunk of time off while one member formed another new full-time band that took a lot of his time.  My theory was always that the Life & Times album and subsequent tour was merely to keep himself busy until the next NMB album was ready to go. 

And to further illustrate how quickly he can work when up against the clock, he even said the Exorcist musical wasn't finished till the 11th hour last summer and then it came out pretty damn amazing at Morsefest.  I will be curious to see if he reworks some of that from the demos (which I have from when I was an IC member last fall) once he finishes it up for its official release later this year.

I think, like Mike, Neal likes to stay busy. In fact, I don't think there has been a year in the last two decades where Neal hasn't worked on at LEAST one new studio or live album, or touring, sometimes doing multiple ones for multiple bands! But it has come to a point where 3 of Neal's bands have Mike IN them, so when he's away playing with TWD or SOA or MA or who knows who else, Neal is stuck doing things like Jesus The Exorcist musical, or a Snow reunion with Spock's beard, both of which are spectacular in their own right, but I have to wonder if Neal is starting to feel slighted by Mike's OVER-abundance of work that doesn't include him.

Does anyone remember that when Eric and Bill joined the band, along with Adson, they had hired a drummer as well, as a way to replace Mike for gigs he couldn't make? Then it turned out that Mike COULD play with them, leading up to the Momentum Tour, but I have to wonder why that idea faded away? Surely, the others would love to play their music with Neal any time they can, even if it meant doing it without Mike, but I wonder if Mike felt like he was being pushed out because Neal had auditioned a temp-drummer for gigs without him?

-Marc.

What happens is that Mike’s “I can manage to be in 87 bands at the same time” keeps HIM busy and “happy” but it forces the other members of his bands to wait for him to have time availability in between gigs. As you said, NMB is Neal’s, Randy’s, Bill’s and Eric’s main thing now and they probably can’t or at least shouldn’t have to wait for Mike to decide it’s time for them to work again. And Mike, being the control freak that he is, wouldn’t allow them to do the bulk of the writing/pre production process without him being there. The same applies to Derek and Bumblefoot on SOA. This is ultimately why the writing for Psychotic Symphony was so rushed (with a similar thing happening with their 2nd) and NMB couldn’t work longer on TGA, among other things.

This way of doing things certainly works for side projects like TA or FC where every member has a main band outside, but it’s in scenarios where it’s supposed to be the main thing for the members that problems appear, like Mike leaving AMOB for treating it like a side thing while Allen and Orlando expected it to be everybody’s only focus. The same happened with TWD when Richie decided to take a break to do his solo stuff and Mike couldn’t get what he wanted anymore.

I know Mike likes to stay busy, but part of me wonders if he has so many bands partly for monetary reasons to be able to keep up with the lifestyle he’s used to. I’m sure DT provided Mike with a heck of a lot more money than any of his current bands do.

[jadiggerdt]

how many people were there?

In Europe i think they plays for 300-600 every night ca!

[faizoff]

I looked at the capacity for the Orlando club and it said 500 and I'm positive it was packed. Not sure about the other shows.

[thunderdog10]

yes Orlando was packed and was a sell out. I know they ran out of chairs as I was one of the ones standing 

[King Postwhore]

Seeing them tonight in Cambridge, Mass!!

[rumborak]

Same here!

I must confess that after having listened to the latest album a few times, I am somewhat less excited.

[King Postwhore]

Same here!

I must confess that after having listened to the latest album a few times, I am somewhat less excited.

I'm hoping seeing it live will change my mind as well.  I loved the last album before seeing it played live.

[KevShmev]

Have fun, fellas! 

[DT2003]

how many people were there?

In Europe i think they plays for 300-600 every night ca!

In NJ I’d say there were probably about 100 people.

[rumborak]

I enjoyed yesterday's concert, but somebody needs to explain to me why they put chairs into one of Boston's very few pure-GA venues. The venue is really popular because of its live energy, why would you actively hinder that?

[utopiarun]

The show last night at Keswick was amazing!! The band was on fire and Neal was bopping and dancing all over the stage. Everyone in this band is an MVP. I was hesitant about another double album performed live but boy did they deliver! The ending of TGA is EPIC!!

The encore was amazing too, all those albums stacked up one after the other and makes you realize how prolific and talented Mr. Morse is. Just fantastic. Run, don't walk if you have a chance to see this show!

[frogprog]

Great show last night at the Keswick (philly). The guys sounded great and seemed to be having a lot of fun. A couple of quick thoughts:


* Randy has more pedals on his footboard than most guitarists I've seen!
* Bill is very ta!ented, great singer, great keyboardist
* Eric is EXTREMELY talented. The soaring voice of an angel and the guitar chops of JP. Not just the shredding but also the soulful, melodic leads that can make you smile from ear to ear while bringing tears to your eyes!
* I've been supporting\seeing Neal live since 2000 and the older he gets the more energy he has. His voice and playing sounded great and he was dancing and running around all night. Do you realize how much music this man has given us over the years?!!
* MP is the best. I have probably seen him live 20-25 times over the years since 1993 and he NEVER fails to entertain. I noticed last night that his current NMB Tama set has concert toms ( no bottom heads of hardware) for his rack toms. Being a drummer and gear head, I'm really curious as to the reason for bucking conventional equipment tends. To my knowledge, Mike has never played a set with concert toms, except maybe(?) His Keith Moon replica that was reproducing a 70's trend.
Thing that make you go hmmm...
* I was a little disappointed at the attendance. The Keswick Theater holds about 1100 and there was probably only 600 or so. I have certainly seen it more packed for a NMB show.

[DTA]

Great show last night at the Keswick (philly). The guys sounded great and seemed to be having a lot of fun. A couple of quick thoughts:


* Randy has more pedals on his footboard than most guitarists I've seen!
* Bill is very ta!ented, great singer, great keyboardist
* Eric is EXTREMELY talented. The soaring voice of an angel and the guitar chops of JP. Not just the shredding but also the soulful, melodic leads that can make you smile from ear to ear while bringing tears to your eyes!
* I've been supporting\seeing Neal live since 2000 and the older he gets the more energy he has. His voice and playing sounded great and he was dancing and running around all night. Do you realize how much music this man has given us over the years?!!
* MP is the best. I have probably seen him live 20-25 times over the years since 1993 and he NEVER fails to entertain. I noticed last night that his current NMB Tama set has concert toms ( no bottom heads of hardware) for his rack toms. Being a drummer and gear head, I'm really curious as to the reason for bucking conventional equipment tends. To my knowledge, Mike has never played a set with concert toms, except maybe(?) His Keith Moon replica that was reproducing a 70's trend.
Thing that make you go hmmm...
* I was a little disappointed at the attendance. The Keswick Theater holds about 1100 and there was probably only 600 or so. I have certainly seen it more packed for a NMB show.

Dammit...I'm local to Philly and I just totally blanked on this show. I'm pretty sick so I would not likely have wanted to attend had I actually had tickets but it sucks the place wasn't full. Finding Eric/Bill has been Neal's greatest career move in a very long time IMO. They have rejuvenated everything about his sound and have brought such a life to his music. MP used concert toms with The Winery Dogs on their last tour so it's probably just a way to change up the set-up he's used for years.

[DT2003]

* Bill is very ta!ented, great singer, great keyboardist

I think how good Bill is gets overlooked by a lot of people. His keyboard playing is great and I love his voice and think it’s the perfect compliment to Neal and Eric’s voice. A lot of people say how it sounds like he really strains his voice to sing like that, but when you watch him live he looks like it’s effortless.

[Architeuthis]

* Bill is very ta!ented, great singer, great keyboardist

I think how good Bill is gets overlooked by a lot of people. His keyboard playing is great and I love his voice and think it’s the perfect compliment to Neal and Eric’s voice. A lot of people say how it sounds like he really strains his voice to sing like that, but when you watch him live he looks like it’s effortless.

You are right!  Earlier in this thread I said Bill needs to step away from the microphone and that I didn't like his tone that much. I even said that it sounds like he has a bubble in his throat.  I now regret saying that and I take it all back. He actually compliments the band quite well and his harmonies sound great.
  Bill kind of has a Genesis (Collins) type sound to his voice which is a good thing. His vocals really grew on me and I've been able to appreciate him alot more. He is definitely a integral part in the sound of the band.   

[Ben_Jamin]

For some reason, Neal and Eric have a similar tone and they compliment each other. Bill and Mike also have similar tones.