LE SPECTRUM, MONTRÉAL, CANADA, 6 SEPTEMBER 1997 (FRONT ROW CLUB 008)

The reason i became a member of the Front Row Club, beside being a fan of the band, is because i knew they where gonna release that particular concert and also because i attended that show. First of all the tracks 1 to 4 have been recorded in New-York City, why? The Montréal recording was missing the begining of the show, the NYC show started with the same four songs as the Montréal one, insted of releasing the show without a begining, Marillion chose to put the opening of the NYC show, who was incomplete, to make it look like a entire performance. This, didn't undermise my listening pleasure of that double live CD. I have to notice also that, there was a fourth encore that night !! The light was on and the technicians where starting to remove the instruments but, nobody in the audiance left the place !!!! Being there, front row, i was screaming with the others for the band to come back, the place felt like a riot was about to start but the light whent out and everybody, in a sort of way, calm down a bit and Marillion were back on stage, YES !!!!!! Since the recording stuff had been pulled out, it's not on this double CD. That fourth encore was Kayleigh, sang by the crowd fallowed by Lavender and... to the surprise of Steve Rothery, Mark Kelly started the first note of Afraid of Sunlight, so they finish the concert with that one.

Now, the performance and this recording... This was one of the most memorable concert experience i've been to. What a show !!! Re-listening to that concert, make some of the thing, i'de didn't realise, in place. Mostly because of the effervercence of being there, front row, surrounded by a lot of other crazy fan like me ;)

Steve Hogarth had a shorted troat that night and it shows a little bit during this recording, mostly during the screaming parts. The sound of the recording is good, not perfect, but the balance between the instruments is o.k. Witch in my umble opinion helps the listening pleasure of a live recording like this one.

The highlight of this recording? Warm Wet Circles + That Time Of The Night, Man Of A Thousand Faces (my personal favorite from this recording), Slainte Mhath, This Strange Engine (naturally !) and Brave (another favorite of mine, also the best memory i have from that concert) and the last song, Garden Party (always a crowd pleaser !) I remember asking a friend of mine just before Garden Party, witch song do you think they gonna play? As soon as he said to me Garden Party, we saw Mark Kelly put is hand on the famous mini-moog and... YES ! that was it, Garden Party in all it's glory :)

I have the first 6 concerts of the Front Row Club series and, with the London Forum 1996, this is the best. So a 4 Stars, way better that Made Again or Piston Broke. So if you are planing to become a member of this cool club and you are looking for a show of the Strange Engine Tour, get that one, you won't regret your purchase.