The program alternates between song performances and behind-the-scenes footage. This was one of those rare occasions where I didn't really mind, considering the length of each song. For instance, "Garden Of Dreams," the 18-part, 60-minute monstrosity that kicks off their 1999 album Flower Power is up next, but they are kind enough to slice it up into a 27-minute Part 1, and a 17-minute Part 2, which are separated by more behind-the-scenes stuff. Don't let the length frighten you though because this one is a stunner. They somehow manage to mix in the sounds of James Taylor, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Bob Marley, Pink Floyd, and Al DiMeola into one song. Yeah, that's who they sound like. Roine Stolt shares frontman duties with guitarist/vocalist Hans Fröberg who has a more ordinary, but pleasant-sounding voice. Stolt's vocals have a rather nasally, lounge singer-like quality and he tends to over-enunciate everything, but he still manages to be very appealing. He is truly unique.
I haven't yet seen The Flower Kings in a true live concert setting, but they were rather boring to watch in this setting. Kind of like a mini prog-rock orchestra. To make matters worse, they blended all kinds of bizarre film footage, such as modern dance, juggling, ballet, fire-eating, or simply scenes of the Swedish countryside, throughout the song performances. Didn't they see The Song Remains The Same for Christ's sake! The camera editing doesn't exactly help matters either. Although the director mostly uses slow sweeping motions that rarely change angles too quickly, a good thing, he often ignores the person who is playing the key part or solo at the time, and kind of just meanders about freely. The guest musicians are almost completely ignored too.
The songs on the second disk are slightly less compelling than the two masterworks that filled the first disk. That is, until you get to the 26-minute, magnum opus "Stardust We Are," which closes out the performance. Before that, you get an unremarkable 23-minute performance of "Humanizzimo," which is actually from the 2001 Roine Stolt solo album The Flower King, followed by the King Crimson-esque instrumental "Circus Brimstone," and then "Silent Inferno," the second choice from Unfold the Future. Maybe I was just already exhausted after the first disk, or there were better songs I would have loved to hear such as "I Am the Sun" or "Church of Your Heart." But hell, even a mediocre Flower Kings song towers over most of the other prog-rock competition out there.
Article comments
1 - Shark
"...Little did I know that The Flower Kings were one of Sweden's best bands..."
Like being the prettiest girl on the Russian Women's Weightlifting Team...
))) Sorry, just couldn't pass it up... will check Netflix for the new DVDs (((