Reunion Performances
Because the band split before the album was released, they never performed any of the songs onstage. Blunstone and Argent reunited in 2001, and over the next few years resurrected The Zombies as a recording and touring unit with ex-Argent bassist Jim Rodford, his son Steve Rodford on drums and Keith Airey on guitar. They performed various songs from the album, but to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its release, in March 2008, Chris White and Hugh Grundy returned to perform three shows at the Shepherds Bush Empire in London during which they performed Odessey and Oracle in its entirety with assistance from Darian Sahanaja and various friends. Paul Atkinson had died in 2004 so Keith Airey took his place.
The original five piece line up had reformed briefly in 1997 for the launch party of the Zombie Heaven boxset. Held in London's Jazz Café, they performed "She's Not There" and "Time of the Season". There was one final reunion in 2004 at a benefit gig for Paul Atkinson and though Atkinson was very ill, he insisted on performing with them. The 2008 shows were the first time Argent, Blunstone, White, and Grundy performed to the British public as a unit since the split back in December 1967.
The Zombies were insistent on being as authentic as possible, hence the extra singers, Darian filling in keyboard and mellotron parts via use of a Memotron, and Argent himself playing an original Mellotron on a couple of numbers. Argent also tracked down a Victorian Pump Organ dating from 1896 so they could recreate White's "A Butcher's Tale", the original organ having long since been given away or sold by White.
The concerts were sell-outs and critically acclaimed. One of the shows was recorded, filmed, and released on CD and DVD as Odessey and Oracle (Revisited). The reunion was so successful that they decided to reprise the show on a short four-date British tour in April 2009, playing in Glasgow, Bristol, Manchester, and ending on April 25 at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, which Argent stated would be the very last time the album would be performed on stage, at least until the songs are reverted to public domain.
Read more about this topic: Odessey And Oracle
Famous quotes containing the word performances:
“At one of the later performances you asked why they called it a “miracle,”
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—John Ashbery (b. 1927)