Transatlantic Official Thread

[KevShmev]

Hey you might get lucky and get the live debut of a new extended version of In Held Twas In I instead! But those songs are excellent live and the closest thing they have to "staples" so I'm sure they'd work them in somehow. I think the only TA song I haven't seen live is Beyond The Sun so I'm all about them doing as much of TAU as I can get.

My guess would be that they will play pretty close to what was combined for the Ultimate Edition Blu-ray, but given that touring is still a ways off, and then who knows how much of a priority these four will make Transatlantic once the option is there again, who knows when that will be?  I just hope they do it when they can do a proper tour instead of pulling a Flying Colors and doing only like 9-10 shows total because they don't have time for any more.

[darkshade]

Since touring isn't happening any time soon, what are the chances of a 6th album by year's end or next year? I mean, all 4 got nothing but time on their hands right now. I know MP has said he wants to keep TA releases "special" by not releasing too often, but there's no touring to promote any albums, so this could be an extenuating circumstance.

[axeman90210]

I very much doubt it. They all have plenty of other creative outlets for their music, and they'll want to tour behind TAU before releasing another album. Plus, I think it helps the hype around Transatlantic at this point that new material comes out so infrequently. The next album won't have that "special event" feel if it comes out so soon after TAU and without a round of live shows in between.

[goo-goo]

Marillion is writing/recording for an album.
Wouldn't be surprised if Roine starts writing/recording more TFK music.
Not sure what Mike is doing but it looks like he has been busy with a lot of Youtube collaborations. Don't know if he is writing for SoA.
Neal is probably writing something.

[Zydar]

Knowing Neal, he probably has 3-4 albums ready for release within a month already

[darkshade]

Oh, we'll surely have another TFK album soon, we know a NMB album is in the works.

[bosk1]

Call me crazy, but I actually wouldn't mind at all if they didn't play the entire album, and played more of a varied set.  IMO, they really shouldn't feel obligated to play the entire thing.  Save it for a "special show," or a few select dates on the tour, or Morsefest, and then film it. 

I do think that, because of some of the Whirlwind references, we will likely get a decent dose of movements from TW as well.  And personally, I would like to see them spread out in the set rather than lumped together into a medley. 

[darkshade]

Call me crazy, but I actually wouldn't mind at all if they didn't play the entire album, and played more of a varied set.  IMO, they really shouldn't feel obligated to play the entire thing.  Save it for a "special show," or a few select dates on the tour, or Morsefest, and then film it. 

I do think that, because of some of the Whirlwind references, we will likely get a decent dose of movements from TW as well.  And personally, I would like to see them spread out in the set rather than lumped together into a medley.

Really they should play 2 nights per venue if they want to play the whole thing plus other stuff.

N1 - The Absolute Universe: The Deluxe Ultimate version
encore: The Whirlwind

N2 - All Of The Above, Black As The Sky, Mystery Train, Spinning, Shine, Kaleidoscope, My New World, Bridge Across Forever, Duel With The Devil
encore: Into The Blue (w. Daniel), We All Need Some Light, Stranger In Your Soul

[King Postwhore]

Call me crazy, but I actually wouldn't mind at all if they didn't play the entire album, and played more of a varied set.  IMO, they really shouldn't feel obligated to play the entire thing.  Save it for a "special show," or a few select dates on the tour, or Morsefest, and then film it. 

I do think that, because of some of the Whirlwind references, we will likely get a decent dose of movements from TW as well.  And personally, I would like to see them spread out in the set rather than lumped together into a medley.

Really they should play 2 nights per venue if they want to play the whole thing plus other stuff.

N1 - The Absolute Universe: The Deluxe Ultimate version
encore: The Whirlwind

N2 - All Of The Above, Black As The Sky, Mystery Train, Spinning, Shine, Kaleidoscope, My New World, Bridge Across Forever, Duel With The Devil
encore: Into The Blue (w. Daniel), We All Need Some Light, Stranger In Your Soul

They don't have that big of a fanbase to do this.  I would love to see it though.

[The Letter M]

Speaking of "Spinning" - do we think there's ANY chance that it, or any of the Whirlwind bonus disc originals, will EVER get played live? I think it would fit well on the TAU tour, but if they don't play it by then, I doubt we will ever see "Spinning" played live.

I had the thought of a 2.5-3 hour show starting with something that WASN'T The Absolute Universe. Open with an epic, either "Into The Blue" or "Duel With The Devil", and THEN launch into the first half of TAU, that way the setlist/CD break would be in the middle of the album and fill the first set/CD with 80 minutes of music (25-30 for the first epic, then about 50 minutes for the first half of TAU). After a short intermission, come back and open with "The Sun Comes Up Today", play the remaining 50 minutes of TAU, then do about 30 minutes of other songs, maybe from The Whirlwind! Then encore with another half hour of music. It would be about 290-300 minutes of a show, which is longer than the average Kaleidoscope Tour show (which was about 160-170 minutes or so, at least looking at the Cologne set).

I think one thing is for sure, they probably won't do any sort of changes to TAU night-to-night. They already have the BD's visualizer to use as video element for the live show, so they will probably stick as close to the Ultimate Mix as possible to sync up to the video. The most I can see them doing is they swap the lyrics around during songs like "Swing High, Swing Low"/"Take Now My Soul", or do the alternate lyrics during "Higher Than The Morning" or "Love Made A Way". Musically speaking, it'll probably be the Ultimate version all the way.

I definitely think they will place an intermission between "The World We Used To Know" and "The Sun Comes Up Today", given how the band wrote the first half as a solid chunk of music, they'll probably want to perform it as such, and there isn't really any other breaking period during the album other than there, so if the first set is going to be longer than 50 minutes, they'll likely open with another song before going into the TAU Overture.

-Marc.

[darkshade]

I would like them to at least play Spinning live, as that is the best song on the Whirlwind bonus disc (imo). Interesting what they plan on doing with TAU, I haven't heard the Ultimate version yet, is there a break in the music on that one? I think I recall MP mentioning that the music was all continuous.

[The Letter M]

I would like them to at least play Spinning live, as that is the best song on the Whirlwind bonus disc (imo). Interesting what they plan on doing with TAU, I haven't heard the Ultimate version yet, is there a break in the music on that one? I think I recall MP mentioning that the music was all continuous.

There isn't a solid break, but the segue between TWWUTK and TSCUT is just that the opening a capella vocals come in over the fade-out of the previous track, just for the sake of making the album continuous. There'd be no reason to revisit that live just for the sake of performing 98 minutes of music continuously, and at their age, I'm sure they'll need a break in the set SOMEWHERE, so the spot between those two songs seems the most logical if they plan on playing all of TAU's Ultimate Version. Besides, I think coming back from the intermission with the opening vocals of TSCUT would be a fun way to come back on stage!

-Marc.

[bluefox4000]

I really don't see them busting out the ENTIRE whirlwind (i assume if it's all OK we'll get a live album and we already have the Whirlwind in full live......twice.....THAT was overkill, lol)

it's almost certain they will play a full TAU in some form.  as far as other songs.  i'd love to see All of the Above.......never tire of it.  and maybe Suite Charlotte Pike as it's now a deep cut..

I really have no other wishes.

[The Letter M]

I really don't see them busting out the ENTIRE whirlwind (i assume if it's all OK we'll get a live album and we already have the Whirlwind in full live......twice.....THAT was overkill, lol)

it's almost certain they will play a full TAU in some form.  as far as other songs.  i'd love to see All of the Above.......never tire of it.  and maybe Suite Charlotte Pike as it's now a deep cut..

I really have no other wishes.

Given the relationship that TAU has with The Whirlwind, I'm sure they'll play SOME parts of it live, whether it's in a Whirlwind Medley, or if they even try to work in some parts of it into the TAU performance, or if they'll just do a couple stand-alone songs/sections.

Of course, between TAU and TW, there isn't much room left to represent the other three albums, so it'll come down to whether or not they do 1 or 2 songs from those albums, or if they make a medley of sorts. I still think a Bridge Across Forever medley could work, though I understand the want for them to play "Duel With The Devil" in full for the first time since 2010.

-Marc.

[bluefox4000]

I really don't see them busting out the ENTIRE whirlwind (i assume if it's all OK we'll get a live album and we already have the Whirlwind in full live......twice.....THAT was overkill, lol)

it's almost certain they will play a full TAU in some form.  as far as other songs.  i'd love to see All of the Above.......never tire of it.  and maybe Suite Charlotte Pike as it's now a deep cut..

I really have no other wishes.

Given the relationship that TAU has with The Whirlwind, I'm sure they'll play SOME parts of it live, whether it's in a Whirlwind Medley, or if they even try to work in some parts of it into the TAU performance, or if they'll just do a couple stand-alone songs/sections.

Of course, between TAU and TW, there isn't much room left to represent the other three albums, so it'll come down to whether or not they do 1 or 2 songs from those albums, or if they make a medley of sorts. I still think a Bridge Across Forever medley could work, though I understand the want for them to play "Duel With The Devil" in full for the first time since 2010.

-Marc.

Bridge is my fav album.  so any song they pick is fine by me.

Wouldn't mind them skipping Kaleidoscope though, lol

[The Letter M]

I really don't see them busting out the ENTIRE whirlwind (i assume if it's all OK we'll get a live album and we already have the Whirlwind in full live......twice.....THAT was overkill, lol)

it's almost certain they will play a full TAU in some form.  as far as other songs.  i'd love to see All of the Above.......never tire of it.  and maybe Suite Charlotte Pike as it's now a deep cut..

I really have no other wishes.

Given the relationship that TAU has with The Whirlwind, I'm sure they'll play SOME parts of it live, whether it's in a Whirlwind Medley, or if they even try to work in some parts of it into the TAU performance, or if they'll just do a couple stand-alone songs/sections.

Of course, between TAU and TW, there isn't much room left to represent the other three albums, so it'll come down to whether or not they do 1 or 2 songs from those albums, or if they make a medley of sorts. I still think a Bridge Across Forever medley could work, though I understand the want for them to play "Duel With The Devil" in full for the first time since 2010.

-Marc.

Bridge is my fav album.  so any song they pick is fine by me.

Wouldn't mind them skipping Kaleidoscope though, lol

I think if they play just ONE song from Kaleidoscope, it'll probably be "Black As The Sky", or maybe even "Shine". If they don't touch the epics from that album ever again, I'd be fine, but if they have Daniel Gildenlow on the tour, I could see them playing "Into The Blue" as the sole representative of Kaleidoscope, just so Daniel could sing his part live for more than just one performance (from the 2014 Sweden Rock Festival). That's why I suggested they open with "Into The Blue" before going into TAU for the first set of the show.

-Marc.

[bluefox4000]

I really don't see them busting out the ENTIRE whirlwind (i assume if it's all OK we'll get a live album and we already have the Whirlwind in full live......twice.....THAT was overkill, lol)

it's almost certain they will play a full TAU in some form.  as far as other songs.  i'd love to see All of the Above.......never tire of it.  and maybe Suite Charlotte Pike as it's now a deep cut..

I really have no other wishes.

Given the relationship that TAU has with The Whirlwind, I'm sure they'll play SOME parts of it live, whether it's in a Whirlwind Medley, or if they even try to work in some parts of it into the TAU performance, or if they'll just do a couple stand-alone songs/sections.

Of course, between TAU and TW, there isn't much room left to represent the other three albums, so it'll come down to whether or not they do 1 or 2 songs from those albums, or if they make a medley of sorts. I still think a Bridge Across Forever medley could work, though I understand the want for them to play "Duel With The Devil" in full for the first time since 2010.

-Marc.

Bridge is my fav album.  so any song they pick is fine by me.

Wouldn't mind them skipping Kaleidoscope though, lol

I think if they play just ONE song from Kaleidoscope, it'll probably be "Black As The Sky", or maybe even "Shine". If they don't touch the epics from that album ever again, I'd be fine, but if they have Daniel Gildenlow on the tour, I could see them playing "Into The Blue" as the sole representative of Kaleidoscope, just so Daniel could sing his part live for more than just one performance (from the 2014 Sweden Rock Festival). That's why I suggested they open with "Into The Blue" before going into TAU for the first set of the show.

-Marc.

OK.....I will admit black as the sky was fun live.  and it's fairly quick so i'd allow that., lol

Into the Blue isn't bad either.  i always feeling so bad speaking ill of a Transatlantic album but.....Kaleidoscope

[gzarruk]

I think if they play just ONE song from Kaleidoscope, it'll probably be "Black As The Sky", or maybe even "Shine". If they don't touch the epics from that album ever again, I'd be fine, but if they have Daniel Gildenlow on the tour, I could see them playing "Into The Blue" as the sole representative of Kaleidoscope, just so Daniel could sing his part live for more than just one performance (from the 2014 Sweden Rock Festival). That's why I suggested they open with "Into The Blue" before going into TAU for the first set of the show.

-Marc.

Daniel also sang that part live at CTTE 2017 with TA (sans Roine), and also joined them for WANSL. Here: https://youtu.be/sDdcax-SD2E?t=3308

[darkshade]

I really don't see them busting out the ENTIRE whirlwind (i assume if it's all OK we'll get a live album and we already have the Whirlwind in full live......twice.....THAT was overkill, lol)

it's almost certain they will play a full TAU in some form.  as far as other songs.  i'd love to see All of the Above.......never tire of it.  and maybe Suite Charlotte Pike as it's now a deep cut..

I really have no other wishes.

Given the relationship that TAU has with The Whirlwind, I'm sure they'll play SOME parts of it live, whether it's in a Whirlwind Medley, or if they even try to work in some parts of it into the TAU performance, or if they'll just do a couple stand-alone songs/sections.

Of course, between TAU and TW, there isn't much room left to represent the other three albums, so it'll come down to whether or not they do 1 or 2 songs from those albums, or if they make a medley of sorts. I still think a Bridge Across Forever medley could work, though I understand the want for them to play "Duel With The Devil" in full for the first time since 2010.

-Marc.

Bridge is my fav album.  so any song they pick is fine by me.

Wouldn't mind them skipping Kaleidoscope though, lol

I think if they play just ONE song from Kaleidoscope, it'll probably be "Black As The Sky", or maybe even "Shine". If they don't touch the epics from that album ever again, I'd be fine, but if they have Daniel Gildenlow on the tour, I could see them playing "Into The Blue" as the sole representative of Kaleidoscope, just so Daniel could sing his part live for more than just one performance (from the 2014 Sweden Rock Festival). That's why I suggested they open with "Into The Blue" before going into TAU for the first set of the show.

-Marc.

OK.....I will admit black as the sky was fun live.  and it's fairly quick so i'd allow that., lol

Into the Blue isn't bad either.  i always feeling so bad speaking ill of a Transatlantic album but.....Kaleidoscope

I think that Into The Blue is a great epic, it just has to compete with everything that's come before in both TA, Neal and Roine's discographies, and it isn't as good as some of their previous work, but it's still solid.
Shine is fine just like other Neal ballads, but shouldn't have been track 2. Black As The Sky is a cool "short" TA song which is refreshing to have, but the song itself isn't necessarily a favorite of mine.

The last 2 tracks are a bit unremarkable, and bring the album down. Beyond The Sun is boring. The title track has cool parts but is a mess of a composition to me. The entire structure of the album itself being similar to BAF doesn't help either.

[The Letter M]

I think if they play just ONE song from Kaleidoscope, it'll probably be "Black As The Sky", or maybe even "Shine". If they don't touch the epics from that album ever again, I'd be fine, but if they have Daniel Gildenlow on the tour, I could see them playing "Into The Blue" as the sole representative of Kaleidoscope, just so Daniel could sing his part live for more than just one performance (from the 2014 Sweden Rock Festival). That's why I suggested they open with "Into The Blue" before going into TAU for the first set of the show.

-Marc.

Daniel also sang that part live at CTTE 2017 with TA (sans Roine), and also joined them for WANSL. Here: https://youtu.be/sDdcax-SD2E?t=3308

Oh wow, I had no idea. Maybe I did know that Neal, Mike, and Pete played on that cruise, but I guess it slipped my memory. Well, I guess Daniel's sung it twice, so no need for him to do it on a Transatlantic tour now.  Just kidding, of course.

I really don't see them busting out the ENTIRE whirlwind (i assume if it's all OK we'll get a live album and we already have the Whirlwind in full live......twice.....THAT was overkill, lol)

it's almost certain they will play a full TAU in some form.  as far as other songs.  i'd love to see All of the Above.......never tire of it.  and maybe Suite Charlotte Pike as it's now a deep cut..

I really have no other wishes.

Given the relationship that TAU has with The Whirlwind, I'm sure they'll play SOME parts of it live, whether it's in a Whirlwind Medley, or if they even try to work in some parts of it into the TAU performance, or if they'll just do a couple stand-alone songs/sections.

Of course, between TAU and TW, there isn't much room left to represent the other three albums, so it'll come down to whether or not they do 1 or 2 songs from those albums, or if they make a medley of sorts. I still think a Bridge Across Forever medley could work, though I understand the want for them to play "Duel With The Devil" in full for the first time since 2010.

-Marc.

Bridge is my fav album.  so any song they pick is fine by me.

Wouldn't mind them skipping Kaleidoscope though, lol

I think if they play just ONE song from Kaleidoscope, it'll probably be "Black As The Sky", or maybe even "Shine". If they don't touch the epics from that album ever again, I'd be fine, but if they have Daniel Gildenlow on the tour, I could see them playing "Into The Blue" as the sole representative of Kaleidoscope, just so Daniel could sing his part live for more than just one performance (from the 2014 Sweden Rock Festival). That's why I suggested they open with "Into The Blue" before going into TAU for the first set of the show.

-Marc.

OK.....I will admit black as the sky was fun live.  and it's fairly quick so i'd allow that., lol

Into the Blue isn't bad either.  i always feeling so bad speaking ill of a Transatlantic album but.....Kaleidoscope

I think that Into The Blue is a great epic, it just has to compete with everything that's come before in both TA, Neal and Roine's discographies, and it isn't as good as some of their previous work, but it's still solid.
Shine is fine just like other Neal ballads, but shouldn't have been track 2. Black As The Sky is a cool "short" TA song which is refreshing to have, but the song itself isn't necessarily a favorite of mine.

The last 2 tracks are a bit unremarkable, and bring the album down. Beyond The Sun is boring. The title track has cool parts but is a mess of a composition to me. The entire structure of the album itself being similar to BAF doesn't help either.

I always saw Kaleidoscope as a mash-up of SMPTe and BAF. The first three songs reminded me a lot of the first three songs on SMPTe - you've got an opening epic, a slow acoustic guitar ballad, then a 7-minute rocker. But then the back half of Kaleidoscope reminded me of BAF with it's piano ballad and closing epic, just like "Bridge Across Forever" and "Stranger In Your Soul". It was like they just pushed together each half of SMPTe and BAF and made a new album out those structures, but honestly, with the music they wrote for Kaleidoscope, I don't know how else they could've ordered the track list. It just sort of works in a Transatlantic sort of way!

-Marc.

[ariich]

Call me crazy, but I actually wouldn't mind at all if they didn't play the entire album, and played more of a varied set.  IMO, they really shouldn't feel obligated to play the entire thing.  Save it for a "special show," or a few select dates on the tour, or Morsefest, and then film it. 

I much prefer mixed sets, myself. Playing a shorter album (circa 40 minutes, like most of the LP-era classics) can be a great experience if it's strong enough because it takes up less than half the set, but playing a whole 90 minute album means getting hardly anything else. And I just find that much less surprising and dynamic.

[kirksnosehair]

I really don't see them busting out the ENTIRE whirlwind (i assume if it's all OK we'll get a live album and we already have the Whirlwind in full live......twice.....THAT was overkill, lol)

it's almost certain they will play a full TAU in some form.  as far as other songs.  i'd love to see All of the Above.......never tire of it.  and maybe Suite Charlotte Pike as it's now a deep cut..

I really have no other wishes.

Given the relationship that TAU has with The Whirlwind, I'm sure they'll play SOME parts of it live, whether it's in a Whirlwind Medley, or if they even try to work in some parts of it into the TAU performance, or if they'll just do a couple stand-alone songs/sections.

Of course, between TAU and TW, there isn't much room left to represent the other three albums, so it'll come down to whether or not they do 1 or 2 songs from those albums, or if they make a medley of sorts. I still think a Bridge Across Forever medley could work, though I understand the want for them to play "Duel With The Devil" in full for the first time since 2010.

-Marc.

Bridge is my fav album.  so any song they pick is fine by me.

Wouldn't mind them skipping Kaleidoscope though, lol

I think if they play just ONE song from Kaleidoscope, it'll probably be "Black As The Sky"

-Marc.

ugh, I hate that song. 

[KevShmev]

As big a fan as I am of Roine's singing, I think the verses in Black as the Sky needed a bit more oomph, but I still like the song a lot. Probably my favorite from that record.  That chorus is money, and it's one of the few all-out rockers the band has done.

[425]

I still put the title track from Kaleidoscope ahead of anything except All of the Above and The Whirlwind. Especially on the strength of the second half.

[Kram]

Since touring isn't happening any time soon, what are the chances of a 6th album by year's end or next year? I mean, all 4 got nothing but time on their hands right now. I know MP has said he wants to keep TA releases "special" by not releasing too often, but there's no touring to promote any albums, so this could be an extenuating circumstance.

I would think we'd see the next Flying Colors album before another Transatlantic release.

[bosk1]

Did they say they are going to play the whole thing on tour?  Unless they have already stated in an interview that they are playing the entire album, I wouldn't assume that they will.  I mean, I know that would not be unusual for them, especially with Neal and Mike being in the band.  But this being a double album, and it not really being a traditional "concept album" (although it absolutely does have a theme), I don't see it being as likely as if, say, they had only released the single disk version or if it was more of a traditional concept album.  I don't think they've done that since the first album tour, aside from the Whirlwind.  For the former, it's a lot easier to do when you only have one album of material.  And for the latter, not counting the bonus disk, it was one song.  I wouldn't have expected them to split it on that tour.  And it was a single disk, so less space in the set than a double album.  I dunno.  I just don't think it is all that likely (unless, again, they have already said that that is the plan, and I am just not remembering).

[425]

They played all of Kaleidoscope (at the show that was recorded, at least). Just not straight through.

I would assume, based primarily on Mike Portnoy being in the band, that they will play at least one Breath of Life's worth of material from TAU, and would be somewhat surprised if they don't play at least one Forevermore's worth.

[The Letter M]

They played all of Kaleidoscope (at the show that was recorded, at least). Just not straight through.

I would assume, based primarily on Mike Portnoy being in the band, that they will play at least one Breath of Life's worth of material from TAU, and would be somewhat surprised if they don't play at least one Forevermore's worth.

I believe Mike has already stated in interviews that he would like to see the band play the Ultimate Mix version of the album if/when they get to tour on the album. I'm not sure if the rest of the band would agree, given that it would be nearly 100 minutes of a show that will only likely be about 150-160 minutes, maybe 180 if they're pushing themselves, but they aren't getting any younger. By the time they're able to tour, it'll have been over 7 years since their last tour together, and many of them are in their 60s at this point. I won't be surprised if, after the pandemic subsides a bit and touring is able to happen again, that some (older) musicians are just not up for extensive tours or longer shows anymore, but I would love to be wrong about that.

But you're right, they did play all of the songs from Kaleidoscope, but that was just under half of the show's total length each night, about 80 minutes of a 160 minute show (not counting intermission...wait, did they have an intermission?). So even if they play the Ultimate Mix version of the album, that only leaves them about 60 minutes to cover their four previous albums. Now, being that TAU is their first double, I could see them making that almost the whole show with just under an hour of other songs. I mean, look at shows like Genesis' The Lamb - they toured on the whole album, and did two or three older songs as an encore. Other double-length album tours had similar setlists, I'm sure, so Mike might be inspired to do something similar. Do three sets of about 50-60 minutes each, with the first two being TAU, and then the last one covering 2-5 songs from their first four albums. It also honestly depends on how much material they're willing to re-learn from their back catalog, especially the epics.

-Marc.

[425]

I think if we're talking only 50-60 minutes for the back catalog, which doesn't seem unlikely given all the factors you've named, we can probably count out any big rarities. I think we'd see a Whirlwind medley of some kind take up about a third to a half of that time, and the rest would be big-name songs from the other three albums. If I was making a bet on what they'd do for 60 minutes off the first four albums, I'd bet on Duel with the Devil, We All Need Some Light, Black as the Sky and 20-25 minutes of The Whirlwind.

[bosk1]

I just checked the track list on that, and you are right.  I had forgotten that they played Black as the Sky.  Anyhow, I'm not saying they won't.  I just don't think it is a given, unless they have already decided.

[The Letter M]

I just checked the track list on that, and you are right.  I had forgotten that they played Black as the Sky.  Anyhow, I'm not saying they won't.  I just don't think it is a given, unless they have already decided.

Not counting "In Held ('Twas) In I", they played every new songs from each new album on that respective tour. "Bridge Across Forever" wasn't played in its entirety on the BAF European tour, but it was brought out on a couple of shows as a prelude to DWTD, and I think also as an interlude in the middle of SIYS (though I'm pulling from setlist memory here, so I may not be 100% sure). I think the only reason they wouldn't do all of TAU live is because of its sheer length, but given how momentous the album is for the band, they probably will play it all live.

-Marc.

[Peter Mc]

That BAF tour was absolute perfection for me.  They played everything you'd want them to play off both of the first two albums.  I've not actually seen them since and I'm not totally sure why.  It was probably just because I was not initially a huge fan of The Whirlwind or Kaleidoscope and I knew we'd probably get them in full and then be into medley territory for earlier stuff which I am not a fan of.  I now wish that I had gone to The Whirlwind tour though.

[bosk1]

I now wish that I had gone to The Whirlwind tour though.

Saw the very first show on that tour, and it was great.  The show itself was fantastic.  But the entire experience was a blast, from the road trip, to meeting Scotty, to the unauthorized backstage excursion during sound check, to meeting the band afterward.  I still affectionately refer to that as "the time Neal Morse tried to beat me up." 

[axeman90210]

Yeah, the Philly Whirld Tour show is a top five all time concert for me. It was my birthday and Nick and I lined up at like 3pm outside the venue so we could be on the rails. Had a bunch of good conversation with the other people who were lined up and met everybody from the band except MP (including Daniel Gildenlow) at one point as they were coming and going from the venue. I wish I had video of Nick singing Disco Queen with DG outside the venue The show was supposed to be doors at 7 show at 8, but there was a misprint on some of the tickets that said the show started at 9 so by PA law they had to honor the later start time, which meant after four hours of waiting outside we then had to wait another two inside for the show to start. I don't know what it was though, but the band was absolutely on fire that night. Chris/ZeppelinDT met up with us afterwards and said much the same. My only regret is that when we were talking to Neal before the show I asked him if they'd play Spinning and when he asked why I didn't lay on the guilt about spending my birthday waiting outside to see them.

[kirksnosehair]

It's official: The Absolute Universe: Forevermore is now my #3 Transatlantic album and I'm not sure it's done going up in the rankings.  I've always ranked Bridge Across Forever 1st and SMPT:e 2nd, and The Whirlwind 3rd.  I consider SMPT:e and The Whirlwind a statistical tie.  They've both got 1 track that I never listen to - the last track on both albums.  However, there are NO tracks on Forevermore than I feel the need to skip.  The only flaw to me that produces skippable content is I just get bored with the last like 3 minutes of the last track on Forevermore.  So what I'm saying is since there is only a total of about 3 minutes that I skip on this album, and since it's a LOT longer than SMPT:e I may have to move it up into the #2 spot.


I never would have thought they'd drop something this good after the somewhat lackluster "Kaleidoscope" - not a BAD album per se, but it just comes across as "Neal Morse featuring Mike, Roine and Pete" than a TA album.  "Black as the Sky" and "Shine" are songs I never listen to, and really, Kaleidoscope is an album I never really felt the need to hear again after about 4 or 5 spins.  I really can't remember the last time I heard it.  But I still listen to SMPT:e, BAF and TW semi-regularly.