Concert albums released in April and May 2024






I have grouped together in this review six concert albums which were released between April and May 2024 in styles different from each other and which all highlight talented artists in live conditions.

First of all, it is the Hungarians of 'Djabe' who released a new album with 'Steve Hackett' and this almost a year to the day after the very good concert 'Live In Györ'. And as in the last album, even if certain compositions are replayed, the musical boundaries fall again and the name 'Djabe' (which means freedom in the Akan language spoken in Ghana and Ivory Coast) is still highlighted in this concert where different styles intersect, ranging from jazz to progressive rock, including different world music influences that 'Steve Hackett' cherishes so much. In short, for all lovers of music without borders, 'When The Sound Turns Sweet' is a fabulous album which transports us on a magnificent exotic journey with impeccable production thanks in particular to artists who illuminate the compositions of ' Genesis' and 'Steve Hackett'...

They are also pioneers of progressive rock who are in the spotlight with the British from 'Nektar' who celebrated the fifty years of the album 'Remember The Future' in 2023 and who organized a tour for this anniversary. This double CD was recorded during this tour at the Dunellen Theater in New Jersey on June 10, 2023, and was one of the last times that drummer 'Ron Howden' played with the band before his death in September 2023. This recording is moving double title and retraces the busy career of 'Nektar' who had two periods, before 1980 and who met again in 1999 to continue the adventure, their last album ' The Other Side' dating from 2020. In short, we are spoiled by the long ones developments of the group which are highlighted in a two and a half hour concert which should please not only all fans of 'Nektar' but also all fans of good progressive rock taking us back five decades ago...

The Americans of 'The Dear Hunter' bring up to date their saga planned in 6 acts and, for the moment, the 5th act 'Hymns with the Devil in Confessional' dates from 2016 (when is the 6th?) and they decided to replay them livestream with for the moment the first two parts which were the subject of an album release, 'The Meaning of, And All Things Regarding Ms. Leading' being released at the beginning of May 2024 and the first part 'The Lake South, The River North' dating from 2023. These concerts on the internet allow you to put this progressive and symphonic rock à la 'Queen' back between your ears with impeccable production. The third livestream performance of Act III 'Life and Death' dating from 2009 is scheduled for July 2024...

As he is now accustomed to with his 'Ayreon' project, 'Arjen Lucassen' continues to stage his various Ayreon' albums in Tilburg in the Netherlands, the latest released on DVD and Blu-ray being 'Electric Castle Live And Other Tales' in 2020. This time it's the album '01011001' dating from 2008 which was staged in September 2023 with a program of six completely sold-out shows, which amounts to roughly 15,000 spectators! And what a scene since we find the cream of metal with prestigious guests (see the list below) and everything has been done to offer the lucky people who were able to attend an impressive show, a show which is now available on DVD/Blu-Ray for those who were unable to travel to the Netherlands. More than a concert, it's a real show prepared over several years and if you want to get a glimpse of the atmosphere and this gigantic production, three titles are available on YouTube: 'Fate Of Man', 'The Sixth Extinction' and 'The Day That The World Breaks Down'. In summary, music is one thing, but the best thing is to get the DVD/Blu-ray to really enjoy these two and a quarter hours available to us and which are part of the rest of Ayreon's albums in the company of the 'Forever' people of planet Y...

We continue with the Americans from 'Halestorm' who recorded a live performance at the end of 2023 in the emblematic venue of the 'Wembley Arena' and who, as they did for the Hellfest 2023 concert, have made available to Internet users this memorable concert in which the leader of the group 'Lzzy Hale' offers us extraordinary vocal performances, the group taking its full extent in this communion with the public in transmitting considerable energy (see the concert video here). From the first second (the a Capella introduction before entering the stage is still monumental) to the last, everything is done to offer the public an extraordinary show whether in the very muscular titles (transforming the short title ' Amen' in 10 minutes of intense live) but also in calmer moments with for example 'Terrible Things' or at the end of the concert with the suite 'Break In', 'Shatter Me' and 'Raise You Horns'. In short, it’s a great gift that the Americans are giving us with this Wembley concert entirely available on YouTube...

To end these live releases, it is a new compilation of 'Bruce Springsteen' which has been regularly released for several years recordings of his concerts under the name 'The Live Series' with a first release of more than 12 hours of excerpt (see here) and many others who have followed on different themes like 'Songs of the Road' or 'Songs of Friendship' or the very beautiful album with titles acoustic 'Stripped Down'. This time, it's volume 2 of 'Songs From Around The World' (first volume here) in which we find titles played mainly in Europe including the magnificent 'We Take Care of Our Own' as an introduction to the concert in Paris in 2012. In short, for fans, it's a mine exceptional of several dozen hours of concerts by the 'Boss' and for others who have lived and listened to the American' throughout the last decades, you have the choice to peck here and there the essential titles from his repertoire like ' Born in the U.S.A.', 'Hungry Heart', 'The River' or 'Cadillac Ranch' and many others that are forever engraved in our memory...

Line Up / Musicians

Djabe – Steve Hackett – When The Sound Turns Sweet :
Tamás Barabás (Bass, Guitar, Vocal), Attila Égerházi (Guitar, Percussions, Vocal), Péter Kaszás (Vocal, Drums), Áron Koós-Hutás (Bugle, Trumpet), Zoltán Bubenyák (Keybords) + Guests : Steve Hackett (Guitar, Vocal, Harmonica)

Nektar :
Derek "Mo" Moore (Bass, Vocal), Ron Howden (Drums, Vocal), Randy Dembo (Bass, Guitar), Ryche Chlanda (Guitar, Vocal), Kendall Scott (Keybords)

The Dear Hunter :
Casey Crescenzo (Vocal, Guitar, Keybords), Nick Crescenzo (Drums, Percussions, Choirs), Maxwell Tousseau (Guitar, Keybords, Percussions, Choirs), Robert Parr (Guitar, Keybords, Choirs), Nick Sollecito (Bass)

Ayreon :
Arjen Lucassen (Guitar, Bass, Mandolin, Solina, Keybords, Choirs) + Guests : Joost van den Broek (Keybords), Ed Warby (Drums), Johan van Stratum (Bass), Timo Somers (Guitar), Marcel Coenen (Guitar), Jeroen Goossens (Flute), Ben Mathot (Violin), Jurriaan Westerveld (Cello), Anneke Van Giersbergen (Vocal), Damian Wilson (Vocal), Simone Simons (Vocal), Jonas Renkse (Vocal), Tom S. Englund (Vocal), Daniel Gildenlöw (Vocal), Marcela Bovio (Choirs), Irene Jensen (Choirs), Jan Willem Ketelaers (Choirs), Hansi Kürsch (Vocal), Brittney Slayes (Vocal), John Jaycee Cuijpers (Vocal), Magali Luyten (Vocal), Michael Mills (Vocal), Wudstik (Vocal), Phideaux Xavier (Vocal), Marjan Welman (Vocal), Liselotte Hegt (Vocal)

Halestorm :
Lzzy Hale (Vocal, Guitar, Keybords), Arejay Hale (Drums, Choirs), Joe Hottinger (Guitar, Choirs), Josh Smith (Bass, Choirs)

E Street Band (Bruce Springsteen) :
Bruce Springsteen (Vocal, Guitar), Stevie Van Zandt (Guitar, Mandolin), Patti Scialfa (Vocal, Guitar), Max Weinberg (Drums), Garry W. Tallent (Bass), Roy Bittan (Piano), Nils Lofgren (Guitar), Soozie Tyrell (Violin, Guitar), Charles Giordano (Organ, Keybords, Accordion), Everett Bradley (Percussions, Choirs), Anthony Almonte (Percussions, Choirs), Jake Clemons (Saxophone), Barry Danielian (Trumpet), Clark Gayton (Trombone), Ozzie Melandez (Trombone), Curt Ramm (Trumpet), Curtis King (Choirs), Ada Dyer (Choirs), Lisa Lowell (Choirs), Michelle Moore (Choirs), Eddie Manion (Saxophone), Cindy Mizelle (Choirs), Tom Morello (Vocal, Guitar), Danny Federici (Keybords, Glockenspiel), Clarence Clemons (Saxophone)