Tennessee's Glass Hammer are back with another live DVD, this one titled Live at the Tivoli. The band sure doesn't play live often, but when they do, more often than not they manage to film the performances for their fans who can't make the trek to the gig, to then be able to enjoy on DVD for a lifetime. This one is culled from two performances recorded on 10/17/2006 at the historic Tivoli Theater, and features not only the full 9-piece Glass Hammer band, but also the 150 Voice Lee University Choral Union, the GPS Girls Choir, and the Adonia String Trio. The shows were in support of the band's then soon to be released Culture of Ascent CD, though only the Yes cover "South Side of the Sky" is played here. Otherwise, expect plenty of GH classics along the way during this 100 minute set, including the Inconsolable Secret's excellent "Lirazel" and "Having Caught a Glimpse", plus older gems like "A Cup of Trembling", "Run Lisette", "Heroes and Dragons", and a wonderful cover of Dan Fogelberg's 70's folk classic "Longer", with Carl Groves (Salem Hill) doing a mighty fine job on the vocals. Throughout the whole set, you get the always masterful keyboard work of Fred Schendel, Steve Babb's muscular bass lines, the steady drumming of Matt Mendians, and the mercurial talents of David Wallimann, a guitar hero in the making. This guy literally sizzles across the fretboard, adding plenty of fusion and metal elements to the symphonic prog style of Glass Hammer. Throw in the lovely vocals of the gorgeous trio of Bethany Warren, Susie Bogdanowicz (who does a fine job on the Yes classic by the way), and Flo Paris, plus the majestic choir & strings, and you have one stupendous and classy affair. The songs featuring the choirs are simply gorgeous, and will almost bring a tear to your eye.
Production wise, this one was put together with a lot of thought, the camera work effective, the colors crisp, and the audio bombastic. I will say though that if you don't have 5.1 Surround capability on your system you won't be able to fully appreciate the sound quality of this show, as on normal systems some of the keyboard and string parts are much louder than the guitars and vocals. So make sure you have that all set up before you watch this, or head over to your prog buddies house who does and enjoy this one to the fullest.
Once again, thumbs up for another Glass Hammer DVD-bravo!
Track Listing
- Elger Dreams
- Run Lisette
- A Cup of Trembling
- Lirazel
- Heroes and Dragons
- Longer
- Knight of the North
- Beati Quorum Via
- Having Caught a Glimpse
- South Side of the Sky
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