Review THE NEAL MORSE BAND (NMB) ‘An Evening of Innocence & Danger: Live in Hamburg’

One of the shining stars of progressive music stopped at one of the most established venues in Hamburg and the best thing, the show was recorded and is now available in various formats.

It was nearly a year ago that The Neal Morse Band (NMB) played a show at Markthalle, Hamburg in front of enthusiastic fans. In two and a half hours, Neal Morse and his renown colleagues put a focus on the latest album ‘Innocence & Danger’ which delivered to the first part of this extensive set, showing the poppier side of the band.

Mike Portnoy, Randy George, Eric Gillette and Bill Hubauer, they all shared the stage with Neal Morse and added with their expertise and boundless talent to a show, that demonstrated the beauty of music, that comes with great melodies and at the same time surprises with layers and twists.

What gets across via this release isn’t only the music but also the atmosphere at Markthalle in June last year. It was the first tour of the band after the pandemic and live music slowly got started again. So, fans and band were glad to enjoy great music together and knowing the intimate concert feeling at the iconic venue gives an understanding of the magic of progressive music unfolding rather quickly. ‘An Evening of Innocence & Danger: Live in Hamburg’ captures this vibe quite well.

There is not much to say about songs and sound, since both are great and that improvisation is part of the game too is shown by the cover version of Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’, which was introduced by some Pink Floyd snippets.

Fans that waited for some earlier songs from the band got offered what they were looking for in the encore part which hardly can been looked at as encore as it is an half-hour journey through the world of prog rock. ‘The Great Similitude Medley’ features songs of ‘The Great Adventure’ and ‘The Similitude of Dreams’. Songs like ‘Long Day’, ‘So Far Gone’. ‘The Great Adventure’ and more are woven together in a nearly 30-minute medley that mirrored the expertise and creativity of this collective.

‘An Evening Of Innocence & Danger: Live in Hamburg’ is excellent live album, spread over three CDs. Music, vibe and energy, it all comes together in a good fashion and makes this release to a treat for listener’s ears.

no score

Tracklist:

Innocence

Do It All Again
Bird on a Wire
Your Place in the Sun
Another Story to Tell
The Way It Had to Be
Bridge Over Troubled Water
(Simon & Garfunkel cover) (With Snippets “Breathe ( Reprise) &Great Gig in the Sky” by Pink Floyd before the Song)
Waterfall

Danger