Renaissance

What a pleasure to see Annie Halsam and Michael Dunford together again performing some of the most beautiful music ever written! The last two minutes of Things I Don't Understand still brings tears to my eyes and Mother Russia brought everyone to their feet. The Songs of Scheherazade is surely their best work--quite possibly the best album side ever made! Worth traveling for, try to catch one of their performances live! Just incredible!

First time I've heard the band live since a show at the Academy of Music back in the 70s. Of course, a different line up today, except for Haslam and Dunford. It felt more like a Renaissance Tribute Band in some ways--especially the slavish devotion to every single recorded note. It would have been nice if the band had riffed a bit on the songs, opened them up and played with them, rather than just recreating the albums. But that's just me. Overall, I enjoyed the show. Not sure I would go see them again.

Renaissance is truly a band that you have to see to believe. The musicianship is amazing in that these guys perform Michael Dunfords complex classical/rock arrangements with total precision, no off notes no missed time changes. Annie Haslams vocals are as clean and forceful as they were 30 years ago when I first saw her. She is still able to make those two octave leaps. Thank you Michael and Annie for keeping the show on the road.

Renaissance' sumptuous virtuosity was in full strength Sat nite. So good to hear these folks again. Mother Russia brought the crowd to its feet. Black Flame and Scheherazade kept the evening ever intriguing, along with the chilling Trip to the Fair. The wonderfully innovative drummer Frank Pagano, atmospheric keyboardist Rave Tesar, evolutionary keyboardist/vocalist Jason Hart, and charismatic bassist/vocalist David J. Keyes weaved an orchestral tapestry around each other and Annie Haslam's textured, piercing vocals, with Michael Dunford's subtle touches on guitar/vocals interlocking. It could have been dizzying except that the flow was guided by the hands of craftsmen and the ship would not founder. I heard this band first when I was 17. They were my introduction to piano. They still give me religion.

Renaissance was a good as I remembered. Having last seen them in 1978 they sounded just as wonderful as I remembered and Annie Haslim's voice has retained the vibrancy and range she had back them. They were gracious to the audience and the audience responded with many standing ovations. It was truly mutual appreciation.

It was nice to see them but I was so disappointed that they didn't play one song from the Ashes Are Burning album..... the album that put them on the charts! After sitting through the entire concert I thought they would at least play the title song for the encore, but no.

renaissance was as good as ever. annie haslam still has it!

renaissance played the entirety of the albums "turn of the cards" and "sheherazade". the material is technically very challenging, as the structure and orchestration involved is quite advanced. the venue is aesthetically and acoustically remarkable, as is its location on central park west. annie haslam was in her usual exquisite form. she still hits ALL of the notes. her technical training has paid off very well. she sounds as good as the first time i saw renaissance in 1979. the supporting cast is better than the original one. it hurts to say this as i believe that john tout is the best keyboardist i have ever heard. the new renaissance replicates tout's original arrangements with the use of two excellent keyboardists. they have mastered the most difficult aspects of this band's material. the backing vocals from the keyboard player and drummer were consistently beautiful. the bass player is simply amazing! he also replicates note for note the original arrangements from jon camp. his energy onstage is infectious. his background vocals were excellent, particularly on ocean gypsy, and his lead vocal on the sultan displayed a remarkable depth of range. he blends beautifully with the artistic vocal offerings of haslam. the overall instrumental presentation was spectacular. the harmony vocals (they sometimes sing in 4 or 5 parts) were equally spectacular. i look forward to their next tour, wondering which albums they will present at that time.

The concert was great, the only minus is that air conditioners didn't work so the temperature in the concert hall was quite unpleasant.

Always a fan of Renaissance´s Live at Carnegie Hall, when I bought the album in the seventies. In this show they have recreated all the beauty of the songs from Turn of the Cards and Scheherazade (many of them appearing also in Live at Carnegie Hall). With two outstanding keyboardists plus the contribution of the other players and the amazing vocals of Annie Haslam, they mastered in such a task. With a good production and the support of their devoted fans, New York City lived a magic night, with the renaissance of such fantastic time in the history of progressive rock, as was Renaissance at Carnegie Hall in 1975.

Great show covered two of their best albums. Annie and the band sounded great.

An absolutely thrilling evening for fans of this nearly forgotten (but very talented) prog rock band., Performing two of their classic albums in their entirety, the band turned back the clock and made these 35+ year old albums sound fresh and exciting as ever. Lead singer Annie Haslam has lost almost nothing of her 5-octave voice and the new members of the band supplied superb musicianship. If you are familiar with the band and are thinking of attending any of the shows, you will not be sorry. Also, "The Concert Hall" is a wonderful theater with comfortable seating and the best acoustics I've ever heard in any theater.

Whole band was terrific. Scheherazade and Trip to the Fair were highlights.

Nice show. Great music that I never thought I'd hear LIVE again. It is said that you can never go back...all I can say is...this concert took me back 30 years at least. Memories from my past flooded back. The venue, though classic, was not the best for music...but worth the trip.

What a joy to see Rave and Dave, "Mickey" and the most beautiful voice to ever grace a rock stage, Annie Haslam. With Jason Hart and drummer Frank Pagano, they infused new life into their best written studio albums, Turn of the Cards and Scheherazade. Brilliant idea! Annie struck the high notes so well I was waiting for the lights to shatter.

This was a great night! The music was amazing, especially the keyboards, and Annie was great!

Wonderful concert...I'd go next week if I could get tickets..The band is outstanding and Annie's voice is prisitne

Amazing show! Annie still sings like no other and Raze plays a mean piano!

It was a very enjoyable evening of music - aside from Annie, the band looked quite different from when i saw them at Carnegie Hall so many years ago

This was a 5 star show - the band play 2 of my favorite ablums and the band and Annie Haslam were incredible. For me it was like turning back from the Town Hall Show in the 70s. Must see...

band was wonderful as usual. the mix was lacking.bass was not audible for the 1st 2 songs. guitar was barely audible throughout. annies voice was not as strong as it used to be and she was struggling to be heard, again sound mix problem. new song was energetic.

Absolutely FANTASTIC concert! I would recommend if anyone gets a chance to see them to go! Great show! All the band members were awesome. Afterwards they all came out for a meet and greet and talked and signed autographs and pictures until the last fan left! They are a wonderful group of people and the manangement, and staff at the Tralf in Buffalo were great as well! It was a throughly enjoyable experience!

Annie Haslan has a voice of an angel! Was also VERY COOL that they took the time to come out after the concert for a meet/greet witht their fans. Not too many bands do that. THANK YOU FOR A WONDEFUL EVENING!

An amazing show in a great venue. Watch out for those reclining seats at the Keswick, though, They can be real kneecap busters when the guy in front of you decides to shift in his seat.

I had the pleasure of catching Renaissance perform two of their classic albums "Turn Of The Cards" and "Scheherazade And Other Stories". I have loved the band since the 1970's and I am pleased to see that they have reformed to perform their timeless classics. Annie Haslam and Michael Dunford are still carrying the torch, along with 4 other musicians with unbelievable abilities to recreate the lush orchestral sound of Renaissance. If you love the band, do yourself a favor and catch them live!

My wife and I are huge fans for the last 35 years, but we were a little disappointed in the fact that the band never really "came on." Parts in songs we know WELL that should have "taken off" (become louder/punchier/more "powerfull") never did. Everything seemed too subdued. The band was note-for-note pretty accurate though. Annies voice ain't what it used to be, but whose is? She is still pretty amazing.

What an outstanding blast from the past. Great musicians, very "musical- like" performance, Annie's voice has improved, at least as much as my memory from seeing them 34 years ago will permit. She's the only person alive that I believe could really shatter glass, what a range, a gift to us. Their delivery was better than I hoped, a class act, which defies categorification.

As legendary and as GREAT as the band once was, this show was disappointing. Aside from major members having been replaced, the music wasn't loud enough.People go to concerts to have their senses engulfed in sound. This concert was like visiting with a friend listening to their stereo/speakers on the other side of the room. NO BROCHURE at the door explaining the choice of the 2 albums that were performed.Why did they choose TURN OF THE CARDS & SCHEHERAZADE? (Why not have a backdrop behind the band with some projections of the album cover images?). And NO MC to at least Introduce the band and give us a perspective of what's happening with them. The show was nice and competent but not exciting.

An outstanding performance by a great band. Musically, it was two of the best albums Renaissance ever did, and vocally, they can still amaze you. The show was recorded by a camera crew with an idea to a DVD release later this year. I don't believe that it will be as good as being there live, but the magic will still heard. I can't wait to buy it to see how it compares to the real thing.

I had a good idea of what to expect going into the concert because I saw Renaissance last year at Longwood Gardens, where they opened for Procol Harem. I wasn't disappointed. Annie Haslam still has a great voice and the amazing range she had 35 (!) years ago when they were recording. The band was tight and sounded good. One bad thing I noticed: the drums overpowered some of the keyboard work in Mother Russia. It made it hard to hear the "Russian" keyboard work that is a signature part of the song. The overall sound was excellent. It was not so loud that it was distorted or hurt your ears, and I was in the seventh row! A rarity at concerts anymore. Other than that one compaint, it was a great show in tha great Hall.

Slow beginning by Annie on the opening few songs. Each one got better than the other and by the time Mother Russia came along, she was hitting all the notes. First time I saw them they didn't play Ashes are Burning

An amazing voice in her time, its also amazing now - painfully so.

You might wonder how Annie Haslam would sound after all these years and being in her sixties. Let me tell you, if you closed your eyes you would think you were back in the seventies. she was brilliant along with all the great musicians in the band. Mother Russia got a standing ovation and that was the last song of the first set. Annie seemed surprised. All in all a splendid evening...

Was a little disappointed with the Renaissance concert at the Keswick. They did not perform well. Saw them two years ago at the Keswick and they were awesome! Most of the songs sounded like another band playing Renaissance music. The last song, Scheherazade was by far their best of the night. Hopefully they'll do better next time. They encored with The Mystic And The Muse. They should have ended th show on a high note with a fan favorite song, not one from their latest release.

Very well done, great vocal performances by the entire band, great musical craftsmanship.

great show with many of my favorite songs. i liked the fact they also talked to the audience which made it seem more personal

I think Annie Haslam and Michael Dunsford were the only original members from Renaissance but the band was fantastic. The sound was so big and wonderful...the playing and Annie's singing was exquisite. I only wish I could have stayed for the encore. I would have loved to hear Carpet of the Sun!

Whle it was a pleasant evening listening to two classic album's worth of music by the (mostly) reunited Renaissance, it really is about time for Annie and Michael to hang it up. Great idea to play two albums in their entirety, and the venue was a wonderful place to hear it, but there really is little more to add to the Renaissance repetoire that hasn't been done better before. I'm not really complaining. Being old enough to recall seeing Renaissance numerous times in the mid to late 70s, I have fond and foggy memories of those heydays. But something was lacking... I guess it's unfair to compare but how can we not do that when most in the crowd were of the age to have heard the songs when originally performed? You can call it a warm fuzzy nostalgic night but I came away wondering why we all bothered. First, the sound was nowhere as dynamic as I recall for their early live shows. Maybe some of that has to do with Jon Camp's playing. He is missed. But overall there was no "big" sound and sonic wash of music that makes the softer interludes so special and dynamic. I have many exquisite memories of the wondrous performances of their classic songs, where I was entranced by the dynamics between the orchestral feel of the synth/bass and the achingly beautiful acoustic guitar and Annie's vocals. Unfortunately, this performance made it all more intimate and less majestic. Michael Dunford's playing was pretty as always, and Annie still has a wondrous voice. But there were times that it felt like they were going through the motions. The peaks were dulled. The pace was slowed. There was little magic (apart from the splendid and faithful renditions of Ocean Gypsy and Mother Russia). The anticlimactic encore of a newer piece left us wishing for something more, something more special. It was nice to hear the music and to be there for a nice performance, but I cannot say it would draw me back for future performances. Still, I would recommend it to those who adore Annie and the music of Renaissance. Just don't expect it to be magical.

Love Annie Haslam's voice and the songs are great. Took a friend along to the gig and she brought her sister. Fantastic show.

Renaissance performed Turn Of The Cards and Scheherazade in their entirety. Although my favorite Renaissance album is Ashes Are Burning, Turn Of The Cards and Scheherazade are both outstanding. It was a real treat to hear the story of Scheherazade. Annie proved that she can still awe with those high notes. The only disappointment was not realizing that Renaissance was going to do a meet and greet after the show. If I had known, I would have brought my copy of Scheherazade to get signed.

I have seen this group more than any other single group and they are still as amazing as they were 35 years ago. Annie has an incredible voice that seems to just keep going. Keswick Theater is one great venue, not a bad seat in the house.

Annie's voice has lost alot of steam. Most obvious during Running Hard. Good song selection but should have ended with a familiar song. Band sounded good.

Such a great venue for a concert, have been to the Keswick dozens of times and always a memorable experience, sound is great, performers have been wonderful....Renaissance was in great form, Annie Haslem's voice is still amazing, played entire albums, over 2 hours of music!

I enjoyed the first 40 minutes or so, but then it was too much of the same. The lyrics of some of the songs were inane (I went to the fair....and no one was there) or extremely repetetive (sheherezade....times 20). The music itself did not appeal to the emotions - the last song, the encore, was from their new album and was some sort of gothic mish mash that did not make sense neither from a lyrical nor a musical point of view.

This was a great show. Annie Haslam's voice is as good as it was in the seventies.

Prior to Renaissance's Keswick performance on Sept. 23, I hadn't seen Annie Haslam on stage in 7 years. The last time I saw her live, her voice was excellent but the materiaI and arrangements weren't to my liking. Therefore I was a little hesitant and apprehensive about attending this show. Although the band is called "Renaissance", only Annie and Mickey Dunford remain from the original band. Certainly John Tout and Jon Camp were a huge part of the writing, arranging and performances of the original ensemble. I also wondered how seven more years had affecterd Annies vocal skills (she is now somewhere in her early 60's). So I took a chance, forked over the money, and was pleasantly surprised at how well Annie's voice has held up and at the overall precise and spot-on performance by the entire band. They played the complete "Turn of the Cards" album in the first set, followed by the complete "Scheherezade" lp in the second set, plus an Annie Haslam original, "The Mystic and the Muse" as an encore. Annie's voice is not quite as strong as it used to be, but she could still hit and sustain the high notes well. Listening to this ensemble was as good as listening to the original albums. Annie's long-time keyboardist and arranger, Rave Tessar, kept the band on-track and followed the original arrangements almost letter perfect. This was not a concert for someone who wants to hear improvisational pyro-techniques: it's not jazz! The other keyboardist (I forget his name but he's a younger musician) played most of the orchestral backgrounds and fills, plus other keyboard moments such as the celeste solo in "Trip to the Fair" and heavy organ accompaniment on "Cold is Being". If you weren't watching him, you would swear that most of these parts were being played by an orchestra, not an electronic/computerized keyboard. Overall, an excellent performance. If you're a Renaissance fan, this is highly recommended. Nothing new, but it's great to see and hear these two classic albums performed live almost to perfection. If you're looking for something different from Annie Haslam, this isn't the tour for you.

They've still got it. Can't wait until next year! -- an old Renaissance fan

This performance by Renaissance was outstanding. The sound mix was amazing, with every square inch of the theatre being a perfect spot to hear any and every note played and sung. Timeless and ageless grace, wonderful instrumental breaks and of course one of the finest voices ever to surface in the history of music. Every song really took me back (as Annie stated to the crowd at one point)... This was a highlight of my year, seeing them again, still so emotive and in tune with the audience...

Renaissance is playing two of their best albums from start to finish on this tour: Turn of the Cards and Scheherazade and other Stories. One of the best rock trivia questions is to name the two groups that rose from the ashes of the Yardbirds. Everyone knows about Led Zeppelin, one of my favorite bands. Renaissance (and progressive rock in general) isn't given the credit that is due. In 2011 Robert Plant's voice is shot and he is backed by an incompetent band. Meanwhile, Annie Haslam maintains the voice of an angel. I have previously seen her backed by a keyboardist. She sounds even better backed by a full band.

Renaissance ties with Nektar as my favoritest band ever...seen them several times now (first was '77), Birchmere is a great loc. Nearly full, but not quite...not so loud that you regret it later :) Annie's voice needed to be just a little louder in the mix, but still sounded as good as you can expect--the high notes are still there. The two full albums was a neat idea, partly because it meant they'd perform things that really hadn't been done much live, if at all... All that said: Rave Tesar is not John Tout. So I couldn't rate this at 5 stars

Annie Haslam's voice remains amazing and has held up well. And the band was good and handled the challenging music very well. I'm glad I went. I had never had a chance to see Renaissance back in the day.

I saw them at the Birchmere a few months ago (first time in 3 decades), but this concert was tighter and even more fun. They sounded like the original lineup with Jon Camp--the man who inspired me to be a bass guitarist. I wish they would do "Novella," my favorite album, but the two they did were fabulous.