Magenta/Pendragon at The Peel 08/11/08
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Topic: Magenta/Pendragon at The Peel 08/11/08
Posted By: chopper
Subject: Magenta/Pendragon at The Peel 08/11/08
Date Posted: November 10 2008 at 07:45
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I must be a bit of a Jonah for The Peel. I’ve been there three times and now and each time the main band has had a technical issue – the first time Tinyfish’s drummer broke a snare skin in the first song, the second time Simon Godfrey’s synth guitar got stuck and this time Pendragon’s drummer also broke a snare. I can only apologise guys. Magenta kicked off this 30th Anniversary Pendragon gig with an “unplugged” session, featuring just Rob on piano, Chris on acoustic guitar and the sublime vocals of Christina. They treated us to various tracks from “Home” and the ProgAid EP and even finished up with a cover of Kate Bush’s “Hounds of Love”. Christina seemed to be having a few throat problems (not that it affected her singing at all) and kept bending down for her water bottle, which gave the guy at the front with the large zoom lens an opportunity to take more photos. A good warm up for the main act and Christina proved what a great singer she is. Pendragon hit the stage soon after. I was slightly worried by Nick’s opening line of “Hello my lovers” but I’m sure that’s just his way of being friendly. This being the last show of their 30th Anniversary Tour (as we were frequently reminded) we were treated to a selection of older numbers, which I admit I wasn’t familiar with, with a few numbers from the brilliant new “Pure” CD thrown in. The sound was good, although Nick’s Les Paul could have been a bit louder in the solos. New drummer, Scott Higham, is a real powerhouse who makes Animal from The Muppets look quiet and restrained. In the small confines of The Peel he was a little too loud but is nevertheless a great addition to the band. Personally I would have liked to have heard a few more tracks from “The Masquerade Overture” and “Not Of This World”, but the Pure songs were excellent and are already proving to be live favourites. As Nick said, Pendragon and their fans are like a big family and Nick certainly has a great rapport with the fans, even sharing a Sherbet Fountain with the crowd while Scott went off in search of the van key to repair his snare drum. In a way I found it sad that such a great band had to celebrate their 30th anniversary in a small pub in Kingston when they deserve to be playing Wembley but at least they have the satisfaction of a hugely appreciative audience. Here’s to the next 30 years. |
Replies:
Posted By: Jim Garten
Date Posted: November 10 2008 at 08:09
Nice one Alan - Didn't know Magenta were supporting, I feel even more p'd off we missed it now 
How many people can say they shared a sherbert fountain with a prog band's main man, eh? 30 years in & Pendragon still coming up with firsts  ------------- 
Jon Lord 1941 - 2012 |
Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: November 10 2008 at 08:31
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This is the set list. To paraphrase Eric Morecambe this is all the correct songs but not neccesarily in the correct order -
Circus
The Mask Total Recall Queen of Hearts Breaking The Spell Nostradamus Paintbox Eraserhead The Freak Show It's Only Me The Shadow Masters of Illusion The Voyager |
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: November 10 2008 at 08:50
Nice review, Alan. It was a great gig..! 
Good to meet Rachel too. BTW, I think you can add 'Walls of Babylon' to that set list. I'm pretty sure they played it, although I was playing it in my car the day before and after the gig, so may be confused. It dont take much these days... 
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Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: November 10 2008 at 08:57
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You may be right Andy. I actually copied that list from the Pendragon forum, the person who wrote it did say it might not be complete.
Hope you made it home alright mate! Shame you had to leave early, you missed the bit where Christina from Magenta ran naked around the pub!
 (not really).
 |
Posted By: Wilcey
Date Posted: November 10 2008 at 09:36
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Aw Chopper, you shoulda been there on Friday when they played "Man of Nomadic Traits" from NOTW & Masters of Illusion from MO. (Amongst others) They opened with Walls of Babylon each night, so yes it was there! It was great doing 2 nights at The Peel, with a different set each night the boys managed to cover a wide spectrum of material, and it was certainly good fun.  R x |
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: November 10 2008 at 09:38
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Oh sh!t, did I miss the anuual prog charity strip-a-thon at the Peel??
again... 
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Posted By: progmetalhead
Date Posted: November 10 2008 at 09:44
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Glad you enjoyed it Alan, sounded great, just as you would expect from the Pendies. Albeit the thought of a "Sherbet Fountain" initially had my mind racing a fair bit!! ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/colt2112" rel="nofollow - http://www.last.fm/user/colt2112 Colt - Admin Team MMA 
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Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: November 10 2008 at 09:53
I missed "Man of Nomadic Traits"?
 One of me faves, I'm gutted. |
Wilcey wrote: