Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Location: Munich / Muffathalle / Germany
Concert date: March 7, 2014
Attendance: 2,500
Ticket price: €40.00
The Muffathalle, right in the heart of Munich, played host this time to the international supergroup Transatlantic, who hardly need a detailed introduction for prog rock fans, since the band is made up of current and former members of nothing but renowned bands and side projects. Founding members Neal Morse, the singer/multi-instrumentalist who was once a member of American prog rock revivalists Spock’s Beard, and Mike Portnoy, now the ex-Dream Theater drummer, decided in 2009 that, after a long absence, it was time to ‘sober up’ and bring the supergroup back to the music scene.
They quickly got in touch with their European buddies, Swedish guitarist/singer Roine Stolt (The Flower Kings, ex-Kaipa) and bassist Pete Trewavas (Marillion). The end result of the newly reborn Transatlantic was their third album »The Whirlwind« (2009) and the extensive tour that followed its release. In the years after, the quartet of musical masters and top-notch composers didn’t sit still either, and they put together a fourth Transatlantic album titled »Kaleidoscope« (2014), which can even be called their best work so far. Full of freshness and verve, which was surely helped by the new album’s high chart placings in Germany and the Netherlands, they set off on the European leg of the »Kaleidoscope« tour and picked Munich as one of the first dates.
To our relief, there was no opening act this time that might have frayed our nerves or sucked out the positive energy before the main attraction of the evening, as happened all too often in the past. Still, a bit of unnecessary bad mood was supplied by the headache-inducing prices of the various Transatlantic ‘souvenirs’, while Portnoy’s apathetic attitude toward fans of his music, whom he strolled past before the show as if they didn’t even exist, was a special chapter all its own. The fact that Transatlantic played their own covers of prog rock classics, which they put on the bonus disc of the special edition of the current album, before coming onstage also struck some people as a little off-putting and self-indulgent, as if the band members didn’t like other artists’ music and nursed some sort of superiority complex. Of course, none of this had any effect on the supergroup’s actual performance, which met and delighted all our high expectations, and that was what mattered most.
After a short orchestral intro, Transatlantic opened their set with »Into the Blue«, the opening suite of the new album, setting the tone for an evening dominated mostly by prog rock superepics and multi-part suites running longer than 20 or even 30 minutes. Neal Morse, who played most of the keyboards and sang the bulk of the vocals, is by far the most charismatic stage presence of the four musical masters, as we could see for ourselves in every performance of a Transatlantic standard that night. Neal is a born actor, with outstanding stage mimicry and vocal presence, so it’s no wonder some music critics have called him ‘the American Peter Gabriel’. That probably sounds like a bit of an exaggeration, but there’s no doubt about who his main stage role model is. Even Neal’s look, a mix of Quentin Tarantino’s ‘long-lost relative’ and a young Jack Lemmon, lets him make the most of his huge charisma, while his singing has only ‘matured’ over the years.
Morse’s acoustic guitar playing is at least as good as his keyboard work, as we saw during a short joint solo spot with Stolt, and he can handle some other instruments too, including drums and bass guitar. It’s a real shame that Neal, after his fateful ‘vision’ in 2002, when ‘God told him to leave Spock’s Beard,’ devotes half of his creative energy and time to religious preaching and church gigs, which shows in most of his solo lyrics as well as Transatlantic’s. Otherwise he would have earned legendary status long ago, something only a handful of prog rock musicians (three, maybe four at most) among those active since the nineties truly deserve.
Mike Portnoy isn’t charismatic, let alone a positive guy, which longtime Dream Theater fans have known for ages (and not only since his departure), but the role of a chatty yet entertaining blue-bearded grump suits him extremely well. Every so often he fires up the crowd with a witty remark, like the one at the very start of the show, when he joked about a sign held high by someone in the front rows. It read ‘Portnoy is the shit’, which he liked. He’d surely have reacted quite differently if it had read ‘Portnoy is shit’, as he hinted himself. Mike is of course still a drumming ‘beast’ of a kind there aren’t many of, so watching him play is always a mandatory field trip for all young, curious drummers who want to learn to play every possible genre. His singing was often criticized back in his Dream Theater days, but he’s actually far from a bad singer, and his ‘psychedelic’ vocals in the right sections, with the right sonic backing, come off as great fun.
Guitar master Stolt, true to the proverbial cool Swede, was as expected rather reserved onstage with his ‘professorial’ bearing, so every sudden, jerky move or raised hand above the guitar neck, let alone a smile, was a big surprise. His guitar wizardry, especially the solos, was a chapter of its own and, as always with him, a rarely heard combination of melody, precision, and enviable shredding speed, while as a singer he shone brightest in the sections that were stylistically reminiscent of his ‘home’ band, The Flower Kings. The calm but wonderfully upbeat Trewavas was the most bouncy member of the Transatlantic crew throughout the show, which is no surprise to any Marillion fan, since they’ve long known Pete’s stage approach. With his tasteful laying down of melodic yet complex bass lines he delighted young and old, and he shone especially on both of his short vocal turns, so that every member of this splendid prog rock quartet got to try out a vocal role.
Instead of Daniel Gildenlöw (Pain of Salvation), who usually accompanied them on past tours, Ted Leonard (Spock’s Beard, Enchant) filled the guest member slot, which especially delighted all the Spock’s Beard fans, who got to see both the former and current singer of that wonderful American prog rock band onstage at the same time. Transatlantic simply couldn’t have wished for a more fitting supporting singer, since Leonard and Morse meshed superbly on the vocal harmonies, particularly in the sections with a Spock’s Beard stylistic and atmospheric pulse. Leonard helped Morse and Stolt with extra synth lines, rhythm guitar, and backing vocals. His solo spots in the chosen songs were rare and short, but among the singers only Morse got a bigger round of applause. For part of the Rockline crew, this was already the third live encounter with Ted, and each time he was in a different band: first we saw him with Enchant, then with Spock’s Beard, and third with Transatlantic.
Morse, with his Roland V-7 organ, was set up in the left corner of the stage, while Portnoy was on the right, his drum kit arranged so that he could look straight at Neal, which was something special and surely a fun experience for him. After »Into the Blue« came an equally impressive performance of the 16-minute epic »My New World« from Transatlantic’s debut »SMPT:e« (2000), and it was immediately clear that the musicians onstage enjoy the older material no less than the new stuff, as everything was played in dreamlike fashion while the vocal harmonies were pure balm for body and soul. The sound in the hall was excellent throughout, so there was no real difference no matter where you stood in the crowd during the entire show.
With the uplifting, slightly psychedelic »Shine«, also from the new album, the four prog rock ‘astronauts’ came down to earth a little, showing they’re no strangers to playing more ‘compact’ pieces (compact by their usual standards) and that these are musicians who, in some other era, could have written big pop hits too if they’d felt like it. That goes especially for the all-around Morse, though Trewavas undoubtedly has the most experience writing songs with hit potential. The color of the graphic projections in the background suddenly changed: the green-and-blue »Kaleidoscope« cover gave way to the yellow-orange combination of the »Whirlwind« album cover. »Whirlwind« is both an album and a song, clocking in at a full 77 minutes, so nobody expected Transatlantic to play it in its entirety.
Instead they put together a »Transatlantic Medley« that boiled down the best sections of this stunning prog revivalist epic, and every member of the band got a chance to shine, including guest Leonard. With »Beyond the Sun« they returned to »Kaleidoscope«, which hit its peak that night with the title superepic. It was a veritable orgy of ‘old-school’ prog brilliance, in which they once again combined their extraordinary virtuosity to craft magical symphonic arrangements, lay down seductive melodies, stage unpredictable time changes, and weave epic choruses. This was without a doubt the first of the evening’s two big highlights.
After the »Kaleidoscope« triumph, everyone except Neal and Roine left the stage, and it was time for the joint solo spot: a short guitar duel that ended in a draw. During it, Neal also indulged in a little burlesque, quickly playing and singing the main motif of the famous country evergreen »Ring of Fire« (Johnny Cash). The concert was slowly nearing its closing stretch, and it was time for »We All Need Some Light«, perhaps the best-known and most beloved Transatlantic creation, which Neal, its creator, sang with almost religious fervor, not surprising given its spiritual message and lyrics. With »Black As the Sky«, Transatlantic had played the whole of »Kaleidoscope« that night, which was an impressive achievement however you look at it, considering they’re capable of plenty more that’s incomprehensible to ordinary musical ‘mortals’.
After a short break they came back onstage and played the 30-minute suite »All of the Above« from their debut, finally making good on Portnoy’s announcement from the start of the show that the night would be marked by epic suites. The concert wouldn’t have been complete without at least one song from the second album, »Bridge Across Forever« (2001), and since Transatlantic give their fans only the best, they picked the most impressive track from that album: the 30-minute super-epic »Stranger in Your Soul«, which delivered the second highlight of the evening. We didn’t hear any covers by other artists that night, which was kind of fitting, since the members of Transatlantic are slowly realizing that since reuniting in 2009 they’ve become a real band with heart and soul, no longer just a side project to ‘kill free time’ and please those prog snobs who can’t be bothered to go see the ‘home’ bands of this masterful quartet.
Transatlantic came, played, and conquered. Their show at Muffathalle was a real treat for every symphonic prog rock gourmand. These unstoppable prog fanatics don’t run out of energy for 20-to-30-minute epic suites any time soon, which, for guys who have already ‘met Abraham’ or are getting close to him (Portnoy), is definitely worth a deep bow. Even more praiseworthy is their ability to fill the audience with positive energy and good vibes throughout the entire show, since amid all the complex rhythmic variations and unpredictable solo excursions running through the individual compositions, there’s always a gorgeous sense of melody and a delivery of life messages that speak a ‘universal language’ and go beyond Neal’s boxed-in views. That also means every fan of symphonic progressive rock with old-school roots will always find something interesting at a Transatlantic show, which makes seeing them live a one-of-a-kind experience every time.
Setlist
The Orchestral Whirlwind (intro)
1. Into the Blue
2. My New World
3. Shine
Whirlwind Medley
4. Overture (Abridged)
5. Rose Colored Glasses
6. Evermore
7. Is It Really Happening?
8. Dancing With Eternal Glory (Whirlwind (Reprise) section)
9. Beyond The Sun
10. Kaleidoscope
11. Guitar Duet (Morse & Stolt)
12. We All Need Some Light
13. Black as the Sky
—encore—
14. All of the Above (Full Moon Rising/October Winds)
15. Stranger in Your Soul (Slide/Stranger In Your Soul)
Photo gallery
