Nearfest->Sunday : MAGMA

I was wowed by Magma twice in ’99, at Progfest, and then in LA. What do I think after Sunday night’s performance? WOW!!! WOW!!! WOW!!!

After eight years and some personnel shifting, they’ve only gotten better, more refined, polished. Face it--Magma’s element has always been live, and with a few exceptions their studio efforts fell flat. My favorite Magma album, indeed one of my favorite albums of all time, is HHAI. But get this: Even without bassist Jannick Top or a violinist like Didier Lockwood, I’d say Sunday night was better than that. This concert ranks as one of the best I've ever seen, up there with seeing a reunited Yes in 1990 and ten years later, Il Balleto Di Bronzo and Happy the Man.

The vocals of Stella Vander, Isabelle Feuillebois, Himiko and Antoine Paganotti blended together well into an amazing space opera. And Christian Vander, besides being one of the best drummers in France, Earth or Kobia, has a great voice himself. James Macgaw, whom I saw Friday in One Shot, surprised at one point by adding blues licks to the Magma sound. The xylophone was a nice addition, skillfully played by Frederic D’oelsnitz. Yes, I’d say Magma is better than ever, tighter, more intense. They know how to build tension in the music until the fabric of space-time seems ready to unravel. I don’t think any studio or even live album (even of Sunday’s performance) could ever capture it. You’d have to be there, to hear, see, and feel the Zeuhl flowing through you.

Nearfest->Sunday : La Maschera Di Cera

During my festival hiatus, I've often wondered what happened to Finisterre. I’ve an album or two by them, and of course, I saw them at Progday ’97. My all-time unforgettable Progday moment was when their guitarist nailed the solo in Firth of Frith.

Finisterre’s bassist, Fabio Zuffanti, went on to La Maschera Di Cera, where Italian Prog lives on. Agostino Macor smacks wall-to-wall keys, pumping out mellotron and juicy analog sounds. Instead of guitar, at times the flute is the lead instrument, piped by Andrea Monetti. The vocalist, Alessandro Corvaglia, provided a strong vocal, reminding me of Deus Ex Machina’s Alberto Piras. At times, Fabio’s bass provided a heavier, rockier sound, making up for the lack of lead guitar. Italian prog is always a treat and they went on to provide my second favorite performance of the weekend.

Nearfest Preshow->Fusion Friday : Secret Oyster

If there's something rotten in Denmark, it certainly isn't these guys. Secret Oyster’s performance was my favorite of the night. On keys, Daniel Fridell blew me away. Karsten Vogel played various saxophones and even doubled on keys at one point. The second to last piece ended with a smoking solo from Vogel. Besides the sax, my wife thought Claus Bohling’s guitar stood out.

I liked Assi Roar’s bass solo in the last act, punctuated with licks from Bohling.