In the never ending sea of 2021 releases, I have no idea how The Neal Morse Band’s Innocence & Danger got lost in the shuffle. This is especially considering it was a little over a year ago now that I reviewed the latest album from another one of Mr. Morse’s projects, Transatlantic. When I finally got around to checking out I&D somewhere between the end of 2021 and beginning of 2022, I was floored. Yet again, Morse managed to craft a true progressive rock masterpiece. Whether it be with Spock’s Beard, Transatlantic, Flying Colors, or in this case the NMB, Morse’s genius knows no boundaries. The question remained: How would said genius translate in a live environment? I found out this past weekend at the Arcada Theatre, as the NMB rolled through town on their accompanying tour for I&D.
Joining Morse in his band are bassist Randy George, keyboardist Bill Hubauer, guitarist Eric Gillette, and legendary drummer/Transatlantic bandmate, Mike Portnoy. Each musician is a virtuoso on his respective instrument. Put them all together and you’ve got an exercise in sheer precision and technical bliss. However, there’s more to the NMB than senseless musicality. What really drives their music home is their uplifting soulfulness and classic melodies, courtesy of Morse himself. Whether it was the old school prog of “Bird on a Wire”, the Beatles-esque “Your Place in the Sun”, the AOR tinged “Another Story to Tell”, or a rousing rendition of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, each song from I&D took on new meaning and life when presented onstage.
While their entire set was a collective two and a half hour highlight, the coup de grace arrived in the form of I&D‘s closer, “Beyond the Years”. Clocking in at a little over 30 minutes on record, this live version crept closer to 40 minutes. Between the flashing lights, blasts of smoke, trippy projections, and movements within passages within movements, I couldn’t help but sit in awestruck wonder. And I promise you, I was NOT under the influence of any substances. There was no need for such! When it comes to The Neal Morse Band, music is the drug and Morse is Tony Montana. The world is his and we’re just living in it.
Setlist
- “Do It All Again”
- “Bird on a Wire”
- “Your Place in the Sun”
- “Another Story to Tell”
- “The Way It Had to Be”
- “Breathe (Reprise)” (Pink Floyd cover)
- “The Great Gig in the Sky” (Pink Floyd cover)
- “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (Simon & Garfunkel cover)
- “Waterfall”
- “Not Afraid, Pt. 2”
- “Beyond the Years
Encore
- “Long Day”
- “City of Destruction”
- “So Far Gone”
- “The Ways of a Fool”
- “Welcome to the World”
- “The Great Adventure”
- “A Love That Never Dies”
- “Broken Sky / Long Day (Reprise)”
I couldn’t agree more with your review. I was at the Arcada show as well and it was amazing. Everything Neal touches is gold.