Diario

Fri 29 Mar – Inspiral Carpets
It's not every day that you see legends in top form for only £20, yet that is what the Inspirals delivered. They may not have released new material in a long time, but this gig too was no mere reunion do, it was a full on celebration. As an out of towner, I felt privileged to bathe in that glorious atmosphere of ace tunes played to a northern crowd who were as usual lubricated and well up for it.
Although it may not have great acoustics, the Ritz does have a nicely elevated stage, so there was less of the usual see past the tall wally in front needed.
So if you haven't yet, go see these and the other Madchester stalwarts up north while you still can. Until you've seen them live you've only experienced half of it.

Wed 27 Feb – Neal Morse, Flower Kings

I enjoyed this double header a lot. Not having a potentially inconsequential support band meant that there was a more adequate amount of time for both The Flower Kings and Neal Morse.
TFK are probably the first band I was only minimally familiar with who impressed me straight away. They flawlessly delivered a nice cross section of material from their career and definitely didn't disappoint.
Neal Morse and his band was who I'd come to see and owing to his recent live DVD, I knew roughly what to expect. With Neal though foreknowledge does not hamper the enjoyment of his performance as he exudes joy, admiration for the heavenly and jumps in head first every night.
Critical to his set though was the presence of his entire core group, i.e. himself, Mike Portnoy and Randy George. Many can play the right notes, but only the originals also have matching personalities. Of the others, Bill Hubauer was the clear standout. I simultaneously wondered what instruments he could not play and saw why Neal speaks so highly of this latest lineup.
I remain hopeful that someday the EU too will get a full multi hour Neal Morse set with this lineup as well, because that was surely not enough!

Fri 14 Dec – Madness, Man Like Me

Instead of using a regular size stage and two smaller screens in an arena, the band should next time either play five nights in London at a smaller venue or get a bigger stage with larger screens for the O2.
Seeing Madness at the O2 arena was a strange experience. Sure the band can handle it, but the fact that the same setup had to fit into far smaller venues was very obvious. Madness indeed.
Apart form the above, the concert was great fun. Almost two hours of a band as fresh as ever with new songs being classics in waiting. The stage and lighting design too was very well done and showed a great sense of what a production should look like, i.e. at the level of the act, and not someplace else. Nothing more to add, except go see them before they're too old.

Fri 7 Dec – Metal Christmas Festival

Although more a festival than a headline slot, Motorhead once again delivered a solid set of classics and new tracks as they have been this tour.
As none of the other acts even came close to currently being as relevant as Motorhead (Saxon were once relevant), I didn't bother too much with the other bands. Only because there were no major acts I dislike on the bill did I go.
Due to the shorter setlist, there wasn't much of note that happened, although it was great to have both Dr Rock and Rock it in the same set.
For an event that was billed as having Motorhead as headliners, they really should have been given as much time as they wanted and played last. Not that I minded being able to go home early, but it did seem disrespectful to the most important act of the night to lump them in with such mediocre and quite frankly sub-standard acts.

Sat 1 Dec – Ben Folds Five
Having never seen them live before, I was not sure quite what to expect, but I sure left satisfied.
Unlike The Stone Roses or Blur, Ben Folds Five definitely proved that they were eager to do a proper reunion. Not only have they already released a whole album's worth of new material, but they were also playing very well together and not giving hints that they'd been apart.
Highlights certainly were the custom Rock This Bitch and the Army singalong. They may do this every night, but unlike other artists they don't merely hurl empty slogans at the audience ("hands in the air", "make some noise", etc.).
Downsides were all related to the venue chosen. O2 may have made their promoter a great deal, but who does a 10pm curfew twice a week?! Also, herding fans to the exits when the next stop on the tour is two days away also seemed quite disrespectful.
Here's hoping that ambient album will become a reality and that perhaps next time they'll also play clubs on the mainland.

Sat 1 Dec – Ben Folds Five
Having never seen them live before, I was not sure quite what to expect, but I sure left satisfied.
Unlike The Stone Roses or Blur, Ben Folds Five definitely proved that they were eager to do a proper reunion. Not only have they already released a whole album's worth of new material, but they were also playing very well together and not giving hints that they'd been apart.
Highlights certainly were the custom Rock This Bitch and the Army singalong. They may do this every night, but unlike other artists they don't merely hurl empty slogans at the audience ("hands in the air", "make some noise", etc.).
Downsides were all related to the venue chosen. O2 may have made their promoter a great deal, but who does a 10pm curfew twice a week?! Also, herding fans to the exits when the next stop on the tour is two days away also seemed quite disrespectful.
Here's hoping that ambient album will become a reality and that perhaps next time they'll also play clubs on the mainland.

Thu 8 Nov – Motörhead, Anthrax, Diaries of a Hero

If you don't mind small uncomfy seats and no real GA area, City Hall is a great venue, even if only for the sound.
While I didn't care much for DOH, (or maybe that should be d'oh!!) Anthrax delivered a solid set as usual, and to a casual fan the touring drummer didn't detract much from the energy and fun of their support slot.
It may be early days for this tour, but you could sense that Motorhead have had some time off. Not only was their setlist more varied, but they also proved much more (and again) how great they are. Every song (and most intros) sounded fresh, and Lemmy even left out the usual intro to Going to Brazil. Those guys are dedicated to give as many fans as possible an hour and a half of rock at 11 with no varnish or BS.
Not much else to say here, except go see them, and if it's too loud, you're too old.

Fri 14 Sep – Flying Colors, Beardfish

Whenever musicians of a caliber such as this get together for a project, the question of how much their effort constitutes a band occurs. In Flying Colors' case, you needn't worry. From their performance and demeanor it was evident that there was chemistry between the musicians beyond the longtime collaborators of Mike Portnoy and Neal Morse.

A bit about Beardfish first though. Although their music isn't quite my cup of tea, their heavy but groovy brand of prog nevertheless has a certain appeal. On a personal level too, they remain approachable and down to earth (e.g. they sell their merch themselves). Performance wise their Wakeman lookalike bass player is one of the most active I've seen and the lead singer exudes a strong The Soundtrack of Our Lives vibe. So if you fancy some nordic prog without the screams, make sure to catch these guys live.

Back to the band aspect of the Flying Colors project. Their performance proved that both Neal and Mike can take a backseat and let others take the lead as well, even more so than the spotlight they give Royne Stolt in Transatlantic, for example. Portnoy is still the compere, but often just to make sure Casey gets the recognition he deserves.

Song wise they played the entire album plus a few covers from their other projects with the obligatory showcasing and jamming. I personally especially appreciated the nods to Queen with their front of stage performance of Spock's Beard's June and the more hidden tributes in Love Is What I'm Waiting For.

Here's hoping for more!