tangentmusic

Monday, March 11, 2013 7:44 AM

My wife & I, both fans since the '70's just got home from the concert at the Silver Legacy here in Reno.

First off, we were both very pleased with their show. It went as follows:

Firebird - CTTE - GFTO - Roundabout. Yep, we only got two of the albums. We didnt care. The show overall was great. Our local Classic Rock station had been promoting them doing CTTE & TYA.

Now some specifics..

The Firebird Suite leading into the chirping bird intro to CTTE was awesome. It blended very well.
Some folks have been reporting that the band is still getting their "sea legs" on the early shows on this tour, and that was sorta the case tonight. We've seen them play CTTE several times over the decades and the way Steve plays the beginning leading up to The Solid Time Of Change has been slightly different each time. Tonight was no different. While very intense, this section leading up to the vocals was a little rough. Once JD began singing, my wife turned to me and mouthed "he's really good!" The great vocal interplay on the I Get Up, I Get Down section was beautifully done and sounded just like the record.

And You And I was masterful. The band was spot on. Geoff did a very good job covering Rick's parts. He was able to coax sounds pretty much like those on the LP. As fans, we can tend to get a bit (ok - a lot ) critical over someone playing someone else's parts. I think Geoff did an incredible job. The only criticism I have with him is his set-up. There are times when his back is to the audience whilst playing due to how his keyboard are placed on stage.

By the time they got to Siberian Khatru, the band was in full flight. SK went over very well with the well behaved crowd. Most of us (in our section anyway) stood for applause after each song giving them their well deserved "O".

The first talking came between albums. Chris acknowledging this was the 1st time CTTE was played in it's entirety In Reno. Steve introduced GFTO.

Here is where the only real glitch occured.
Chris had been playing his old Ric for the CTTE material. He swapped basses for GFTO. It must have not been plugged in! They began the song and right after the first vocal line Chris yells STOP!
He walks up to his mic and says "this things not workin"!" So they started over. Oh well. Things happen. Not a big deal.

TOTC was beautifully done. We were wondering if JD would just be a JA clone. He's not. Altho the lyrics are not his, he sings them with passion and conviction. He's a great vocalist and stands on his own. My wife has always been a big JA fan, but after the show she said she's looking forward to the next studio album with him. That says volumes about the young Jon D.

Parallels was very nicely done too. Some reviewer on this site said Chris was not doing some of his vocal parts. I watched for this tonight, and he did all the vocals where he should have. Steve too. Alan was spot on all night. He truly is one of the best drummers of all time. His kit was very much alive in the mix throughout the show. Geoff again nailed the keyboard sounds and performance.

Wonderous Stories was a joy to hear live again. JD really making JA's words his own. A fine rendition by the entire band. The sound mix was very good and the light show was very appropriate for the small venue. Long gone are the Roger Dean stage props and lazer beams. Yes does not need them to put on a stellar show as was proved tonight.

Ah yes... the epic masterwork Awaken... What can you say. This was the perfect way to end the regular set. Not many songs can top it. We did notice something. During the slower section where JA would pick up and play the harp, JD did this part on a tiny keyboard that emulated the stringed instrument. Very cool. And yes, Chris did play all three necks on his triple necked bass! Props again to Geoff for pretty much nailing all of Ricks complex