Day 2 of the Marillion Weekend was, oddly but not unexpected, the first night of their greatly anticipated performance.
True to tradition, the band settled on an album, Marbles, digging into tracks on the expanded 2 CD version. As excellent as the consumption of that piece was, the encore of the fan favorite “Sugar Mice” stole the night, in my view.
I’m certain that longevity helps build a relationship between the artist and the audience, but Marillion leverages just that for a weekend event such as this. Still, nothing is taken for granted. Everything was masterfully produced, from lighting to where singer Steve Hogarth moves about the stage.
But despite the encouragement shouted from the audience for each of the band members when they’re featured, it’s Hogarth that goes beyond commanding the stage. He’s emotional and expressive all the time. I don’t know if he’s done the songs long enough to just act it out, but very few bands – and I can’t think of any – have a frontman who does what he does, fully in the moment. Thus the plethora of concert DVDs that the band releases. It’s not just the songs and music. Just amazing.
Note: For photos, the larger your screen the better.
Selections from Marbles:
Encore:
Randy McStine, a guitarist gaining more recent renown through live and studio appearances with Steven Wilson and Porcupine Tree, played a 45-minute set on the heels of his 2025 album release, Mutual Hallucinations.
McStine has played with several other prog veterans in the past decade including Marco Minnerman, Gavin Harrison and Nick D’Virgilio and, while not familiar to many, should certainly have been familiar to this particular audience.
Live, the addition of a drummer and bassist elevated his performance over the past two times I’d seen him when supporting The Pineapple Thief solo with loop effects.
Setlist:
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