MANFRED MANN’S EARTH BAND – 17.10.2024 – BERGEN, NORWAY

It had been five years since I had the great pleasure of witnessing the inimitable Manfred Mann’s Earth Band in a live setting, and their eagerly anticipated return to Bergen on this warm October evening was something that this scribe had been looking forward to for quite some time.

Forum Scene was a superb venue to host last night’s event in terms of the rather decent size of the crowd and the warm atmosphere of the place not to mention its rather good acoustics. The band walked on stage at 8 PM sharp and immediately launched into their cleverly arranged and riveting rendition of The Jerry Hahn Brotherhood’s “Captain Bobby Stout” followed by the catchy “Don’t Kill It Carol” – both of which were rapturously received by the audience. These chaps form a musically strong and well-oiled machinery that luckily knows how to be playful, groovy, and delightfully unpredictable, and that was very much in focus and emphasized throughout their nearly two-hour set on Thursday. Perhaps that is where one of the most charming things about the group lies, namely that they are world-class musicians who know how to have fun and enjoy themselves and not only project that on stage but also channel it into the audience, which is something that truly came to the fore during “Stronger Than Me,” “For You,” and the three crowd-pleasers that were “Blinded by the Light,” “Davy’s on the Road Again,” and “Quinn the Eskimo.” So many colors and flavors were embedded in these tunes and Manfred Mann and his talented cohorts have certainly made them their own in certain respects. While the emotive and bluesy “Captain Bobby Stout” and the sprawling version of “Father of Day, Father of Night” were the highlights of the show and marked the standout moments to these eyes and ears, the setlist was generally an inspired and interesting one. Robert Hart (ex-Bad Company) sounded magnificent, former Company of Snakes drummer John Lingwood and bassist extraordinaire Steve Kinch added both punch and sophistication to the proceedings, and there was no mistaking that unique tone and melodic flair of Mick Rogers’ guitar playing, nor the keyboard wizardry of Mr. Mann himself, obviously.

I have witnessed more cohesive and electrifying performances by this outfit in the past than what I saw last night but make no mistake; they were on stellar form at Forum Scene and the affair was an uplifting and memorable one. Their charismatic and original style of richly flavored prog-esque blues rock worked wonders for the mind and soul, and the truth is that Manfred Mann’s Earth Band sound like no other act out there. The invigorating vibe and joyous feel of it all was undeniable.

Manfred Mann’s Earth Band