Marillion Montreal

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Marillion Olympia Theatre
March 30th, 2025
Published April 1st, 2025

Intro/Videos: Muriel Massé       Text/Photos/Videos: Michelle Dunn 

Marillion  

March 30, 2025, was the final concert of the third night of the very last Marillion Weekend in Montreal.
A historic evening was taking place.

Introduction by Muriel Massé:

Two new things for me. The Marillion show, a band I know only too little about, and the Olympia Theatre, which I was going there for the very first time. I really liked the Olympia, for its size and the visual field you can have. The staff, most of whom are very English-speaking, are efficient and quite nice. 

Marillion, the new English progressive rock from the very beginning of the 80s. With the singer Fish, his presence, his look, his voice and the length of the songs, they were compared to Genesis.

After the fourth album, Clutching At Straws, and the arrival of new singer Steve Hogarth in 1989, the musical style changed a little, more pop rock, less classic prog. Steve Hogarth participated in writing a few songs on the 5th album, Seasons End. And since then, around forty albums have been created.

I really missed some great moments in my cultural history, Marillion. I loved their last 2 albums I listened to recently and I loved all the songs in the chosen repertoire of this fantastic sunday evening. And what about the singer, well, he’s a solid favorite that will encourage me to get to know the group better. 

Photo: Muriel Massé

What excellent musicians joined Steve in 1979: the talented guitarist Steve Rothery, the discreet bassist (since 1982) Pete Trewavas, the melodist keyboardist (since 1981), Mark Kelly and the very expressive drummer, Ian Mosley, since 1983.  

Text by Michelle Dunn:

Marillion Weekend
Marillion played to an enthusiastic and close-knit fan base for this final evening and despite the political developments of the last few months with the United States, our cousins ​​from the South of the border fortunately responded in large numbers to this annual communion that is the Marillion Weekend.

The maximum capacity of the Olympia Arena is 2,438 spectators. I don’t know the number of tickets sold for March 30, 2025, but it looked like a full house.

Oasis of brotherhood
I think that good human values ​​such as sharing, respect, hearty laughter, kindness, camaraderie and openness towards others were very present yesterday in the Olympia, an antidote to all the bad news conveyed in the media these days. We were in an oasis of brotherhood in the company of the members of the Marillion team and it feels good!!

Moreover, Steve spoke to us about the decline of compassion and all the beautiful human values ​​that are sorely lacking in the world today. 

What happiness, here is a touching video while Steve Hogarth recounted that yesterday morning, he saw 2 exhausted fans queuing in front of the Olympia gate in the rain at….5 o’clock in the morning!!! He paid tribute to Steffen Berndt and his daughter.

The highlights for me were when they went back to the old Marillion repertoire, from the time of Fish and my dear Mick Pointer on drums, such as for my two favorite songs Kayleigh, released in 1985 and the eponymous song from their album 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐫, released on March 14, 1983.

I braved the dense crowd for the readers of Famille Rock. Despite the blows my camera and lens received, I am happy to have managed to capture some pictures and videos for our readers.

A fitting maxim comes to mind to illustrate my Sunday evening photography adventure:  » Where there is victory without peril, there is triumph without glory . » This kind of challenge is a joy for me, I loved my experience. However, I was unable to capture the discreet drummer Ian Mosley, well hidden behind his symbols.

𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐬
Thanks to the 5 musicians of Marillion and also to the entire production team who work as a team with remarkable efficiency.

Special mention to the sound technicians and the lighting designers who were wonderful, thank you!

Thanks to Lucy Jordache for trying to get me a photo pass, I hope to have this opportunity next time in Toronto!
Special thanks to Rita Kay Drew, for her welcome last Friday, she who manages the merchandise tables and other related tasks such as being the driver for the group members and other related tasks for the well-being of all.

Rita Kay Drew and Matt Dorsey at Marillion Weekend Montreal 2023

Thanks to Mr. Laventure from the marketing department at the Olympia de Montréal for his help in facilitating my recordings on Friday and Sunday.

A nod to the friendly Natacha and Eric Domander from Toronto , it was a pleasure to meet them.

Set List :

Slàinte Mhath
The Uninvited Guest
Easter
Holloway Girl
Beautiful
Script for a Jester’s Tear
Kayleigh
Lavender
Bitter Suite
Heart of Lothian
The Space…
Afraid of Sunlight
Wave
Mad
The Great Escape
Encore:
The New Kings: I. Fuck Everyone and Run
The New Kings: II. Russia’s Locked Doors
The New Kings: III. A Scary Sky
The New Kings: IV. Why Is Nothing Ever True?
Encore 2:
The Crow and the Nightingale
Man of a Thousand Faces
Care (IV) Angels on Earth
Encore 3:
The Leavers: V. One Tonight

 

Made in Quebec
Based in Montreal, the world capital of French-language rock 

Banner photo: Muriel Massé
INFOGRAPHER: MURIEL MASSÉ
WEBMASTER: MARCO GIGUERE
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: MURIEL MASSÉ
EDITOR: GÉO GIGUÈRE

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