Haken v. new single Nightingale (April 26)

[KevShmev]

Not a very exciting set list for me, as Invasion is the only song from the album I really like much at all, and none of the ones I really liked from Vector are getting played (Puzzle Box, Host).  But they never got to tour on the last record, so I get hammering it hard on the next touring cycle.  It just makes it extremely unlikely that I would see them this time around if they come here again.

[Nick]

Now that I'm at an airport sitting on my laptop for the first time in a week and a half, I can give a little more insight into the sets.

Cover set was awesome. Had many people on the boat, many of which weren't big Haken fans, commenting on how much they enjoyed Haken doing those songs. I have to say I was a wee disappointed that Yes was being represented by Owner of a Lonely Heart, so was very happy when they played something more classic later in the set. For the covers they didn't use the usual click track either, so the feel of the show was looser and I little more to my liking than a normal gig. Only downside is up front the sound is never perfect, and in this case I was low on keys. That said Pete seemed to get in the groove and had a great time like everyone else.

Confession time, I've never seen Spinal Tap. Those that have loved the 10 minutes or so they dedicated to it. Jimmy Keegan ran on stage and did a little person dance of some sort. Confirmed after that the band had no idea he'd do that. I hope to finally do the long overdue and watch the movie tomorrow.

The theater show for Haken was a very good representation, maybe on a larger scale, of the rooms I see booked for the Symphony X tour, and they nailed it. Keyboards were in the mix for this set and it was excellent. Pete seemed to have a little settling in at first, but then they got to Nightingale, ripped through that, and then he seemed perfectly at home from there. It was a little weird seeing keyboard land as only a single keyboard, but I also know the band is enjoying that simplicity.

Performance wise they were right back to what you'd expect. Both in their general precision and amazing delivery, but with that focus also comes some of the stationary habits that I think is one of their major downsides. Set wise I could only realistically ask for so much, and it's pretty perfect. If I'm staying within reason I'd likely swap Nil with Good Doctor and 1985 with Endless Knot, but I can see Symphony X fans really eating up this set as is.

Pete is doing more backing vocals than Diego did, falling somewhere between Ray/Conner for clearly most and Charlie/Hen for clearly least.

It's gonna be a great tour package.

[KevShmev]

Confession time, I've never seen Spinal Tap. Those that have loved the 10 minutes or so they dedicated to it. Jimmy Keegan ran on stage and did a little person dance of some sort. Confirmed after that the band had no idea he'd do that. I hope to finally do the long overdue and watch the movie tomorrow.

I didn't see it until like 10 years ago myself (late 30s for me), so fret not.

Let us know what you think once you have watched it!

[frogprog]

Thanks for the thought on the shows. I will be seeing them on Weds at the Keswick. Can't wait!

[Nick]

Thanks for the thought on the shows. I will be seeing them on Weds at the Keswick. Can't wait!

I'll be there as well, can't wait!

[Skeever]

Really love the new song.  I've been Haken agnostic for a long time now, but Pete Jones' fusiony/jazzy sound hits the spot for me.

[cramx3]

I usually don't shit on the openers but Trope is on now. It's just a guitarist and female singer. Yet I hear drums... I can give a pass to playing to a track a lot of times but no live drums is a first for me and it's severely killing the vibe... besides the music not being any good so far.

[cramx3]

Haken were good, same set as the cruise 

[Ben_Jamin]

Haken were good, same set as the cruise 

That's a bit disappointing for me being my first Haken. But It's understandable since they never got to tour for Virus and the other songs make sense for being the opener for Symphony X.

[DTwwbwMP]

Thanks for the thought on the shows. I will be seeing them on Weds at the Keswick. Can't wait!

I'll be there as well, can't wait!

me3

[Deadeye21]

I just hope they have a chance to do Messiah Complex sometime. That song begs for a live rendition.

[Fritzinger]

I just hope they have a chance to do Messiah Complex sometime. That song begs for a live rendition.

I seriously hope for that mentioned Vector/Virus live release. I just... need that.

[The Letter M]

I just hope they have a chance to do Messiah Complex sometime. That song begs for a live rendition.

I seriously hope for that mentioned Vector/Virus live release. I just... need that.

Someone should suggest to them to do a "Hakenfest" Weekend somewhere. 

-Marc.

[Zydar]

Haken were good, same set as the cruise 

I'm assuming not the cover set 

[axeman90210]

Pete did mention on the cruise that he learned all of Vector and Virus for the European headlining tour that got canceled.

[gzarruk]

Pete did mention on the cruise that he learned all of Vector and Virus for the European headlining tour that got canceled.

But the plan is to reschedule, isn't it?

[Nick]

Pete did mention on the cruise that he learned all of Vector and Virus for the European headlining tour that got canceled.

But the plan is to reschedule, isn't it?

To be a little clearer, the plan was never to play Vector/Virus at every show in Europe, but rather at select festival/special shows. I don't know if it was finalized as the plan, but the Cruise was on the table as one of the places they would do that in 2020.

[cramx3]

Thought Haken were overall really good.  Pete instead of Diego didn't seem to be that big of a change really.  I thought he played all the parts fairly on point including on Nil by Mouth.  My only issue was him being out of any light so seeing him was kind of difficult and being center, he was often behind Ross.  Could just be part of being an opening act so they are playing in front of Symphony X's gear.  Sound was overall pretty good.  Thought Ross sounded good and Ray was just on fire.  I couldn't really see him, but he sounded great and his performance is always awesome.  As much as I wish Nil By Mouth was not in the set, it seemed to get a pretty good reaction out of the crowd especially compared to the first half of the set.  People didn't seem too into the Virus songs or Nightingale. Although I'd say the Virus songs were the highlight for me.  Also the Yes song during 1985 seemed specifically placed where Diego would play the keytar so that's a nice deflection from what you would have seen before in Haken show to something cool they are doing now.  That got a nice pop from the crowd as well.

Haken - Invasion LIVE @ Irving Plaza New York City NY 5/10/2022

Haken - Carousel LIVE @ Irving Plaza New York City NY 5/10/2022

My invasion video is decent, Carousel not as good.  I have more clips and Symphony X clips as well I need to edit after work today so if anyone is interested, I'll have more videos tonight.

[ariich]

Thanks for the reviews guys, really good to be getting these updates when I can't be there myself. And thanks Cram for the vids, they're really good (although the sound goes funny occasionally in the Carousel one). Great to hear Pete's backing vocals in the Invasion chorus nice and prominent!

My only issue was him being out of any light so seeing him was kind of difficult and being center, he was often behind Ross.  Could just be part of being an opening act so they are playing in front of Symphony X's gear.

I can confirm that this is indeed the case, Pete said they didn't get very long to soundcheck and didn't get much space on the stage. Downside of being an opening act to a band that likes to stage-hog I guess. But yeah I can see in your vids that he was standing in a bit of blackspot in the lighting, which is unfortunate!

As much as I wish Nil By Mouth was not in the set, it seemed to get a pretty good reaction out of the crowd especially compared to the first half of the set.  People didn't seem too into the Virus songs or Nightingale. Although I'd say the Virus songs were the highlight for me.  Also the Yes song during 1985 seemed specifically placed where Diego would play the keytar so that's a nice deflection from what you would have seen before in Haken show to something cool they are doing now.

Yeah, I think the second half of the set is more "fun" than the first half, so it doesn't surprise me that it elicits a more noticeable reaction from the crowd. From the clips I've seen, the crowd generally seems to have been pretty into it, which is great considering they're not the headliner (and especially after the 2nd cruise set was all seated and so a bit static).

[jammindude]

I'm guessing that they are planning an actual headlining tour after the album comes out?

[cramx3]

Thanks for the reviews guys, really good to be getting these updates when I can't be there myself. And thanks Cram for the vids, they're really good (although the sound goes funny occasionally in the Carousel one). Great to hear Pete's backing vocals in the Invasion chorus nice and prominent!

Yeah... sadly that's why I said Carousel was not as good of a video. I do think Invasion came out well and sounds really good! I mean, these guys put on a legit show compared to a lot of other bands I see these days.

From the clips I've seen, the crowd generally seems to have been pretty into it, which is great considering they're not the headliner (and especially after the 2nd cruise set was all seated and so a bit static).

Irving Plaza is 1k capacity, it wasn't sold out like Gwar was (lol, it was Halloween) and it was very similar to the crowd size for Set It Off last month. I'd guess around 800 people saw Haken last night which is solid considering the last two NYC shows (while sold out) were at 500 capacity.  I'm also pretty sure most were there for Symphony X so Haken got exposure to a newer audience.  My only issue with the show was why even bother with Trope, just give Haken another song and Symphony X two more 

All my clips from the show are here with lots of footage from both bands:

Symphony X & Haken LIVE @ Irving Plaza New York City NY 5/10/2022

[RodrigoAltaf]

Trope is there because they paid to be there, just like Arch Echo paid DT to open their tour. It's a way to make touring more viable - get a band with no fan base on board, who is willing to pay to go on the road with a bigger band, thus making the tour slightly more profitable.

[DTwwbwMP]

Saw SX & Haken tonight at the Keswick. Probably about 400 people in attendance, but we witnessed (as did Mike Portnoy) a great show. Symphony X was really good, but Haken were F'n INCREDIBLE! Can't wait to see them as headliners again! Raymond Hearne just continues to move up my "charts" as just an incredible drummer. Definitely in my top 10!

[cramx3]

Trope is there because they paid to be there, just like Arch Echo paid DT to open their tour. It's a way to make touring more viable - get a band with no fan base on board, who is willing to pay to go on the road with a bigger band, thus making the tour slightly more profitable.

I was wondering if that was the case.  Arch Echo makes more sense though, not sure what Trope is thinking.  Maybe I'm wrong though, maybe this works out for them, but they don't seem to be a fit when you are using a drum backing track at a prog metal show.  It was the first show of the tour though, maybe they improve.

[frogprog]

Not just drum track. Dude had about 6 overlaid guitar tracks, bass and keys on most of the songs but just strummed a few chords and played a few leads. Kinds cheesy if you ask me. The singer had a great voice though.

[Zydar]

I was wondering how Pete puts his own spin on the keyboard parts live - does he stay close to what Diego did, or does he add some of his own touch to them? I assume he does backing vocals too.

[cramx3]

Not just drum track. Dude had about 6 overlaid guitar tracks, bass and keys on most of the songs but just strummed a few chords and played a few leads. Kinds cheesy if you ask me. The singer had a great voice though.

yeah it was more than just the drums, but the drums just stand out so much to me because I've seen lots of bands use backing tracks but never for drums.  The singer was solid, she's got talent. 

[Nick]

Alright, so I was at the Trope/Haken/Symphony X show in Philly last night, a much anticipated show even though I just saw Haken because of it being a good long while since I've seen SX.

Let's get Trope out of the way. Couldn't be much more of an obvious pay to play, as already eluded to here, but man, was it lacking. I give the vocalist credit, she was good and performed with heart, and the guitarist to a certain extent as well, but not many positives beyond that. Given the two acts after them performing like they did felt empty, the music wasn't overly good, and you'd think if you have that guitarist there he'd at least warrant ripping out a few memorable solos, but nothing came close. I'd consider paying their fee at the NJ show at the end of the tour to give Haken an extra half hours to do covers again.

A stunning 5 days since my last Haken show no major surprises from their set. Someone next to me mentioned it weird they never really talked about who they were, or said much at all, and in hindsight I agreed with that. I hate to say much negative about a band I love so dearly, but between touring with Leprous and now Symphony X there are a few areas where I really think they could up their live game. Having more organic banter and sets would be a nice and easy start. On the Leprous tour they not only had the same set every night, but they performed in the same order, and with almost identical limited talk at the same points in the set. You add that to a band that already mostly stays put on stage and it can really feel like the worst aspect of a band playing to a click track, where everyone is kinda just rehearsing on stage as if they were at home. Leprous on the other hand didn't do anything drastic with their set, maybe changing one song between shows, but even then they changed up the order in which they played songs, it honestly kept them looking fresh and on their toes each night in a cool way. My next major gripe compares to SX, who were considered highly technical prog-metal for their time, and certainly still are, but compared to Haken doing a song like Nightingale in this set it's kinda night and day. Hearing the song live twice now, especially before SX really polarized me on how I feel about it. On one hand there is so much beautiful music and nice melodies there, and on the other it's so hard to follow as it's often disjointed and jarring seemingly for the sake of being so. It often feels too technical for its own good, whereas no matter how complex a part of two within a SX song may be it's almost always still a super strong cohesive song.  And Rich, specifically for you, and one thing I'll have to ask Pete about, honestly the only time in the entire show where something doesn't seem well replicated is the keyboard "intro" in the middle of Nil By Mouth. If I recall did Diego use the Continuum style thing for that? Would make sense as to why it's tough to recreate on a standard keyboard.

I realize this is making me sound like an old man, "damn young kids with their polyrhythms and such", so enough with that and onto the good. Haken's music obviously still is amazing, and the performance of said music was great. The audience did seem to skew highly SX as far as who people where mainly there for (not surprising as SX is kinda local), but I heard a LOT of comments that evening that would suggest Haken were winning people over who didn't know them, which was fantastic. And then of course was what has to be a personal highlight for me. During 1985 I put my neon glasses on prior to Ross entering during 1985, only to shockingly see he was not sporting his own. As soon as he got to the front of the stage he motioned to me, I got up and handed him mine, and then he wore them to the Yes section and tossed them back at me. And other than the bit I mentioned, Pete is really stepping in and nailing it, on keys and doing well on vocals as well.

Symphony X was SX, for better and worse. Amazing vocals and delivery from Allen, you bet. Generic ass set? You betcha. Subpar sound while still being amazing live? Yes. Keyboards that could only be heard in softer sections and several key moments? Every time. An absolutely great time singing along to some choruses that will forever be burned into my subconscious? Yup.

[cramx3]

I'd consider paying their fee at the NJ show at the end of the tour to give Haken an extra half hours to do covers again.

How do we start a gofundme for this 

[RodrigoAltaf]

I'd consider paying their fee at the NJ show at the end of the tour to give Haken an extra half hours to do covers again.

How do we start a gofundme for this 

Hurry up...can we find out how to do this before their show in Toronto on Sunday? 

[Ben_Jamin]

Apparently, Trope does have a drummer.

[RodrigoAltaf]

Where can I find a description of the concept and link between Vector and Virus?

[emtee]

Still have an open mind but so far I like the single less than everything on Virus and Vector.

[Lethean]

Alright, so I was at the Trope/Haken/Symphony X show in Philly last night, a much anticipated show even though I just saw Haken because of it being a good long while since I've seen SX.



A stunning 5 days since my last Haken show no major surprises from their set. Someone next to me mentioned it weird they never really talked about who they were, or said much at all, and in hindsight I agreed with that. I hate to say much negative about a band I love so dearly, but between touring with Leprous and now Symphony X there are a few areas where I really think they could up their live game. Having more organic banter and sets would be a nice and easy start. On the Leprous tour they not only had the same set every night, but they performed in the same order, and with almost identical limited talk at the same points in the set. You add that to a band that already mostly stays put on stage and it can really feel like the worst aspect of a band playing to a click track, where everyone is kinda just rehearsing on stage as if they were at home. Leprous on the other hand didn't do anything drastic with their set, maybe changing one song between shows, but even then they changed up the order in which they played songs, it honestly kept them looking fresh and on their toes each night in a cool way.

That's interesting. I guess I kind of agree that if a band says the same thing at the same time every night, that it could be a little off putting, but for me that's only if they talk a little longer and have the same rehearsed type of speech.  If it's limited as you mention, then I'm fine with it; a quick thank you to the audience or song introduction at the same point in the set doesn't bother me.  I prefer limited banter, especially when they have a short set to begin with.  Just get on with the set and play as much as possible.  Speaking of Leprous - I love that about them.  I'm not sure if Einar talks more now at actual live shows - he talked a lot during the live streams and sometimes it was a little awkward, but I thought it was fine for that setting.  But at an actual live show, I loved how they would come out and just play and pretty much the only thing he would say was "thank you so much" a few times and the sets were always so intense. 

But about the setlist changes - I'll always agree that having more variety is a good thing.  I miss it with DT, and I guess I've come to accept that most bands aren't going to do it, but I certainly enjoy it when it does happen.

My next major gripe compares to SX, who were considered highly technical prog-metal for their time, and certainly still are, but compared to Haken doing a song like Nightingale in this set it's kinda night and day. Hearing the song live twice now, especially before SX really polarized me on how I feel about it. On one hand there is so much beautiful music and nice melodies there, and on the other it's so hard to follow as it's often disjointed and jarring seemingly for the sake of being so. It often feels too technical for its own good, whereas no matter how complex a part of two within a SX song may be it's almost always still a super strong cohesive song.

I think you're probably a much bigger fan of Haken than I am.  I like Haken, and I've actually always liked them more live than studio, but I've never quite fallen in love with them like so many have.  But I like what they do and I'm glad that they do it.  Maybe sometimes it's disjointed but I think it's actually cool.  And if that's not what I'm in the mood for, I can save listening to them for when I am in the mood for it.

[Nel_Annette]

Finally gave Nightingale a listen. It's... alright. It feels like different transitioning sections of previous Haken songs that were stitched together, like we're constantly building up to other build-ups, but without any real payoff at any part of the song. I'd like to give it a few more runs. It's definitely Haken, though.