I’ve seen enough Prism shows to be able to predict their sets. Usually they play Average Joes on a Saturday, so I miss my favourite Prism classics. So I was was glad to catch them at Whoop up Days, Thursday, Aug. 23 for an excellent crowd.
They focused on the hits, opening with their usual opener and best known hit “Spaceship Superstar.“ They played it and killed it to the delight of the audience, most of them remembering to bring lawn chairs.
Al Harlow is the only original member of the band, but he had some familiar faces on keyboardist Marc Gladstone and drummer Gary Grace and bassist Tad Goddard.
They played another older song “Virginia,” and “dusted off the song that got us the record contract ,” one of my favourites “Open Soul Surgery.”
Harlow still managed to hit original vocalist Ron Tabak’s incredibly high notes, and showed some impressive guitar playing, especially during his usual bluesy slide guitar solo, during he which he wandered off the stage and got the audience members up front to strum a few notes.
They got back to the hits with “Young and Reckless,” featuring Harlow changing a few words around.
A brief drum solo prefaces another of my favourites “Flying,” which featured Harlow blowing into a talk box as he also did in “See Forever Eyes.” He usually does that for “Mirror Man,” but I may have missed it as I left briefly during their panty peeling ballad “ Night to Remember.”
As usual, he dedicated “Take Me Away” For Ron Tabak, noting he wrote the song for Tabak’s voice.
They wound up a high spirited set with a couple rockers including “Don’t Let Him Know,’ and a big drum solo spot before ending their show with their usual show closer “Armageddon,” with a pre recorded horn and guitar parts.
They were called back by lukewarm applause for an encore of “Take me To The Kaptain.”
After the show Roaming Dragon Fire Spinners performed some impressive acrobatics with fire which enraptured a good sized crowd
