Best song to watch a super blood moon lunar eclipse with?

Iron Maiden’s “The Red and the Black” worked well for me last night…

This is the entire set UTA played at ProgPower 2015 as shot by selfie-stick Guy. It’s on an iPhone so the sound isn’t perfect but the footage is pretty cool. Songs include:

1. Frozen Steel
2. Hail Of The Tide
3. Test Your Metal
4. Tonight We Ride
6. Daughters Of Winterstone
7. Realm Of Tomorrow
8. Dreamcrusher
9. Time Stands Still
10. General Of The Dark Army

The new album from quondam frontman of Soundgarden and Audioslave, Chris Cornell, is released today.

And what an astonishing piece of work it is.

Cornell has always been one of the greatest voices in hard rock. But in recent years, with his solo work, and especially in live venues, Cornell has spread his wings and soared to every corner of the widest reaches of the capacious genre of classic rock.

On this new album, acoustic guitars and pianos dominate the soundscape, and Cornell shows himself to be an unsung songwriting hero, consistently able to spin rock and roll classics.

The songwriting here on his fifth solo album is consistently top-notch, and with this release Cornell has absolutely proven himself to inhabit the upper echelon of rock talent.

This is an album for the ages. With this definitive statement of ballad-writing skill and supremely classic rock vocals, Cornell delivers to us a moving collection of songs that cements his reputation as one of the very best artists ever.

Be sure to pick up the Deluxe Edition, so you can get four more songs (the final one is a killer remix of “Our Time in the Universe”) in addition to the twelve tracks of the regular edition of Higher Truth.

This album alone could gain Cornell entrance to the Rock Hall of Fame. The album has such a classic sound with the most accessible songs of his career that Cornell could have his own FM radio station and this album could play in heavy rotation and everybody would tune in both for the entire drive to work and for the entire drive home.

However that may be, here’s my never-fail recommendation. As the sun sets, light a candle and pour a glass, and put this album on the stereo. It will rightly carry you through into a higher truth of the most exquisite musical beauty.

A raised glass to you, Mr. Cornell. Congratulations on your finest album yet!

Album: Chris Cornell, Higher Truth

Progarchist rating: ★★★★★ (10/10)

So, here it is, five days after the concert happened, and today I wake up at 5am with the chorus from Toto’s “Hydra” running through my head!

Now, that song totally has one of the coolest riffs ever.

And, clocking in at 7:32, it is proof of Toto’s total prog excellence.

This was the third song into the set they played at their recent concert here with Yes.

Check out my review of the Toto and Yes concert for more details (such as the Toto song that stuck in my head immediately that night and kept on running through it during the post-concert, celebratory midnight burger session).

But isn’t it amazing proof of the indomitable catchiness of Toto’s songwriting excellence that FIVE DAYS LATER one of their hook-laden masterpieces is functioning as my own personal alarm clock?!

Truly amazing… what a band…

By the way, old glories like “I’ll Supply the Love” and “Hydra” and all the rest sounded even better in concert than they do on the original album recordings. How many times does that happen?!? Wow…

Again, more proof of Toto’s total prog greatness. They are the real deal.

And the royal prog family of Yes did right to anoint them and share the bill with them on this amazing tour!

Well well well… look what arrived in the mail just in time for METAL MONDAYS here at Progarchy… Iron Maiden’s latest, The Book of Souls, which is 2 CDs full of prog-length metal goodness!

If you’re going to buy the album, this is the package to get. It’s the deluxe edition that comes with the lyrics, pictures, and liner notes all nicely laid out in multiple pages in a hardcover book that is the size of a typical paperback book. It will look great on the bookshelf next to Samuel Taylor Coleridge!

If we can’t have gatefold vinyl on a regular basis anymore (those were the days!), then I say that this is the way to go. Buy a digital download, sure, but follow through by getting a physical copy that is the right size for your hands to peruse at glorious leisure… just like this. Nicely done, dudes!

It was a mind-blowing two concerts in one.

Toto took the stage promptly at 8pm and then played a perfectly-paced, flawlessly professional 90-minute set. Then after an intermission for the equipment on stage to be switched out and in, and for concertgoers to have a bathroom break and buy more libations at the bar, Yes began their own 90-minute set with a classy tribute to Chris Squire at 10pm: a single spotlight on his bass, a video tribute in the background, and “Onward” played over the speakers.

I hadn’t read about the tour, so I was unprepared for the delightful surprises that ensued. Yes took the stage and proceeded to fill their set with a bunch of obscure songs that only true fans would know about and be thrilled to hear! It was pure Yes heaven, not only for that reason, but also because I have never heard a better sound mix at a Yes concert: everything was clean and crisp and detailed and pure sonic perfection. Toto’s mix was a little muddy with vocals and keyboards often being somewhat lost, which I have heard even at shows by Yes in the past, but this time Yes’s mix was everything I could ever ask for and then some: it was even better than listening to an album version!

And how many times can you say that about a band? Usually not. But on this night Yes proved to me that they are in a whole musical class by themselves, with definitive and irrefutable sonic proof. Even the Steven Wilson and Rush concerts I saw in the summer didn’t sound this good.

Despite some audience members being baffled (obviously the Toto-only fans) by the set list, once the band played “Owner of a Lonely Heart,” the crowd again rushed the stage and started back up with the frenzied audience participation that had marked the Toto set. Those antics from the previous two hours had been expertly stoked, thanks to Toto’s expert intuition for fulfilling every audience craving and for executing truly genius live arrangements designed to give the crowd maximum enjoyment.

From this “Lonely Heart” point on, Yes played more of their classic “greatest hits” and basked in the intense love from an appreciative audience. You know, I must note that the audience was having so much fun at this prog double bill that the joy echoed even in the banter in the restroom at intermission. As the washroom jammed up with a massive crowd (the mature crowd obviously had treated themselves to multiple rounds at the bar that they never could have afforded in their younger days), concertgoers loudly traded, above the din of the water closet, their respective happy memories of Yes concerts they had seen in the past. It was proggy locker-room camaraderie at its finest and it was totally hilarious. And the concert was still only half over!

Blame Toto for it, I guess, because they had whipped the audience into such a delirious state of prog bliss. Radio hits like “Rosanna” and “Africa” were extended into concert-tailored specialities with extra, prog-length guitar and keyboard solos and audience participation-singing shenanigans.

It’s hard to pick a favorite song from the Toto set, because every single song was live perfection, but personal highlights for me included the chance to hear “Great Expectations” live, as well as “Orphan”, off of Toto’s XIV — easily, but surprisingly, one of the very best albums of 2015 (and much better than Yes’s recent Heaven and Earth which sounds shockingly unfinished and I have to blame the producer for that failure). “I’ll Supply the Love” also blew me away live.

In fact, “Running Out of Time,” which Toto opened with, was so blisteringly perfect and infectious the I could not get it out of my mind for the whole night after the concert ended. I couldn’t stop singing it during post-concert burgers! Which just goes to show you how Toto has achieved total Jedi mastery of sonic hooks; somehow, I think those amazing vocal harmonies must be part of the method by which they can pull off such mind tricks.

I was stunned by how perfect the vocals sounded live. These guys are totally pro and settle for nothing less than the heights of musicianship. It is very satisfying to see such standards upheld in today’s live venues and I am proud to be part of the Toto generation that carries this torch.

And Billy Sherwood really impressed me with the undeniable vitality he brought to Yes’s sound, as his vocals blended in perfectly with everything and his bass skills were an exquisite match for the virtuosity of Steve Howe.

As I listened to Steve, I had to say to myself that this guy is the greatest guitarist on the planet; he sounds like he has gotten better with age, if that makes any sense. And it does. Perfect sense. His playing is so tasteful and not a single note is wasted or ever excessive, which is quite the realization once you remember the conventional knock against prog.

Geoff Downes totally shone at the keyboards and laced everything together with his nimble playing. Every note could be heard with such clarity that it was a real treat. To hear such music on a record makes your jaw drop, but to hear it so effortlessly reproduced live without missing a beat is unbelievable.

But what I liked best was how Geoff even selected a bunch of unique keyboard sounds and timbres that were not in the original recordings but that were truly surprising and delightful live, making you wonder if you have just heard the greatest version of that Yes song ever! Probably. And you will never be able to hear it again! Wah. But what a happy memory!

Alan White, what can I say, the dude is amazing. He is so humble and does his thing without showing off but any musician with a brain knows just how essential what he does is. I envy the lucky fan that Jon Davison gave one of Alan’s drumsticks to. Alan makes me want to applaud his every drum fill, but I contain myself so that the other audience members can hear the show.

And finally we should note what a bundle of positive energy Jon Davison is, making him the perfect guy to lead up front. When he flashes that peace sign in “Your Move,” you cannot stop from smiling because it’s 100% genuine and no pose. With the rest of us true believers in the spiritual positivity of Yes, it is only something to which I can say, “YES!” Yes, Jon, you are awesome, and thank you for keeping Yes to be the greatest band ever (to quote Toto).

And on that note, total thumbs up to Toto for being such unrestrained Yes fans. They kept praising Yes throughout their set, which shows you what a class act they are. And those were not empty words: what better tribute can be paid to your lifelong inspiration, other than to make your own music that is perfect in its integrity and sealed with the highest standards of musicality?

Steve Lukather (guitar), David Paich (keys), Steve Porcaro (keys), Joseph Williams (vox), David Hungate (bass), Shannon Forrest (drums), you guys are incredible, and your integration of Mabvuto Carpenter (vox), Lenny Castro (perc), and Jenny Douglas-Foote (vox) into the show is totally pro. I admire your intense dedication to giving people a live experience that can never be matched by any audio reproduction. You may consider your musical flights to be lesser in comparison to Yes, but all I can say is, hey, “little wing,” fly on! (Yes, Steve, our minds are still blown by your solo.)

If you were lucky enough to catch this tour, count your blessings. For me, it was a rare and special occasion the likes of which we may never see again. Just last year, I was taking for granted meeting Chris Squire at a concert. Now, today, I look at that photo and I know that you never know what tomorrow may bring. So, carpe diem and savor those notes while you can. Long live prog!

TOTO SET LIST:
Running Out of Time
I’ll Supply the Love
Hydra
Hold the Line
Afraid of Love
Holy War
Pamela
Instrumental (Steve Porcaro duet with Lenny Castro)
Keyboard Solo (David Paich)
Great Expectations
Without Your Love
Little Wing
On the Run / Goodbye Elenore
Orphan
Rosanna
Africa

YES SET LIST:
Onward (song played over speakers, with video as a tribute to Chris Squire)
Don’t Kill the Whale
Tempus Fugit
America
Going for the One
Time and a Word
Siberian Khatru
Owner of a Lonely Heart
Roundabout
Starship Trooper

Check this out:

Mind. Officially. Blown.

Here’s the one and only Dio, guest singing on perhaps my favorite track from Kerry Livgren’s solo album, Seeds of Change.

(Waitaminnit, lemme change that fave pick to “Ground Zero” … because of the Kansas guest stars on that beautifully orchestrated closing track!)

OK, so this “Mask of the Great Deceiver” track isn’t pure metal … but Dio sure is!