Concert Review
Marillion
Town Ballroom
Buffalo, NY
Thursday, February 15, 2018
Review/Photos: Joseph Suto
Marillion and Buffalo, two words that you haven’t heard in the same sentence in the past 28 years. That all changed Thursday evening as the band finally played their first area show here since an outing on the outdoor stage at the now defunct Sinbad’s night club back in 1990. That may very well be some kind of record between gigs in Buffalo’s concert history.
To say the show lived up to the advance hype was an understatement. Marillion left no stone unturned delving out a healthy dose of their latest effort F.E.A.R. alongside many of their best-known songs. “Kayleigh” and “Easter” both of which had the crowd singing the majority of each very loudly were among the highlights.
Notable gems that left an impression were “King” and “Afraid of Sunlight” both from 1995s Afraid of Sunlight. Following a stellar version of “Seasons End”, Mark Kelly ran into a cable issue with his keyboard which led to an impromptu play of b-side “Bell In The Sea” featuring bassist Pete Trewavas and singer Steve Hogarth (H).
H was in quite the mood all night as he told a few stories including one involving the name of a local funeral home chain on a trip to nearby Niagara Falls the day before.
As for guitarist Steven Rothery he simply continues to show everyone his many different shades and styles of playing. Whether its on an acoustic track like the first half of Easter or an intricate song like the final encore of the evening the appropriately named “This Strange Engine”, Rothery can do it all. Surprisingly at this stage of his career he is vastly underrated. The least heralded member of the band is drummer Ian Mosley who quietly and without much fanfare simply gets the job done.
This short tour marks only the fourth tour the band has played in the U.S. since 2004 due mostly to securing visas. Selecting Buffalo as a date was a no brainer not only because of the length of time they had last played here, but also because of its proximity to Toronto, Rochester, NY and Erie, PA. Marillion fans are not afraid to gas up the car or even board a plane to see their favorite band play. The full house at the Town Ballroom were nothing short of sensational as they enjoyed each and every minute of the bands near two-and-a-half-hour performance. The band could have played all night I believe and no one would have left.
Setlist
El Dorado: I. Long-Shadowed Sun
El Dorado: II. The Gold
El Dorado III. Demolished Leaves
El Dorado IV. FEAR
El Dorado: V. The Grandchildren of Apes
Living In Fear
Seasons End
The Bell In The Sea
Kayleigh
Wave
Mad
Afraid Of Sunlight
The Leavers: I. Wake Up In Music
The Leavers: II. The Remainers
The Leavers: III. Vapour Trials In The Sky
The Leavers: IV. The Jumble of Days
The Leavers: V. One Tonight
Easter
King
Encore
The Invisible Man
This Strange Engine
