November 19, 2023 the stage was set at 't Blok in Nieuwerkerk a/d IJssel for the Polisch act Moonrise (see review). It took them 3.5 years to finally climb the stage of this wonderful venue in the Netherlands after it was cancelled earlier in 2020 due to the world wide pandemic. It was certainly worth the wait for such a long time and they didn't disappoint at all. The band members on stage and the people in front of them had both an excellent time on this rather rainy Sunday afternoon. The proof of this well played concert can be found on YouTube (Moonrise Live In The Netherlands) on which you can see the whole concert again which the crew of Background Magazine filmed at the time. Twenty days later the band also did a performance in their own country. The entire concert done in Przeciszów was also recorded and filmed. The result of it can now be enjoyed on the release Live In Przeciszów. It's out on a double CD and a DVD. It's of course not so strange that the setlist of the concert in the Netherlands is the same as the tracklist on the double CD and DVD. Therefore it is for anybody who witnessed any of the Moonrise concerts in 2023 a nice way to look and listen back to what happened music wise last year. But also for those who unfortunately missed any of those shows this release is a great way to get little bit of the feeling how a Moonrise concert can be experienced. Both CD's and the single DVD contain the same audio. This means you can also hear on the first disc the introduction of the band by Łukasz Fuczek( the director of this facility). If you see the footage on the DVD you will notice that this part is in black and white until the band starts playing the first song Surrender To Win. From here lead singer Marcin Staszek takes over as your guide throughout the entire concert. Introducing the songs and his fellow band members on stage. Which are band leader Kamil Konieczniak (keyboard, guitar), Marcin Kruczek (guitars) and Grzegorz Bauer (drums). Unfortunately he speaks in his native language. Because I only do know a couple of Polish words, such as dzień dobry (Good morning), I can't understand the talking about most of the time. Therefore they might have included English subtitles for the people outside Poland. But that doesn't matter ,you can still watch and listen to a great concert. A concert where the band was going full steam ahead just as during the concerts in the Netherlands. I will not go through all the songs performed separately. But I can tell you that the audience could enjoy songs taken from the entire back catalogue. However the main focus was on their latest album Travel Within (2019, see review). With six tracks taken from it. Maybe not so strange because the singer on stage is the person who did all the lead vocals on this release. While listening to the audio and watching the video footage you will notice that the band has turned into a well oiled musical machine after doing so many concerts. The band is really at the top of their game so to speak. The live versions of the complex studio tracks are easily done on stage so it seemed. Of course not completely the same but with a great live sound and less sterile. The solos done my Konieczniak and Kruczek are really outstanding. Even Kamil's guitar parts can compete with Marcin's guitar parts as you can notice on the songs Calling Your Number and The Lights Of A Distant Bay. As for singer Staszek there is of course a great compliment to make as he delivers an outstanding performance in doing all the vocal parts of his predecessors in a perfect way. Finally Bauer has to be mentioned as well. The drummer of Polish act Millenium does a great job just as his fellow band mates on stage. As for the audio throughout the entire concert I can only say that it is perfectly mixed. The sound on both CDs give a good feeling how the band sounds on stage during a concert. Maybe I would have preferred a dts or 5.1 surround sound for the DVD. Unfortunately this is not the case. However this does not mean that the concert is any less enjoyable to listen to. Unfortunately I'm also not completely happy with the way the entire concert was filmed and edited. The two people walking with their video camera around the stage did not always film the right musician when they are doing an important solo on their instrument. Sometimes it is annoying if you hear Kamil playing an awesome synthesizer solo but there is no footage of it or they get too late to the keyboards. Instead you can watch the drummer or something else. It doesn't mean that the whole thing doesn't look very decent visually. The image is clear and the blue and pink (laser) lights give the stage and performance a nice atmosphere. Lucky enough the negative remarks about the filming does not spoil the pleasure of watching this material in any way. Therefore the whole concert is really pleasant and comfortable to watch. Most of all thanks to the "slow shots", meaning you can calmly observe the musicians on the stage when they are filmed on time. No "fast shots" after each other which makes you crazy. And that's a complement to the editor. Moonrise Live In Przeciszów is certainly a must have for all of their fans and lovers of neo progressive rock in general. This release is without any doubt worth getting to know if you don't know this band at all. Enjoy all the beautiful solos and melodic parts this band has to offer. I guess it's time for everybody out there to experiencing and appreciating this wonderful band from Poland. Their music is of the absolute highest artistic level and therefore highly recommended! **** Henri Strik (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
