Spock's Beard - 1999-05-18 - Rochester, NY

Spock's Beard
1999-05-18
Penny Arcade, Rochester, NY
Soundboard recording, excellent quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and Mp3 (320 kbps) versions

Several new bands emerged in the 1990's that featured progressive rock aesthetics and approach, but also updated the classic sound in various ways for the nineties. These included bands such as Glass Hammer, The Flower Kings, Coheed and Cambria, Big Big Train, and Opeth. One of the best of these '90's versions of progressive rock was Spock's Beard. Formed in Los Angeles, CA in 1992 by brothers Neal (lead vocals, keyboards) and Alan (guitars) Morse, joined by Dave Meros (bass) and Nick D'Virgilio (drums), and a bit later by Ryo Okamato (keyboards). Spock's Beard are known for their intricate arrangements, multi-part vocal harmonies and use of counterpoint vocals, with notable influences from Genesis, Yes, and Gentle Giant. Their first album, The Light (1995) received rave reviews and immediate acclaim among progressive rock fans. Subsequent albums, Beware of Darkness (1996), Kindness of Strangers (1998), and Day For Night (1999) continued to build their reputation for being at the forefront of '90's progressive rock, culminating in V (2000), probably their most acclaimed album, followed by Snow (2002), their elaborate 2-disc concept album that was the Swan Song for founding member Neal Morse. With lead vocalist and principal songwriter Morse leaving shortly after the release of Snow, the band re-grouped with drummer Nick D'Virgilio taking over on lead vocals, and adopted a more collaborative approach to their songwriting. Although their next few albums were not as well-received as the Morse era albums, the band continued forward, with each subsequent album getting better, until they regained their stature among fans by their tenth album, X (2010), considered one of their best. Unfortunately, there were more personnel changes, with D'Virgilio leaving after X, and the band bringing in Ted Leonard on vocals and drummer Jimmy Keegan. The first new album with this lineup was Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep (2013), which received much acclaim among fans of the band. The band has continued on to the present releasing new albums in 2015 and 2018 (The Oblivion Particle and Noise Floor, respectively), as well as various compilations and live albums. 
Here is a great-sounding show from the Neal Morse era, 1999, on the Day For Night Tour. 



Tracklist:
cd1
1. Intro
2. Day for Night
3. Mouth of Madness
4. Skin
5. Gibberish
6. Go the Way You Go
7. Distance to the Sun
8. Crack the Big Sky
9. Ryo Solo
cd2
1. The Doorway
2. Walking on the Wind
3. Jam
4. June
5. Waste Away
6. Fire

Neal Morse - Lead vocals, keybaords, Guitar, synths
Alan Morse - Guitar, backing vocals
Ryo Okamoto - keyboards, backing vocals
Dave Meros - bass, backing vocals
Nick D'Virgilio - drums, backing vocals

FLAC - Spock's Beard_1999-05-18_RochetsterNY_FLAC.rar

mp3 - Spock's Beard_1999-05-18_RochetsterNY_mp3.rar