They have been one of progressive rock's most accessible bands, having been able to reach not only the prog heads, but even general music enjoyers. They have earned respect from musicians of all types, have been aligned with Dream Theater, and have created music that not only sparks in the progressive realm, but the melodic/AOR genre as well, proving that these guys like to meld good songs with technical musicianship, and they do it flawlessly.
Even after a major lineup change over two years ago, the band didn't skip a beat after
Neal Morse's Departure, who himself went on to an amazing solo career, and have created two studio albums under this "Mark II" and now have brought forth a double live album documenting all the sides of the band's career.
Even after a major lineup change over two years ago, as
Neal Morse left the band and went on to an amazing solo career, the band didn't skip a beat. They have created two studio albums under this "Mark II" and have now brought forth a double live album documenting all the sides of the band's career.
Flawless, they pull it off, performing material that spans their new era and amazingly they pull off the extended Flash before My Eyes Suite (from Octane), the emotional journey about a man who has succumbed to a car accident and reflects on his life, following up with the hard driving jam session of "NWC," while incorporating more technical melodic rock/pop oriented material such as "As Long as
We Ride" and the ballad "Ghosts of Autumn" to diversify the material. Of course they do slip in a classic by doing the whole Light suite from their early days, I mean, no SB concert would be complete without at least one track from that era, and what better track than "The Light" opus.
Throughout the recording they keep the music interesting, not going way too far into the jam sessions or anything like that. The concert's musical stance is presented on the liveliness of the music, where the audience gets into it, standing up, dancing, cheering, and having a good time; by no means sitting down (don't get me started). Fairly self-explanatory, this California quartet does not disappoint, making for fodder for those beyond the typical fan base.
Written by
Hashman Tuesday, October 18, 2005
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