| The VIP Room |
Very steady |
| The Idol |
'Michael Jackson' Mark carries the ending with the known
recorded drumbeat again, played well and steady |
| Pandora's Box |
Geoff holds the long chord nicely after "'plane";
Josh a soulful
solo, and drags the last note of the song out with nice distortion. Mark
breaks stick but never loses a beat |
| The Wall Street Blues |
Nice solo from Geoff, more jazzy / bluesy solo from
Gary: very nice |
| Luskus Delph |
Gary comments, 'We'd like to play one of the closest things
we ever did that came close to a love song: from Broken Barricades,
called Luskus Delph.' The bassline that helps move the song is
solid, and so is Geoff's line of melody. Nice synth from Josh. |
| Homburg |
A few aahs and ooohs
as the song starts:
here's a photo of
it being played
|
| Shine on Brightly |
Gary goes through a short variety of Danish words the band
knows after apologising for not knowing more, then introduces the
song with 'Eins, zwei, drei ...' Solid organ solo, slightly rushed at the
end but nice tones |
| An Old English Dream |
'We have Tony Blair, Mickey Rooney, oh sorry ... Wayne
Rooney. Mickey was a fabulous actor but you're too young to remember him
...' Great dynamics: this song has come a long way and it's continuing to
grow. Great ending solo from Geoff
Gary starts play the UK National Anthem, God Save the Queen |
| Conquistador |
Solid, and Josh has the horn sound from the synth down just
right. In the final passage Matt, Geoff and Josh mimicking each other as
they jump up and down, as does Gary, slightly standing up from the bench
at the punches. |
|
Interval
|
I'm out in
the audience tonight. The first set carries the power, but it is all
different tonight as it is a sit-down show ... a proper Procol concert
being played very well. Very appreciative crowd, though not nearly as
raucous as the standing crowds of the past two nights. |
| Shadow Boxed |
Very solid, and the synth 'piano' very clear with the ending
pose at a standstill. |
| Grand Hotel |
Paraphrased: 'Once upon a time there were nice hotels that
served good food and had silken sheets.' Geoff and Matt give an attempt at
an operatic, but comedic, 'Nights we stayed at Hotel Grand' and 'Nights we
dine at Hotel Ritz'. Gary playful on the keyboard at the run-up, and
hamming it up a bit as they go into the tango. A lot of drama clipping
with the song, prior to the guitar solo. 'These Aarhus girls they like to
fight'. 'Palm Sunday, day of the palm trees: Josh, any idea?' Mark knows
it's the laying the leaves as the cross was carried ... |
| Beyond the Pale |
'A couple of people who are not here, in these day of IT: so
we will play it in their honour.' Josh adds the Teatime carnival
line, Matt strong bass: and he and Geoff line up and put their backs
together and arms out for the 'Hoy!' |
| Something Following Me |
'Two songs written before there even was a Procol Harum: one
where a man is followed everywhere by his tombstone, and another where he
has an eye in the middle of his head.' Soulful blues: this is
Procol Harum, imho. Nice solos from Geoff and Josh |
| .Alpha |
'This for Al 'Pha' with one eye right here' (points,
indicating your correspondent). It rocked with great solos from Geoff and
Josh. |
| Simple Sister |
Geoff plays with the crowd starting and pausing longer after
each opening riff. This song is getting much bluesier every night and
still holding the elements; massive clapping with the song during the
build-up and again speeded up which, imho, is great. Geoff sound a bit
more Trower to tonight. I must be hallucinating! Great response.
Gary tells Johnny there's a Steinway downstairs (photo of GB
playing it after the show). Now his piano stool breaks; he asks if
there's a doctor in the house, and as Johnny fetches him the Steinway
bench the band takes a stage break to drink. Gary asks if everyone is
comfortable, and asks anyone to tell a joke ... |
|
In Held 'Twas in I |
Mark and Geoff harmonies with the synth between narrations.
Matt nails narration and displays great nimbleness running the Teatime bass
lines. Crowd goes 'yeah' as band does, and applauds. Big rumble of thunder
has the staircase next to shaking! Mark making what would appear to be
vocal elephant sounds, and Gary singing frontwards/backwards during
build-up. Mark and Geoff watching timings together. Josh brings in the
strong Hammond chords at the end of the instrumental run prior to Autumn.
Matt is right on the basslines. Killer solos from Geoff, and Mark has the
beat going very steady all the way through. The bass line is shaking the
building during Grand Finale. Nice choir from the Yamaha Motif 7.
Whitehorn got what I think was a great cross between every Procol
guitarist that has played In Held: strong, fat and ripping. |
|
Encore
|
Spontaneous
standing ovation and now massive clapping and stomping as the band has
left the stage. Coming back to a roar, whistling and clapping and now Mark
joins in on the bass drum. |
| A Salty Dog |
I shouldn't even have to tell anyone how perfect this was: the
'phone-picture shows the band playing it. Gary's thanking people for
coming to Aarhus. '173 songs would take one-and-a-half days, so we'd like
to play this for anyone who hasn't seen us before. Anyone out there who
has seen us before? Anyone out there that hasn't?' A lady yells, and Gary
says, 'Oh, a virgin!' |
| A Whiter Shade of Pale |
Nothing more to say that hasn't been said already about this
one. The crowd exploded and it's a perfect ending (for your correspondent)
to a wonderful tour segment. |
|
One-Eye's valediction
|
Thanks to Gary, Geoff, Josh,
Mark, Matt (in alphabetical order); to Graham, Johnny, and Ron. Special
thanks to Chris Cooke for allowing me access to forbidden areas which I
hope all Beanstalkers and Palers have enjoyed.
An Epilogue will follow in the next
couple of weeks as I recollect my thoughts when I am less tired. Thanks to
all of you who made appreciative comments on- and off-list. I always enjoy
the touring: I know it is not just my love of the music, but equally
all of yours. Shine On! |
