Yet, expectations were high. I was particularly looking forward to the performance of the full ‘Question Mark’ album, a revelation after the very disappointing ‘One’. Finding my way into the venue I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the crowd that was gathered there: about five hundred and ONE :-) It was interesting to see that the amount of religious people seemed to have grown (noticing from the reactions in the crowd during the gig just slightly) and that - despite the fact that mister Portnoy was absent - there were still plenty of Dream Theater T-shirts.

The band kicked of with the ‘Question Mark’ album. There were some problems with the sound at first, but these troubles were conquered within one or two tracks. There has been a lot of discussion going around about the sound on the Neal Morse forum, but where I was standing - in the middle of the hall - the sound was more than acceptable (for all of you bothered by feedback, chose your place more wisely). The only real flaw that endured the entire gig was the balance during the louder parts in the set. There the sound was too hard, too full and a bit messy (you can’t have that at a rock concert!). I for one wasn’t too much bothered that on occasion an individual instrument slightly drowned in the mix. If you want to listen to a perfect sounding performance you should stay home and play the album.

Watching jazz musicians play rock music - probably for the first time in their lives - was heartwarming. I suspect that the bass player watched some rock DVD’s before setting foot on the stage. Truth is: these guys were clearly having so much fun on stage - and therefore were so much fun to watch that one could easily forget the minor mistakes they made. My guess is that Neal Morse spoiled some good jazz musicians. Once they’ve played a few rock concerts we won’t find them back on a jazz stage.

The performance of ‘Question Mark’ absolutely made it up to my expectations. Especially during the acoustic parts the jazz influences seemed to suit perfectly. The only small point of criticism I just have to make is that I disliked the sections where the female singer Jessica supported Morse with the vocal parts that are just beyond his reach. I want to hear Morse give everything, just falling short slightly. Exactly these hoarse vocals usually give me goose bumps. With the backing vocals and vocals harmonies, Jessica proved to be a more than worthy addition. Her performance during the ‘Snow’ encore were absolutely mind-blowing. As a matter of fact, the encore was the absolute highlight of the evening (even bringing back some of the incredible ‘Testimony’ happening).

That leaves me reviewing the middle section of the gig. I know that the performance of this part of the show was of the same level as the ‘Question mark’ and ‘Snow’ parts and I shouldn’t be reviewing the music itself. Fact is that the tracks taken from the album ‘One’ fall terribly short. The fact that Morse’s nine year old son was brought on stage to sing along with his father made things worse, taking away the natural tempo of a rock concert. I don’t mind that Morse is devoting his live to God. I don’t mind that his kids sing along at church gigs. I don’t mind listening to Christian messages in songs. I don’t mind witnessing a band and a few people in the crowd blessing their leader in between songs. But you shouldn’t bother people with your kids on stage. Even Peter Gabriel couldn’t get away with it (and his daughter is in her twenties!).

(Review & Pics: Geert Oldenmenger)