Polish atmospheric prog masters Riverside concluded their 2022-23 tours with a powerful performance at the COS Torwar, Warsaw, on June 1st 2023 before a very enthusiastic audience on their home ground, performing most of the tracks from their latest album I.D.Entity, plus also six tracks from previous releases, and the show was recorded for this ‘live’ album, which also comes with a DVD of the concert, which includes a 15 minute ‘behind the scenes’ documentary.
I.D.Entity was an unashamed concept album, posing the issue ‘is it possible to still be yourself but not be interested in the social transformations which are occurring at an increasing pace?’ The songs from this album are really brought to life onstage, with the band stretching out and making the songs sound even bigger ‘live.’ Each member of the band is a very fine musician, and top rated at what they do, and unlike bands like Dream Theater, they don’t over-complicate by flaunting virtuosity. Mainman Mariusz Duda states, it’s only during live performances our songs gain their full potential.
Both the new songs and the older pieces sit together comfortably, showing Riverside hasn’t forgotten its past. What turned out to be a coruscating set opens with tracks from previous albums. ‘Addicted’, from 2015’s Love Fear & the Time Machine, begins with Duda yelling something in Polish and it got the crowd on their side, with the song being a more powerful version than the studio run through, and long-time ‘live’ favourite ‘Panic Room’, from Rapid Eye Movement, follows and it’s one of the best versions of this evergreen classic. These are songs the band have played many times down the years but they attack each song with renewed vigour.
From the last album, we get ‘Landmine Blast’ and ‘Post Truth’, where the band give full rein to their prog metal leanings, playing some furious instrumental passages. ‘Big Tech Brother’ and ‘Friend Or Foe’ sees Riverside sounding like early eighties Rush when they began moving away from the power trio format and incorporating synths into their sound, as does ‘Self Aware’, which is more classic rock than prog with its nod to Purple’s ‘Highway Star’ at the intro.
What was a real delight was hearing ‘Lost’ – or to give it the full album title, ‘Lost (why should I be frightened by a hat ?)’ – also from the Love Fear album. But, the highlight of what is a really fine ‘live’ set is ‘The Place Where I Belong’, which runs to fifteen minutes and sees the band going off-piste midway through the song, with a lush guitar break from Maciej Mellor.
The album concludes with another old track, the mighty ‘Conceiving You’, from 2005 album Second Life Syndrome, and it’s one of Riverside’s most beautiful ballads, though this version is somewhat heavier, with guitar and keyboard runs from Maciej Mellor and Mikal Lapaz respectively, and Mariusz Duda getting to perform his ‘silent scream’ skit with the audience, who fully participate in it.
Overall, this album fully confirms Riverside’s place at prog’s top table, showing they truly merit a place alongside big boys such as Marillion, Big Big Train and Porcupine Tree. I doubt there’ll be many better ‘live’ albums than this in 2025.
