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 Τime for confessions… Well, I know that Metal Perspective has a distinct metal direction but if you push real hard Alekos he will probably admit that he likes a lot the first period of England's 80's premier prog band… I'm talking about MARILLION and albums such as "Script for a jester's tear", "Fugazi", "Clutching at straws" and their commercial breakthrough "Misplaced childhood"… These glory days with the legendary Fish behind the microphone are just dust in the wind but –thank God- this charismatic persona/songwriter/performer and heartfelt poet is back on his feet again…
His new effort "13th star" got already raving reviews from all over the world and it seems that the clouds finally disappeared from Midlothian's misty landscapes… To tell you the truth I've never thought that someday Fish will eventually come to Greece but at the same time I can remember a huge list of artists that I was praying to catch live and years after years the dream came true… Oh my, that night had a magic touch… You could feel it by watching the gathering of fans and their shinny faces, the in depth conversations about the past and present status of MARILLION & Fish… As far as for myself, I was always a fan of their early days without neglecting the later recordings with Steve Hogarth… You can't hide or surpass your deepest feelings after all and my heart was always belong to the Fish era…
Lights out and the first notes "Slainte mhath" instantly electrified the atmosphere, driving crazy the audience in its entity… And it was just the beginning of a memorable show that lasted merely 90 minutes… From this point, the sextet reached the highest level of musicianship, giving us a bunch of unforgettable moments from the very first solo album "Vigil in the wielderness of mirrors" to the recent "13th star"… Needless to say the emblematic presence of Fish himself which gathered all the audience's interest but it'll be a serious omission not to mention the extremely skillful and efficient playing of the rest of the band. I still recall the soloing of the lead guitarist on "Cliche", that proved that this line up is probably the most stable in Fish long discography…
And what about MARILLION's classics? Did Fish fulfill all of our expectations? Apart "Slainte mhath", the band chose to play "Hotel hobbies", "Warm wet circles", "That time of the night"; "Incommunicado", ending its appearance with all time favorites "Kayleigh" and "Lavender" as well… No "Heart of Lothian", "He knows you know", "Assassing", "Market square heroes" or "Garden party"… But hey, I'm not sure that even MARILLION are still playing those songs in their gigs, so we must feel satisfied by the set list of that enchanting evening… Time waits for no one and Mr Derek William Dick knows that although his glorious past will always haunt him, he has to move onwards… And I think he's damn right about his artistic moves…
Fish did a great job not only concerning his performance but especially (and this is probably the main fact that made him so special to the fan's conscience) his communication with the crowd! Too many jokes that make all of us laugh to tears, too many thanks for our presence and for showing our appreciation and devotion through the difficult years and of course we couldn't forget to mention Hibernian F.C. his adorable football team… Having seen a lot of videos from the glory days of MARILLION, please believe me his moves, face expressions are still the same… A monstrous singer and a superb performer indeed! Last but not least I can surely say that I was highly impressed by the attending of the crowd… I initially thought that Fish's fanbase would be a handful of lost in time MARILLION fans but I was wrong… People from different ages (17 to 50) and musical background were packed in the frontline and more than 250 souls paid tribute to the Scotsman and his mates… And as I already mentioned the band really took care of us, remind me once again that if a musician has the touch of Midas, no matter how many years will pass, he'll stand in the frontline of sheer quality and inspiration… One of the most anticipated shows of the last two decades (at least for me) turned into a life experience! Simply like that!
Set list: "Slainte mhath", "Circle line", Square go", "So Fellini", "Hotel hobbies", "Warm wet circles", "That time of the night", "Zoe 25", "Arc of the curve", "Open water", "Dark star", "Faithealer", "Cliche", "Incommunicado", "Kayeigh", "Lavender".
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