Once again we would find the wonderful music of Renaissance visiting our fair Metropolis and this time around the visit was extra special as they would be performing two of their most cherished albums in full.  Yes, instead of a wider selection of signature staples, the band would give us a two part performance that featured the albums “Turn Of The Cards” and “Scheherazade and Other Stories” in their entirety.  These two recordings first hit the public ear in 1974 and 1975 respectively.  The show would once again be at the Concert Hall in the NYC Society for Ethical Culture and you can enjoy the full on report and some photos by clicking the bands logo below.  It will take you to the article on the main PiercingMetal.com site.  Then come back and continue down this blog posting to enjoy some side images and views.

As this is a concert hall and not a conventional venue like we normally attend shows at there was no blazing and bright marquee showing off the bands name for the evening.  If there was even a small sign I missed it so please excuse me.  I did take some snaps of the wonderful merchandise that the band had for sale so check that out below.  Here is the tour poster for this event.  After these couple of shows the band will be heading to Europe to record a live concert film.  I am excited already.

A Tour Poster

The next shot shows a laminate and a promotional photo.  These photos were already signed by Annie and Michael so if you hung around after a show to meet them you only needed to get the other members of the band for proper completion of this collectible.  I love the laminates but prefer more “official” ones which you sometimes can obtain when you are a working professional with the groups adventures.

Band Photo and Tour Laminate

You might not know this but Annie Haslam is also an artist and she had several pieces up for sale at the show.  Here is a quick visual of them.  Sorry about the angle but there were people milling all about before the show.

Annie Haslam Artwork

Of course a concert merch table would not be the same without an official tour shirt.  Here is the one featuring this interesting dual album presentation by Renaissance.

Renaissance Tour Shirt

After the show had ended I was able to snap some quick shots of the gear that helped make all of the amazing sounds come to life for the two hours we had enjoyed.  Take a look.  First up are the keyboards and synthesizers used by Jason Hart.

Jason Hart's Keyboards

Here is an effects pedal system that was over on the side of bassist David Keyes.

David Keyes Bass Effects

Off to the center of the stage almost begging me for a photograph are the guitars, basses and drums of the band Renaissance.  Michael swapped between these two acoustics all night and David’s basses are slightly more hidden off to the right hand side back in this shot.

That Which Helps Bring Renaissance To Life

Here is the setup used by pianist Rave Tesar.  His playing was superb tonight and his talents a credit to the material of Renaissance without question.

Rave Tesar's Keyboards

And last but certainly not least, the soundboard that lets all of this fine material come across as powerful as it does.

The Soundboard

I am very excited about this forthcoming DVD and live CD.  You should be as well. Oh and before I forget, here are a couple of quick images from around the Concert Hall at the NYC Society for Ethical Culture.

Words To Live By...

Statues In The Concert Hall