Review TRANSATLANTIC ‘Live at Morsefest 2022: The Absolute Whirlwind’

Morsefest is an annual festival that began in 2014. Founded by Neal Morse, Morsefest is a stage for the multi-instrumentalist to perform live songs he’s written and recorded in various constellations and projects. But there was a missing link – Transatlantic. One of Morse’s flagships never played at Morsefest and the gap was filled in 2022 after the COVID restrictions were lifted. Transatlantic played two nights in a row at Morsefest 2022 and both sets were recorded.

The first night was dedicated to the 2009 album ‘The Whirlwind’, which was the band’s first release after the hiatus. But before the band played the whole album in chronological order, they started the night with some highlights. ‘Into the Blue’, a 25 minute epos, is the first song on the setlist, followed by the Procol Harum cover ‘In Held ‘Twas in I’, the latter being a live debut. With ‘Shine’ and ‘We All Need Some Light’ two more great songs were played before ‘Overture’ started the journey through ‘The Whirlwind’.

The second night was dedicated to the latest release ‘The Absolute Universe’, which was released in two different versions. As the album was also the centerpiece of ‘The Final Flight: Live at L’Olympia’, there are some parallels.

Still, Morsefest as a whole has a lot to offer and especially the first night brought back some great moments from the past. Neal Morse, Mike Portnoy, Robin Stolt and Pete Trewavas, these guys are passionate and listening to this live release shows the full commitment to great music. It is a treat for ears and mind to and listening to these songs is pure joy. And even though I love vinyl, I’m happy about the digital version because you just want to lean back, close your eyes and laser in on this exquisite piece of music in one flow.