By the last half of the disk they get to some of their older material, if you consider 1999 old, starting with the epic power-ballad "Evergreen". Findlay is at her best here as her delivery is one of the most heartfelt I have ever seen. "Heroes Never Die" is a shameless Pink Floyd homage which starts gently and slowly builds to an intense guitar-fueled climax. After closing the set with the title track from Passengers, they are drawn back out by wild applause to perform perhaps their grandest epic of all "Mother Nature". I found myself drifting back to the first time I experienced such brilliant Genesis classics as "Supper's Ready" and "The Cinema Show", which were obvious inspirations for this song. As a fitting tribute to their inspiration, they actually play a Genesis classic next as they dig right in to the somber ballad "Afterglow" to close out the show. Findlay and Josh share the lead vocals on this number and the band finds just the right nuances to really make it their own.
The production quality of this DVD was only average at best. Even though a DTS audio track was provided, along with the typical Dolby 5.1 and stereo options, the music never sounded as crisp and dynamic as it should have. The mix sounded rather dull and compressed overall. The picture was not incredibly sharp, and there was a fair amount of grain and blurry shots, especially when shot from a distance. The stage show was dazzling with a blend of lights, lasers, and projection screens that reflected the bands music and personality perfectly. Bonus material consists of promo videos for "Something In Between" and "Pure White Light" as well as a live performance of "The Night Sky", which was not included as part of the main set for whatever reason.
As Mostly Autumn continues to flesh out their own style and the songwriting continues to mature, they will most certainly remain one of the brightest stars of the progressive-folk scene. I look forward to catching them live in the U.S. someday.
Set List
Something In Between
Caught in a Fold
Another Life
First Thought
Pure White Light
Simple Ways
Distant Train
Answer the Question
Evergreen
Heroes Never Die
Never The Rainbow
Passengers
Mother Nature
Afterglow
Performance 8/10
Production 6/10
Read all of my DVD concert reviews at Roy's Reviews
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