Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Venue: Munich / Circus Krone / Germany
Concert date: May 22, 2014
Attendance: 1500
Ticket price: €60.00
On German soil, specifically in the Bavarian capital Munich, Magnum and Saga stopped by as part of a joint tour, which was a particular treat for all fans of progressive melodic rock with its various shades of experimentation. It’s a downright fantastic feeling to witness a show by two bands this big, with more parallels between them than most people would think. Both released their first studio album in 1978, both hit peak popularity in the eighties and both had trouble with drummers, while pinning a genre on their music is still a pretty tricky job, even though both come out of the progressive rock movement. On top of that, both are still held in the highest esteem in German-speaking countries, as we’ve seen for ourselves at our previous gigs with both bands. The visit of these two legends, Magnum and Saga, to Circus Krone was without a doubt one of the biggest concert events of the year for fans of progressive and melodic rock.
The Brits Magnum, who played first tonight, were presenting their latest studio effort, »Escape From the Shadow Garden« (2014), on this tour, which means their set was mostly marked by songs from that album. The first half of the show was thus dominated by some favorites from the 2009 to 2014 period, while the long-time classics only came up around the midpoint. Magnum opened with »Live ’til You Die«, the opening track of the new album, and immediately confirmed the brilliant tightness between the individual instrumentalists, which didn’t surprise anyone familiar with their stage approach in the slightest. Ever serious, if not downright stern, guitarist and main songwriter Tony Clarkin kept a static stage posture throughout, while his colorful picking of guitar phrases was once again a real feast for the ears. Longtime keyboardist Mark Stanway, even though the bags under his eyes get a little heavier every year, diligently built mighty symphonic arrangements and was often the key factor in Magnum’s trademark epic, pompous feel.
The dynamic rhythm section of bassist Al Barrow and drummer Harry James, the youngest members of the band, ran like a well-oiled machine again and was especially a delight during the heavier moments of individual songs. The weakest link of Magnum has become singer Bob Catley over the years, the only remaining founding member besides Clarkin, as his voice just doesn’t obey him like it used to, so he had quite a few problems during his set. It hit rock bottom during the epic »On A Storyteller’s Night« (1985) classic »Les Morts Dansant«, when he forgot the lyrics in one of the verses and understandably grabbed his head. Luckily, Barrow and James helped him especially in the choruses with backing vocal harmonies, because Catley sadly can’t hide live anymore that his vocal range has become seriously worn down in the last few years. Some of the higher vocal parts he simply can’t sing anymore, and when he does try, his delivery comes out rather throaty.
Right in the middle of the evergreen »How Far Jerusalem« he even had to take a longer break, during which the remaining four launched into an instrumental jam that went on a touch too long. Still, Catley impressed with his stage charisma and energy and later in the set even patched up and masked his shaky vocal form a bit. One of the bigger surprises of the night was »All England’s Eyes«, while the pompous classic »Vigilante« was the peak of the regular set for many in the crowd. The cult standard »Kingdom of Madness« also came off pretty well, and we nearly forgot about Bob’s vocal troubles. In the encore they surprised with a longer, acoustically rearranged version of »The Spirit«, a classic from »Chase The Dragon« (1982), which they then poured into standard, electrified waters. The high point of the Magnum set came right at the end, when they played the epic masterpiece »Sacred Hour«, which they don’t play at every opportunity, even though it deserves it, since it’s one of the best things they’ve ever done.
During it Stanway especially shone, playing the symphonic arrangements just as they should be played and true to the original version, considering that in the past he often liked to improvise with various ‘shortcuts’ when playing it, quickly getting through the more demanding textures that way. Catley held up quite well this time too, although Magnum fans can justifiably be worried about the future of his singing. All in all, Magnum met expectations and put on a very good show, especially instrumentally, although they could have played a few more long-time evergreens and fewer newer pieces. Then again, you have to understand their need to represent new and old material evenly, especially after »Escape From the Shadow Garden« enjoyed unexpected commercial success, charting high even on home, British soil, which hadn’t happened since the end of the eighties.
Before Saga came on, the stage techs entertained themselves while clearing and setting up gear by spinning one of Yes’s weakest albums, »Union« (1991), which was also the most bizarre moment of the evening, though maybe it was even a special musical request from the ‘quirky’ Canadians. Canadian prog rock legends Saga served up three of the most popular classics from their rich career right at the start, namely »Don’t Be Late«, »You’re Not Alone« and »On The Loose«, which sent all the fans into indescribable delirium in an instant. The level of tightness among all members of this cult Canadian band is downright incredible, which we notice every time we catch them again, yet there are few bands with their mileage whose members so obviously enjoy playing their past works.
Ian Crichton, one of the most overlooked guitarists of our time, was in truly fantastic spirits this evening and enjoyed every solo. After some dirty looks toward his tech over sound problems with his electric guitar, which got fixed quickly, he completely gave himself over to his trademark solo improvisations and offered a heaping bagful of multicolored guitar phrases that took the fans to ‘seventh heaven’. His brother Jim Crichton on bass and auxiliary keyboards seemed like a kid again this evening, since besides unusual bounciness he also surprised with a bizarre look that made him resemble some Texas trucker. Definitely an unusual move for a traditionally pretty serious bassist and producer.
Keyboardist and backing vocalist Jim Gilmour was a lot more reserved, having put on a few extra pounds after a serious eye operation, which didn’t stop him from impressing with his virtuoso layering of rainbow-colored synth textures. His star moment was the dreamy rendition of »Scratching The Surface«, which he sang with exceptional fire, once again wowing with his distinctive voice. Legendary singer Michael Sadler was a chapter of his own: he returned to the band in 2011 and sings at as enviable a level as in his best days, when the band was still young and a big name in Central Europe commercially too. On top of that, he’s still one of the most charismatic progressive rock vocalists, who with his polished gestures and stage mimicry always illustrates the key lines of each lyric.
Apart from »Anywhere You Wanna Go« from the album »20/20« (2012) and the instrumental »Corkentellis« from »10,000 Days« (2007), long-time Saga classics ruled the night, to the delight of most fans. After »Too Much To Lose«, drummer Mike Thorne, the newest member of the band, had his solo spot, proving once again that after the tired and ailing Brian Doerner he brought fresh, youthful energy into the band, which really wasn’t in short supply tonight, mostly thanks to Sadler and both Crichton brothers. With the instrumental »Corkentellis«, Saga once again demonstrated that under Gilmour’s careful baton they can play symphonic progressive rock without a problem if they feel like it.
This was followed by four songs in a row from Saga’s self-titled 1978 debut, which sounded tonight as if they’d been recorded yesterday, since they passed the test of time brilliantly and the band can still play them like it’s always done. During »Humble Stance«, Sadler, as usual, effectively took over the bass guitar from Jim Crichton, who was then behind the auxiliary synth. With a brilliant version of »Careful Where You Step«, where they wowed especially with their synth multi-harmonies, Saga crowned the end of the regular part of their set. In the encore they surprised us with »The Pitchman«, a standard from »Heads Or Tales« (1983), which rarely makes it onto their setlist in recent years. Some of us quietly hoped they’d bring back »The Flyer«, the best-known track from the aforementioned album, but that didn’t happen tonight. For the big finale they didn’t forget the unforgettable classic about a compulsive gambler, »Wind Him Up«, which rounded off the list of their most popular songs. The crazy atmosphere in the hall hit its climax and the crowd had a hard time accepting that the band members really did have to say goodbye and leave the stage.
To be honest, Saga were the absolute winners when comparing the two bands’ shows: besides the fascinating setlist, the whole band was in phenomenal form the entire time and was rewarded accordingly with longer applause than Magnum. The latter were far from leaving us cold, but they’ll urgently need to do something about Bob’s tired vocals, because turning a blind eye to such an obvious problem would be totally pointless. Two great bands who had their biggest successes in a far more romantic era of music wowed us once again with exceptional professionalism and filled us up with the kind of positive energy that most modern rock outfits chronically lack. Saga will definitely hit the road again in the second half of this year, presenting songs from the upcoming studio album »Sagacity« for the first time, and it’s not an exaggeration to predict already that it’ll be one of their best achievements in the last ten, maybe even twenty years, since after Sadler’s return and Thorne’s arrival the band is still getting a veritable infusion of youthful energy, which can be crucial to the creative process.
Setlist
SAGA:
1. Don’t Be Late (Chapter 2)
2. You’re Not Alone
3. On The Loose
4. Anywhere You Wanna Go
5. Too Much to Lose (Chapter 7)
6. Drum Solo
7. Corkentellis
8. Ice Nice
9. How Long
10. Humble Stance
11. Tired World (Chapter 6)
12. Scratching the Surface
13. Careful Where You Step
—encore—
14. Pitchman
15. Wind Him Up
MAGNUM:
1. Live ’til You Die
2. Black Skies
3. Freedom Day
4. Dance of the Black Tattoo
5. Blood Red Laughter
6. Unwritten Sacrifice
7. How Far Jerusalem
8. Les Morts Dansant
9. Falling for the Big Plan
10. All England’s Eyes
11. Vigilante
12. Kingdom of Madness
—encore—
13. The Spirit
14. Sacred Hour
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