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kenethlevine 
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 Topic: Renaissance in Rockport, MA, USA
Posted: October 22 2015 at 23:16 |
Renaissance has been doing a number of shows in their stronghold of the US Northeast this fall, and the one closes to me was over an hour away, on a weeknight! I'm home now and basking in the glow.
The setlist was
Here is the setlist from tonights's awesome show!
Prologue Carpet of the sun Immortal Beloved Grandine Il Viento Symphony of Light
...break
Sounds of the Sea Mother Russia Northern Lights A Song for all Seasons
...encore Ashes are Burning
The concert took places at a fairly new music venue called the Shalin Liu performance Center. It was very comfortable but, more importantly, was pretty near full and had among the best acoustics of any concert settings I can remember. Every voice, instrument and note could be discerned and savoured, First and foremost were Annie's mellifluous pipes, still powerful and heat seeking. It's hard to explain - there is a genius at work that goes beyond just being naturally endowed, and it manifests in every nuance within her range. The sound waves of her concert performances are like snowflakes - no two are the same - so back we go to catch them over and over. Sadly, they are just as ephemeral, and I wonder how long she can keep performing at the level that she demands. At the same time, 5 backing musicians turned in a brilliant performance that did justice to some of the most unique opuses in rock, and also amped up the somewhat weaker recent material to, if not equal footing, at least stage worthiness. The twin keyboards were pivotal to the arrangements, with one carrying the melody and the other the multitude of orchestral flourishes and ambience
For me, the highlights were Prologue, which showcases all the band members and Annie; Grandine Il Viento, whose climax captures Annie at her most majestic; Mother Russia, in an arresting version that had chills running up and down my spine; the beyond bombastic "Song for all seasons" which harnessed an energy sometimes lacking in the group's more sedate, well behaved canon; and of course the encore "Ashes are Burning", which ran on only long enough to bring the audience to its feet, clapping along with Annie. Of note, "Symphony of Light" also drew a standing ovation, its intricacies more evident on stage.
As some of my favorites from the 1970s carry on into their 60s and beyond, I wonder if a live performing version of the group could follow in their footsteps when they no longer can. It's probably just a fantasy, but the material presented tonight is imposing enough to stand on its own, even with a different singer. The challenge would be to find one, and a backing band, whose passion for these creations is half what the current version of Renaissance bestows on these "songs for all our times".
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rogerthat
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Posted: October 23 2015 at 01:41 |
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Sounds great. Nicely described for a 'quick' review. It's funny but I too would like to see a new set of limbs carry on the music after Annie & co are done. I just don't know who can step into Annie's shoes. In Annie's heyday there were a bunch of these folk-rock sopranos but nowadays most female singers are mezzo. I was chuffed when they had Mary Fahl over for a couple of songs last year. Well, she did pretty well and still ended up sounding like Jennifer Rush. As you described, there are like a million little undulations going on in Annie's delivery and without that subtle dynamics it can sound very dry. That kind of singing is practically dead among the younger singers and the ones who do get somewhere close to that approach, like Anneke, tend to be mezzos.
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Meltdowner
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Posted: October 23 2015 at 03:55 |
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Great review and a very nice setlist. I saw a photo of the venue on their Facebook page, it seems really cool.
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SteveG
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Joined: April 11 2014
Location: Kyiv In Spirit
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Posted: October 23 2015 at 11:24 |
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Wow! Great song list! I bet ASFAS went down a storm with two keyboardists and Sounds of the Sea must have been a rare treat! Thanks for sharing this Ken.
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Lewian
Prog Reviewer
Joined: August 09 2015
Location: Italy
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Points: 14103
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Posted: October 23 2015 at 12:19 |
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Thanks for this! Ah! Gotta listen to "A Song for All Seasons" again!
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kenethlevine
Special Collaborator
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Joined: December 06 2006
Location: New England
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Posted: October 23 2015 at 22:16 |
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very strong set well played. They are hoping to be able to perform further afield but need the word of mouth (or print). The guitarist is very good and I wonder if he was a fan back in the day. He is probably in his 60s. He did great harmonizing with Annie,
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kenethlevine
Special Collaborator
Prog-Folk Team
Joined: December 06 2006
Location: New England
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Posted: October 23 2015 at 22:18 |
 rogerthat wrote:
Sounds great. Nicely described for a 'quick' review. It's funny but I too would like to see a new set of limbs carry on the music after Annie & co are done. I just don't know who can step into Annie's shoes. In Annie's heyday there were a bunch of these folk-rock sopranos but nowadays most female singers are mezzo. I was chuffed when they had Mary Fahl over for a couple of songs last year. Well, she did pretty well and still ended up sounding like Jennifer Rush. As you described, there are like a million little undulations going on in Annie's delivery and without that subtle dynamics it can sound very dry. That kind of singing is practically dead among the younger singers and the ones who do get somewhere close to that approach, like Anneke, tend to be mezzos. |
did you manage to see them with Mary Fahl? I had the impression you are down under and they haven't been touring there due to costs.
Ah I see there are some youtubes
I never made the connection between the pronunciation of her last name "Fall" and "October Project" 
Edited by kenethlevine - October 23 2015 at 22:21
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rogerthat
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Posted: October 23 2015 at 23:02 |
Nope, India. Not going to be able to see them like ever but thankfully there's youtube. Yes, there's a youtube vid uploaded by the band themselves of Mary Fahl performing I Think of You with Renaissance. Don't know where she gets that heavily German pronunciation from since she speaks with a normal American accent.
You know, I never made that connection too until you just mentioned it. :P Indeed, fall, october project, makes sense.
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kenethlevine
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Joined: December 06 2006
Location: New England
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Posted: October 24 2015 at 09:50 |
Ah India There isn't much likelihood they will go there I guess. Do they/did they have a following there? Did you ever see the videos of Northern Lights and Day of the Dreamer (short version) from the Mike Douglas show in 1978? At the show Thursday, Annie described getting a call or message while on tour in America that Northern Lights had made the singles charts - it must have been an unexpected thrill
Edited by kenethlevine - October 24 2015 at 09:50
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rogerthat
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Posted: October 24 2015 at 21:20 |
I think they did albeit a modest one. I picked up Novella and SFAS in a store and bought Ashes/Cards from a domestic online retailer so they must have some sort of following. I suspect it's mainly the older generation. My wife knew Northern Lights because her mum used to play this song. I did see the Mike Douglas videos...on YouTube when a kind soul uploaded it shortly after Dunford's death. Not the best advertisement for the band - much prefer Midnight Special - but it will do. Yeah, have heard that story about how the band was in America when they learnt it was a top 10 hit. Annie mentioned it in an interview to a UK website earlier this year.
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rogerthat
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Posted: October 24 2015 at 21:23 |
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Even if Ren did have a good following here, Annie is practically paranoid about contracting diseases and Indian climate makes one immune to all sorts of things, starting with the pollution. My nose is never completely clear and just about everyone who lives in Mumbai is the same. We carry a slight cold all year...and still indulge ourselves to junk food off the street!
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fudgenuts64
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Joined: January 17 2013
Location: NY
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Posted: October 24 2015 at 22:39 |
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Nearly got to see the NJ show... had bus tickets and everything. Missed it as my ride's car broke down and couldn't get to the bus station. Still upset...
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rogerthat
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Posted: October 25 2015 at 01:28 |
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Sorry to hear that, man. :( I know...I had even requested a review from you of the show.
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kenethlevine
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Joined: December 06 2006
Location: New England
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Posted: October 25 2015 at 09:01 |
rogerthat wrote:
Even if Ren did have a good following here, Annie is practically paranoid about contracting diseases and Indian climate makes one immune to all sorts of things, starting with the pollution. My nose is never completely clear and just about everyone who lives in Mumbai is the same. We carry a slight cold all year...and still indulge ourselves to junk food off the street! |
I believe that about Annie. I was joking with my friend that I could picture her in a group of friends back in the day passing around a joint, and she would be like "oh no thank you" with a vivacious laugh. She seems like the anti rock star in many ways, and although that may just be a persona, I bet she has taken good care of herself for a long time, starting with her voice
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kenethlevine
Special Collaborator
Prog-Folk Team
Joined: December 06 2006
Location: New England
Status: Offline
Points: 8851
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Posted: October 25 2015 at 09:05 |
fudgenuts64 wrote:
Nearly got to see the NJ show... had bus tickets and everything. Missed it as my ride's car broke down and couldn't get to the bus station. Still upset... |
so sorry to hear that any chance you can get to the Keswick in Feb? That's a great venue
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rogerthat
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Posted: October 25 2015 at 11:21 |
kenethlevine wrote:
I believe that about Annie. I was joking with my friend that I could picture her in a group of friends back in the day passing around a joint, and she would be like "oh no thank you" with a vivacious laugh. She seems like the anti rock star in many ways, and although that may just be a persona, I bet she has taken good care of herself for a long time, starting with her voice |
Yeah, anti rock star. She said she's never smoked and is only a light drinker. Don't think her voice would have held up this long if she hadn't been disciplined.
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micky
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Posted: November 11 2015 at 20:18 |
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awesome. Great review Ken! How well did she carry off Sounds of the Sea. Tell me she can and did still do that justice
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The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip
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kenethlevine
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Joined: December 06 2006
Location: New England
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Points: 8851
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Posted: November 11 2015 at 20:34 |
micky wrote:
awesome. Great review Ken! How well did she carry off Sounds of the Sea. Tell me she can and did still do that justice
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sounded pretty good to me - it was actually the first song after the break and we were a bit late getting back. It was great that they listened to fans and played that, Northern Lights and Song for all Seasons.
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rogerthat
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Posted: November 11 2015 at 20:37 |
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So now that we are talking details, how did Song for all Seasons go? I mean how did Annie tackle it? I am sure the instrumentation came off better with the new band because they have two keyboards. But it's a pretty demanding song for the vocalist with those sharp dynamic spikes.
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kenethlevine
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Joined: December 06 2006
Location: New England
Status: Offline
Points: 8851
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Posted: November 11 2015 at 20:49 |
rogerthat wrote:
So now that we are talking details, how did Song for all Seasons go? I mean how did Annie tackle it? I am sure the instrumentation came off better with the new band because they have two keyboards. But it's a pretty demanding song for the vocalist with those sharp dynamic spikes. |
well, you know, I'm of the opinion that a Song for all Seasons is not accorded as much respect as it should be because of it came about relatively late in their career, so I'm pretty demanding, and I think that she managed to hold her own within the dense arrangement. I'm always a bit disappointed that the brief instrumental break leading up to the final chorus never seems to do that brilliant turn it does on record. I don't know how to explain it better. It goes through 3 iterations, and the second is different from the first and third on record. Every live version I hear misses out on that. But just a minor flaw.
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