Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread

[Fritzinger]

That is quite surprising that Not Afraid Pt. 1 was not played, but the return of Waterfall into the rotation of the normal touring is a great thing.  Seems a bit strange to have two covers in there when there are so many great NMB songs going unplayed, but still looks really good overall.  Still a little bummed they aren't hitting STL, but absolutely not complaining as I know touring around this pandemic is a minefield.

I was at the Cleveland show tonight. The PF cover was extremely brief. Probably no more than a minute to a minute and a half at the most. I don't really think anything got booted out of the set to include it. It was more of a case of tagging it on to the end of another song.

Unfortunately, Randy had on and off tech issues throughout the night, and Neal ended up stopping the band in the middle of a song due to it. However, it didn't detract from the show in my opinion. The band performed extremely well and Neal was very emotional towards the end of the set. I think that he was near to tears a couple of times towards the end of the night.

I think those technical problems mostly don't make a show worse (if they aren't too big)... quite the contrary, imo they often show that this music is being produced LIVE in that very moment and something can go wrong at any time. It makes the performance human and organic for me.

And sometimes they even add to the song, like the obligatory technical difficulty Michael Akerfeldt is having on every Opeth live album  The longer pause in Demon Of The Fall live at Red Rocks added a lot of suspense to the performance 

[Stadler]

I'm sorry to sound so obsessive about this, but I kicked around Albany (about 75 minutes from me) and the Keswick.  My wife was tolerant of two school nights, but if I stretched it to four, I think she'd ask to check my phone.  "What's her name??"

"Eric... name's Eric..."

"She sounds... hideous!"
"Well, she's a guy..."

(The original State Farm commercials introducing "Jake... from State Farm.")

[Stadler]

That is quite surprising that Not Afraid Pt. 1 was not played, but the return of Waterfall into the rotation of the normal touring is a great thing.  Seems a bit strange to have two covers in there when there are so many great NMB songs going unplayed, but still looks really good overall.  Still a little bummed they aren't hitting STL, but absolutely not complaining as I know touring around this pandemic is a minefield.

I was at the Cleveland show tonight. The PF cover was extremely brief. Probably no more than a minute to a minute and a half at the most. I don't really think anything got booted out of the set to include it. It was more of a case of tagging it on to the end of another song.

Unfortunately, Randy had on and off tech issues throughout the night, and Neal ended up stopping the band in the middle of a song due to it. However, it didn't detract from the show in my opinion. The band performed extremely well and Neal was very emotional towards the end of the set. I think that he was near to tears a couple of times towards the end of the night.

Not so much in New York, which I already said felt more like a recitation because of the tech issues he had, but in Boston it was the same way.  I REALLY, HONESTLY felt he was emotionally invested in that show.  He dabbed his face with tissues at the end, and I don't know if it was an act or not, but like I said above, the music was certainly delivered with gusto.   

[ShadowWalker]

That is quite surprising that Not Afraid Pt. 1 was not played, but the return of Waterfall into the rotation of the normal touring is a great thing.  Seems a bit strange to have two covers in there when there are so many great NMB songs going unplayed, but still looks really good overall.  Still a little bummed they aren't hitting STL, but absolutely not complaining as I know touring around this pandemic is a minefield.

I was at the Cleveland show tonight. The PF cover was extremely brief. Probably no more than a minute to a minute and a half at the most. I don't really think anything got booted out of the set to include it. It was more of a case of tagging it on to the end of another song.

Unfortunately, Randy had on and off tech issues throughout the night, and Neal ended up stopping the band in the middle of a song due to it. However, it didn't detract from the show in my opinion. The band performed extremely well and Neal was very emotional towards the end of the set. I think that he was near to tears a couple of times towards the end of the night.

Not so much in New York, which I already said felt more like a recitation because of the tech issues he had, but in Boston it was the same way.  I REALLY, HONESTLY felt he was emotionally invested in that show.  He dabbed his face with tissues at the end, and I don't know if it was an act or not, but like I said above, the music was certainly delivered with gusto.

I've seen Neal have that kind of an emotional reaction a number of times. I think you hit the nail on the head about his emotional investment in the material he plays live. It has always felt honest and sincere to me, especially when you take into consideration the spiritual journey he went on that led to his departure from Spock's Beard. I've interviewed him twice and talked to him briefly during the M&G after the Life and Times solo acoustic show in Asbury Park NJ and it is that genuineness that strikes me. That genuineness really takes all of his musical projects to the next level and makes his live performances something special every time I get to see him, regardless of the band he is performing with.

[faizoff]

That is quite surprising that Not Afraid Pt. 1 was not played, but the return of Waterfall into the rotation of the normal touring is a great thing.  Seems a bit strange to have two covers in there when there are so many great NMB songs going unplayed, but still looks really good overall.  Still a little bummed they aren't hitting STL, but absolutely not complaining as I know touring around this pandemic is a minefield.

I was at the Cleveland show tonight. The PF cover was extremely brief. Probably no more than a minute to a minute and a half at the most. I don't really think anything got booted out of the set to include it. It was more of a case of tagging it on to the end of another song.

Unfortunately, Randy had on and off tech issues throughout the night, and Neal ended up stopping the band in the middle of a song due to it. However, it didn't detract from the show in my opinion. The band performed extremely well and Neal was very emotional towards the end of the set. I think that he was near to tears a couple of times towards the end of the night.

Not so much in New York, which I already said felt more like a recitation because of the tech issues he had, but in Boston it was the same way.  I REALLY, HONESTLY felt he was emotionally invested in that show.  He dabbed his face with tissues at the end, and I don't know if it was an act or not, but like I said above, the music was certainly delivered with gusto.

I've seen Neal have that kind of an emotional reaction a number of times. I think you hit the nail on the head about his emotional investment in the material he plays live. It has always felt honest and sincere to me, especially when you take into consideration the spiritual journey he went on that led to his departure from Spock's Beard. I've interviewed him twice and talked to him briefly during the M&G after the Life and Times solo acoustic show in Asbury Park NJ and it is that genuineness that strikes me. That genuineness really takes all of his musical projects to the next level and makes his live performances something special every time I get to see him, regardless of the band he is performing with.

I definitely think Neal's emotional outpouring is genuine, when I saw them in Orlando back in 2019 I think it was, it was the first night of the tour and there were several times he broke down at various points on the set of The Great Adventure. You can seem him breaking down a lot during the Morsefest shows too. The guy really connects with his music and it shows when he's playing it on stage. He's a ball of energy even at his age.

[DTwwbwMP]

Just got back from the Keswick show. One word...........INCREDIBLE!

[frogprog]

I concur!! Top notch!!
It's a shame the Keswick was only about 1/3 full but the band played like it was a packed stadium.
Thanks again, fellas.

[Kram]

I concur!! Top notch!!
It's a shame the Keswick was only about 1/3 full but the band played like it was a packed stadium.
Thanks again, fellas.

How many people does the Keswick hold approximately?

[DTwwbwMP]

I concur!! Top notch!!
It's a shame the Keswick was only about 1/3 full but the band played like it was a packed stadium.
Thanks again, fellas.

How many people does the Keswick hold approximately?

I believe 1300. I would say about 500 in attendance

[Kram]

I concur!! Top notch!!
It's a shame the Keswick was only about 1/3 full but the band played like it was a packed stadium.
Thanks again, fellas.

How many people does the Keswick hold approximately?

I believe 1300. I would say about 500 in attendance

Have they played there in the past?  Just trying to get an idea if attendance is down for them this time or not (obviously Covid has a lot to do with it)?

[bosk1]

I'm sorry to sound so obsessive about this, but I kicked around Albany (about 75 minutes from me) and the Keswick.  My wife was tolerant of two school nights, but if I stretched it to four, I think she'd ask to check my phone.  "What's her name??"

"Eric... name's Eric..."

"What are you wearing, 'Eric?'"

"Uh...khakis..."

[frogprog]

Yes they have played the Keswick many times. I have probably seen Neal and Mp there 25 times in various forms. In fact Transatlantic is playing here in April. It was probably the lowest attendance i have ever seen for a prog show at the venue. I'm guessing it's due to people being cautious about going out to a show. I sure hope Neal and the guys are able to make the $$$ of a sparsely attended tour work. I'm also sincerely hoping the TA show in a few weeks is a success  and it kicks off the tour with a bang for them. For all the entertainment they give us, they surely deserve it.

[Learning2Live]

Bought tickets for the Detroit show last night. Was so excited as this was my first post-pandemic show so it's been a couple of years since I've seen live music. Got about 20 minutes to the venue (about a 2 hour drive for me), and f'n remembered that the venue has a 'Prove Covid vaccination' policy.....and we forgot our damn vaccination cards.    So deflating and disappointed, just turned around and drove back home at that point.

Going to see DT in Ohio on Wednesday. Hopefully I remember the card that time!!

[axeman90210]

I caught both the NYC show last week and then the Keswick on Thursday. Both shows were good, but for me the Keswick show was a step above. The venue for the NYC show was somewhat awkwardly staged in that there was temporary table seating installed all in front of the stage and so everyone was sitting down and plenty were eating dinner through the set (myself included admittedly ). The crowd at the Keswick show was much more energetic and it seemed like the band really appreciated/fed off of it.

In terms of the setlist, I don't have any complaints. Technically they're including two covers, but Breathe is only a ~60 second reprise and Bridge Over Troubled Water got one of the better reactions both nights that I saw them. Ahead of time I was hoping for Alive Again as the encore as I haven't seen that song live, but I really can't argue with a run of choice selections from Similitude and TGA.

I do hope the band is doing well enough with the turnout on this show. The NYC show seemed decently enough attended, but the guy at the door gave Stadler a free VIP seating upgrade when we got there since I had one (that's right DTF, I enjoyed a candlelit concert for two with Stads, eat your hearts out), and the Keswick was probably around 50% full. The Transatlantic show at the same venue in April does look to be selling better.

[Kram]

Yes they have played the Keswick many times. I have probably seen Neal and Mp there 25 times in various forms. In fact Transatlantic is playing here in April. It was probably the lowest attendance i have ever seen for a prog show at the venue. I'm guessing it's due to people being cautious about going out to a show. I sure hope Neal and the guys are able to make the $$$ of a sparsely attended tour work. I'm also sincerely hoping the TA show in a few weeks is a success  and it kicks off the tour with a bang for them. For all the entertainment they give us, they surely deserve it.

That's my concern, I hope they aren't losing any money at these shows.  Or I should say the promoter would be losing the $$, but then they'd be hesitant to bring them back again.  Such a great band with amazing music, they deserve success.  I hate reading about these sparsely attended shows.

[Kram]

Bought tickets for the Detroit show last night. Was so excited as this was my first post-pandemic show so it's been a couple of years since I've seen live music. Got about 20 minutes to the venue (about a 2 hour drive for me), and f'n remembered that the venue has a 'Prove Covid vaccination' policy.....and we forgot our damn vaccination cards.    So deflating and disappointed, just turned around and drove back home at that point.

Going to see DT in Ohio on Wednesday. Hopefully I remember the card that time!!

Damn, that's rough.  Take a picture of your card and put it on your phone.  That would probably work.  I took my card to the show out here in San Diego, but saw other people showing pics on their phones.

[frogprog]

Yeah my buddy forgot his card and his wife sent him a picture of the front and back and that was accepted at The Keswick

[KevShmev]

Learning2Live, that is a bummer, but while it is too late now, I would have kept driving there and hoped they didn't ask.  The only concert I have went to since 2020 was last fall and I could have shown them my driver's license and said it was my vaccination card and they wouldn't have noticed; that is how quickly they glossed over it. 

[Learning2Live]

I have a pic of mine on my phone, but my wife doesn't have hers on her phone, so we were still out of luck. We emailed the venue while still driving there and they replied back reiterating the need for the card. I gave up at that point. I surely hope they'll record one of the shows now. But knowing Neal's past, we should expect at least 1 recording coming!

[Architeuthis]

I'll be attending the Seattle show this coming Tuesday and it looks like its sold out.. 

[frogprog]

Glad to hear Seattle is sold out. What is the size of the venus?

[Architeuthis]

I think the seating arrangement at the triple door is around 500, but there's a standing room area in the back too.
Each patron has table space and they serve food and drinks.
The NMB always seems to sell out this place so it's a no brainier for the promoters too.

[ShadowWalker]

Yes they have played the Keswick many times. I have probably seen Neal and Mp there 25 times in various forms. In fact Transatlantic is playing here in April. It was probably the lowest attendance i have ever seen for a prog show at the venue. I'm guessing it's due to people being cautious about going out to a show. I sure hope Neal and the guys are able to make the $$$ of a sparsely attended tour work. I'm also sincerely hoping the TA show in a few weeks is a success  and it kicks off the tour with a bang for them. For all the entertainment they give us, they surely deserve it.

If the Keswick show was a weekend, I would have gone to that after the awesome show in Baltimore. I will be there for the Transatlantic show in April. Can't wait for that. I have driving up from the MD side of the DC metro area for a number of shows at the Keswick. It is a great place to see a show.

[Cocopjojo]

The Seattle show tonight was very good. Neal was really into it, and the crowd gave a big standing ovation early on in the night after one song (sorry I can’t remember which!), and that seemed to put the band in a good place.

Tonight was the first time that I really realized how key Eric Gillette is. His vocals were the strongest of the whole band and his solos were all huge moments. Watching him play some crazy solo and then immediately flow into an amazing vocal section was really something. He can really do it all, and it’s become hard to imagine what the band would be like without him.

Bill Hubauer was sick tonight (or at least not feeling well). They didn’t mention it but it was clear early on. He gave it all he had but he coughed on a lot of high notes, and often pulled way back from the mic and did a light falsetto. He occasionally stopped singing entirely, and Neal would cover for him when it happened. I felt bad for him but he still gave it 100% and seemed like he was having as much fun as he could.

Overall the band was incredibly tight, the mix was mostly great, and the crowd was into it. It was a great show.

[Kram]

The Seattle show tonight was very good. Neal was really into it, and the crowd gave a big standing ovation early on in the night after one song (sorry I can’t remember which!), and that seemed to put the band in a good place.

Tonight was the first time that I really realized how key Eric Gillette is. His vocals were the strongest of the whole band and his solos were all huge moments. Watching him play some crazy solo and then immediately flow into an amazing vocal section was really something. He can really do it all, and it’s become hard to imagine what the band would be like without him.

Bill Hubauer was sick tonight (or at least not feeling well). They didn’t mention it but it was clear early on. He gave it all he had but he coughed on a lot of high notes, and often pulled way back from the mic and did a light falsetto. He occasionally stopped singing entirely, and Neal would cover for him when it happened. I felt bad for him but he still gave it 100% and seemed like he was having as much fun as he could.

Overall the band was incredibly tight, the mix was mostly great, and the crowd was into it. It was a great show.

Yes, Eric Gillette is a beast of a musician, I'm a huge fan!  Sucks to hear Bill was under the weather.  I'm bummed I'm missing the show in LA tonight.  It's just too far for me to travel on a school night (at least 2 hrs each way from San Diego).  If it was on a weekend, I'd surely make the trip.  I wish they would play in SD, but I know that will probably never happen.  I'm just glad DT has made SD a regular stop every tour now, so can't complain too much. I'm hoping that NMB will do another leg later in the year, and maybe a weekend show in SoCal that I could attend.

[faizoff]

When I saw NMB in Orlando in 2019 MP was really sick from a cold/flu, I have no idea how he could play that whole set the way he did plus sing his parts. I marvel at these guys being able to perform this vast array of music when being down.

[Architeuthis]

Yes indeed, the sold out Seattle show was amazing!  The whole band seemed to be having a great time and I agree about Eric Gillette,  the dude is a powerhouse on guitar and vocals. The crowd was really into it with standing ovations. I was in the back section right in front of the soundboard so I could stand up whenever and not block anyone's view. 
I didn't notice Bill being sick as he sang quite well. I remember him forgetting a keyboard part in one of the songs and quit playing for a measure or two, but he made a nice recovery.
 The NMB really brought it and I'm so glad I got to see them again. I thought this show was even better than the one they played here in 2019.   

Just to add to that,  Mike Portnoy is still killin it!   lots of fun to watch.   

[countoftuscany42]

In the second row for the LA show tonight 

[HOF]

Fun video highlighting the drummers of Morsefest.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja0hc4Kcxkw&feature=youtu.be

[Stadler]

So, if this is presumptuous, I apologize, but I've had to bail on TA in Jersey and I'm shut out of Morsefest because of a family vacation.

If anyone has the chance to ask Mike anything, either at Morsefest or otherwise, I have a question that is sort of lingering with me.  You can blame/attribute the question to me if you want; there was a time that Mike knew who "Stadler" was and I've met him once and he acknowledged me, though I have no illustions he'd remember me.  The question:

I'm six months younger than Mike, so essentially the same age.  The lyrics from "Innocence and Danger" have REALLY resonated with me on a deep level. There's a lot there that I am going through at this stage of my life; contemplations, re-evaluations, that sort of thing, and a sort of understanding of my place in the world.    I want to know two things:  have those lyrics resonated in any special way with Mike, given all he's experienced and gone through in his life, and did any of those sentiments influence his recent peace-making with Dream Theater as a unit (his peace with John was before I&D)?

(I'm going to post this in the Mike thread as well.)

[Metro]

Radiant just sent this out 

[gzarruk]

A bit of a controversial opinion here, but anyway, here it comes.

Just listened to the latest two NMB epics (Not Afraid pt. 2 and Beyond the Years) again back to back last night when I was out for a walk and just couldn't shake the feeling that Eric just doesn't fit the band at all, at least his guitar playing. His vocals do work and blend well with Neal's and Bill's, but every time he went for a guitar solo, I would be like "here we go again", and it was very distracting. Now, this isn't a criticism to his playing, the guy has this phenomenal Petrucci-like approach and has everything a guitar player like that would ever want to have, it's just that that kind of player doesn't really fit with NMB's music, imo. He's basically a prog metal guitar player stuck in a prog rock band, and even Mike P has made comments on how Eric's much more influenced by prog metal that any of the other guys who have a very different musical background and influences.

We know, however, that he's part of Diego Tejeida's new band, so I think we'll see more of him in his natural habitat

[HOF]

A bit of a controversial opinion here, but anyway, here it comes.

Just listened to the latest two NMB epics (Not Afraid pt. 2 and Beyond the Years) again back to back last night when I was out for a walk and just couldn't shake the feeling that Eric just doesn't fit the band at all, at least his guitar playing. His vocals do work and blend well with Neal's and Bill's, but every time he went for a guitar solo, I would be like "here we go again", and it was very distracting. Now, this isn't a criticism to his playing, the guy has this phenomenal Petrucci-like approach and has everything a guitar player like that would ever want to have, it's just that that kind of player doesn't really fit with NMB's music, imo. He's basically a prog metal guitar player stuck in a prog rock band, and even Mike P has made comments on how Eric's much more influenced by prog metal that any of the other guys who have a very different musical background and influences.

We know, however, that he's part of Diego Tejeida's new band, so I think we'll see more of him in his natural habitat

I kind of feel this way about most of Neal’s solo stuff with MP. It’s like he tried to incorporate DT into his music or something and it’s never really quite worked IMO.

[KevShmev]

A bit of a controversial opinion here, but anyway, here it comes.

Just listened to the latest two NMB epics (Not Afraid pt. 2 and Beyond the Years) again back to back last night when I was out for a walk and just couldn't shake the feeling that Eric just doesn't fit the band at all, at least his guitar playing. His vocals do work and blend well with Neal's and Bill's, but every time he went for a guitar solo, I would be like "here we go again", and it was very distracting. Now, this isn't a criticism to his playing, the guy has this phenomenal Petrucci-like approach and has everything a guitar player like that would ever want to have, it's just that that kind of player doesn't really fit with NMB's music, imo. He's basically a prog metal guitar player stuck in a prog rock band, and even Mike P has made comments on how Eric's much more influenced by prog metal that any of the other guys who have a very different musical background and influences.

We know, however, that he's part of Diego Tejeida's new band, so I think we'll see more of him in his natural habitat

I kind of get where you are coming from, but I think it's key to note that most prog metal bands are guitar-driven (or heavily feature guitar), while NMB is not a guitar-driven band, so there are less chances for him to dominate the soundscape.  Neal Morse's music, whether it be solo work or without the framework of a band, almost never calls for the electric guitar to be the star while the others fade into the background, so I think you have to view it through that lens.  But Eric's solos and playing within the framework of the NMB are always damn good, and of course Neal plays plenty of electric guitar as well.  I do think there are moments that sound a bit DT-esque, like the instrumental section if Beyond the Years or the intro of Bird on a Wire, and I am sure that is the combo of the Eric Gillette/Mike Portnoy influence, but that is fine. It adds different elements and/or more color to the overall NMB sound.  And I am not sure the "he is a prog metal guy stuck in a prog rock band" comment is that accurate, as he has shown he is more than capable of busting out killer solos that are very much prog rock.  See: the solos in The Slough and The Great Despair.

[ErHaO]

For me that heavier, metal-ish edge in prog rock without going full metal is what makes TNMB so special. Eric is a big part of why I deem TNMB one of the best bands out there right now, both studiowise and live. Mike often also has that metal energy to his playing. It is also part of why to me there is a significant distinction between NM solo and TNMB.