Transatlantic - Live In Europe (DVD)

Year of Release: 2003
Label: InsideOut
Catalog Number: IOMLTDDVD 006
Format: CD
Total Time: 201:13:00

Recorded in Tilburg, Holland at the O13 on 12th November 2001, it almost took the band and label two years in order to release this memorable concert on DVD. Although they took enough time, the first pressing of this lavish 2DVD/2CD/book contains a couple of mistakes. First of all, disc two is in fact disc one and disc one obviously is disc two. The audio set up menu can only be accessed through the remote control unit of your DVD player. So if you want to enjoy the full 5.1 surround sound, you need to change the audio settings by means of your remote control unit! However, these are small things compared to the main ingredient which remains the music and the footage recorded that November evening.

I remember vividly that the band wasn't really at ease, as during the soundcheck they were informed that a plane had crashed in the outskirts of New York. Everyone in the band thought about a repeat of the September 11th disaster and especially our American friends Neal and Mike were on the phone constantly, trying to get in touch with family and friends. To their relief it looked like this was an authentic accident, so everyone could get back to normal and look forward to the show. With Neal Morse on the extreme left of the set and Mike Portnoy to the extreme right, these two guys look at each other, clearly giving signs in order to fully collaborate during the often complicated yet impressive parts. Neal has that mean Swedish guitarist Roine Stolt by his side, whilst Mike gets the company of Marillion bass player Pete Trewavas. But maybe most important of all is the guy who stands in the middle of it all: Daniel Gildenlöw, who adds interesting and important extras to the otherwise brilliant music. The Pain Of Salvation singer makes sure the Transatlantic sound is much fuller, whether it is playing guitar, keyboards, percussion or even singing! In all, the compositions are delivered in very much the same way as you can find them on the studio albums, with three long tracks pulled from both studio efforts. From the band's debut SMPTe album the band performs "My New World," "All Of The Above" and "We All Need Some Light," whilst they spark off with "Duel With The Devil" from their second album Bridge Across Forever followed a bit later by "Suite Charlotte Pike" and "Stranger In Your Soul" from the same album. So you get half of the material from one album and half from the other album, yet if you know the Transatlantic music, you know that the music simply complements each other on both recordings.

After the first song and its full 26 minutes have gone by, the entire line-up is already introduced, looking ever so chuffed to receive the applause after just one song! "Suite Charlotte Pike," which initially clocks in at just a little over 14:00, this time is extended to little over half an hour, incorporating some material from great idols of both Neal and Mike: the Beatles! Expect Transatlantic adaptations of "You Never Give Me Your Money," "Mean Mr. Mustard," "Polythene Pam," "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window," "Golden Slumbers," "Carry That Weight," "The End" and "Her Majesty;" in other words: half of Abbey Road! That's pre-Yellow Matter Custard to you! During the outro for "All Of The Above," Morse sits on his knees playing his keyboards. Maybe a sign of things to come? Meanwhile, Roine Stolt plays the main theme of The Sound Of Music, as a last "breath" from his guitar.

Over to disc two, which here is stamped DVD1! This one contains the bonus material and that's where it becomes a little funny. Those who attended the Tilburg concert in person, like yours truly, know it took us fifteen minutes of constant clapping to get the boys back on stage again. I'm sure they never expected this and probably the recording equipment had already been switched off, which might be the explanation as to why the band's version of the Pink Floyd classic "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" on the DVD is not the one which was performed in Tilburg! Instead you will find the band's version as recorded a mere ten months earlier during the NAMM show in LA on 20th January 2001. With the Tama endorsment behind them, it doesn't look that good from a visual point of view, and also soundwise it isn't that crisp. I'm convinced the band's version in Holland with Daniel Gildenlöw was tenfold better, but as mentioned before, probably not recorded for posterity!

The bonus disc continues, delivering a collection of 39 live photographs, yet more interesting has to be the tour documentary that runs for three quarters of an hour. This is a cut and paste result of home movies with as "directors" the Swedish broadcasting company in the person of cameramen Roine Stolt and Daniel Gildenlöw. We see the band during rehearsals trying their hand at "At The Hop" and The Who's "See Me, Feel Me." We do some sightseeing in London, Paris, Cologne, Berlin, Munich and Milan. Neal does some vocal exercises, Pete plays the piano. We see the guys on their tour bus putting their teeth into the Beatles repertoire. The fab four's lyrics are available on their laptop so everyone can sing along. Portnoy tells us he has some original Storm Thorgerson sketches at home. However, the best bit is reserved for last when all band members reflect on the past tour. This happens in Milan, Italy on 20th November 2001, the day of their very final (to this day!) concert as Transatlantic. Neal thinks they should have done the entire tour in reverse order, finishing in London. He also regrets that a visual experience such as Mike stagediving did not happen in Tilburg when the event was being filmed. The kind of material on this bonus disc is what you wuld expect as a fan to witness simply because you can't give backstage access to everyone who asks for it. On the Transatlantic DVD you get to witness a lot of private moments as well. In this deluxe set you will also find two audio CDs. These contain the entire concert that you can find on DVD 1, thus omitting the Pink Floyd bonus track. If Transatlantic remains a closed chapter in the lives of these individuals, then this wonderful set is a perfect way to end it all.

Tracklisting:
DVD One: Duel With The Devil (26:00) / My New World (16:20) / We All Need Some Light (6:41) / Suite Charlotte Pike - Medley (30:55) / Stranger In Your Soul (30:36) / All Of The Above (30:20)

DVD Two: Tour documentary / Shine on your crazy diamond / Photo gallery

Musicians:
Roine Stolt - vocals, guitars
Mike Portnoy - drums, vocals
Pete Trewavas - bass, vocals
Neal Morse - vocals, keyboards

Guest:

Daniel Gildenlöw - guitar, keyboard, backing vocals

Discography:
SMPTe (2000)
Live In America (2001)
Bridge Across Forever (2001)
Bridge Across Forever - Special Edition (2001)
Morse, Neal - The Transatlantic Demos (2003)
SMPTe - The Roine Stolt Mixes (2003)
Live In Europe (2003)
The Whirlwind (2009)
Whirld Tour 2010: Live From Shepherd's Bush Empire, London (2010)
More Is Never Enough (CD/DVD) (2011)
Kaleidoscope (2014)
The Absolute Universe: The Breath Of Life (Abridged Version) (2021)
The Absolute Universe: Forevermore (Extended Version) (2021)
The Absolute Universe: The Ultimate Edition (2021)

Live In America (DVD) (2001)
Live In Europe (DVD) (2003)
Building The Bridge Across Forever/Live In America (DVD) (2006)
The Official Bootleg DVD (2010)
Whirld Tour 2010 - Live From Shepherd's Bush Empire, London (DVD) (2010)
More Is Never Enough (DVD/CD) (2011)
KaLIVEoscope (CD/DVD/BR) (2014)


Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin VA

Added: December 24th 2003
Reviewer: John "Bobo" Bollenberg

Artist website: www.transatlanticweb.com
Hits: 2870
Language: english