I had the pleasure of seeing Spock's Beard live in Los Angeles back in 1995 and again in 1997, at their Progfest appearances. So getting this new DVD gives me a look at a post-Morse band performance. The band offers a good mixture of old and new stuff, the emphasis being on the last two albums especially the more accessible songs. To my ears, Nick D'Virgilio is as good as Neal Morse vocal wise. I noticed that Nick’s staying power seems to lasts the entire concert.
The rest of the band is in top form here, which makes for a great concert experience. Along with the DVD , there is a companion CD so the fan can put on some headphones and enjoy the experience anywhere they’re at.
One of my favorites of the DVD are the monster keyboard-driven instrumental "Skeletons At The Feast", the epic “Far As The Mind Can See”, the heavy rock of "Surfing Down The Avalanche" as well as “Crack The Big Sky” from 1999. These songs alone showcase the current line-ups strengths as a unit.
This DVD documents an important part of Spock’s Beard’s history by showing their fans they are as strong now as they were back in the beginning. I truly feel, we are seeing the band playing not some musicians backing up a lead singer. Highly recommended to the SB fans as well as any modern progressive rock act today!
Reviewed by Ron Fuchs on October 17th, 2008
