Marillion - Amphitheatre, Pompeii, Italy Saturday 25th July 2026

Gigs are gigs, but sometimes a gig is an event. This last weekend, Marillion in the Amphitheatre in Pompeii was, most certainly, an event.

Following a couple of nights in Naples and a train trip that turned out to be much harder than it should have been, Gregor and I arrived in Pompeii around 3 o’clock on Saturday afternoon. Once we were off the train, our attention was taken by a guy in a green shirt. It was a significant spot, because I didn't think there was another soul in this ancient city not wearing a Marillion t-shirt of some description or other.

The bar at our hotel was packed with fans, and they were lovely. Marillion had, for a number of very good reasons, cultivated a community at least as much as a fan base. Mark Kelly, the band's keyboard player, was the first to come up with a crowdfunding idea to support the recording of an album and a tour (Anoraknophobia and the 1996 US tour, if you're interested). That act of new fundraising created a community; fans no longer just bought Marillion records, they were financially invested in the product and the outcome - their names were on the record sleeves. That, to a large extent, started to develop what is now, truly, a Marillion community. Where we were sitting, everyone wanted to chat and many folk knew one another; the lady sitting beside us produced plectrums she had branded for this show, to go with the others she had also created for every other show. This was more than a gig, this was a gathering of the clans. In total, 50 countries were represented in the Amphitheatre, which, in itself, was quite phenomenal and certainly showed the pull of this band, who continued to shine, forty years after starting their journey together.

In the 27°C heat, we finished our drinks and started making our way to the Amphitheatre. Now, I had watched Pink Floyd's 'Live at Pompeii' and loved it, but neither that nor any subsequent recordings of gigs prepared me for the scene. The Amphitheatre was an oval space, as ancient as I had imagined. That night the floor was bedecked with the sort of plastic chair you might otherwise see in a church hall, whilst the stone seating around the sides was cushion covered. These wee, incongruous things were nice to see. Those same seats and cushions were to keep around 3,000 people comfortable for the night.

In the run-up to the show, it was clear everyone was excited to be there. Pictures were being snapped of the views all around, the screenless staging, and the assembled crowd.

Around 2120 the lights dipped and the band appeared, kicking off with the 1991 single 'Splintering Heart'. From the off, the sound was great and the texture of the music just threw a big cuddle of love around the Amphitheatre.

Next up was 'Fantastic Place'. Steve Hogarth gave a wee story about how they hadn't planned to play it. They were in a fantastic place and, like the Christians who performed in that very same place 2000 years earlier, I wasn't sure they'd have got out alive had they not.

The band were making a new album and gave us one cut from it, well, most of it anyway. 'Ribbon and Lace' was a nice sounding piece, even if Steve Hogarth forgot the words halfway through.

'Kayleigh' was a real surprise for me. Music does many things, but bringing back memories is probably the most important. I remembered my old mate Andy darting off to Sweet Inspiration records one lunchtime at school and returning with the 12-inch of this gem. Judging by the reactions all around, lots of others were having a wee moment of memory too.

The band struck into the opening chords of 'Hotel Hobbies' that offered a nice, instrumental, reminder of an earlier time. 'Afraid of the Sunlight' and 'Seasons End' were great to hear.

By now it was fully dark, and the light show reflected the occasion really well. Tube lighting on stage and spotlighting above, which, when it mixed with the dry ice swirling about, at times gave the feeling of an enclosed room rather than an outside venue. It was lovely.

The first half of the show ended with 'Care', from the 2022 album 'An Hour Before It's Dark'. This was the post-Covid record, and this particular track brought on the goosebumps as we remembered those dark days, and who the heroes and visionaries had been and where they could be found.

Darkness fell and the stage emptied, and a few minutes later the band returned, this time joined by The Flowing Chords, a choir from Rome.

Now, there are often good reasons that a band of "a certain vintage" employ backing singers when previously there had been none. High notes could be harder to hit, and long notes just that little bit more challenging to sustain. That was certainly not the case with Marillion. Steve Hogarth remains in exceptional voice; I think he is one of the best rock singers you will see. Something that was notable as I reflected Steve was singing songs that were forty-plus years old; written by a younger voice, living a younger life. Years, experience and, no doubt a bit of self care, have added to his voice, it is certainly not diminished by time.

No, the choir wasn't in place to support; they were in place to enhance, and they did that in spades.

'The Space' and 'The Crow and the Nightingale' were lifted by those extra voices and, I felt, 'Easter', the song that followed, was one of the highlights of the night.

I always thought Marillion were a band who played with texture and layers, and these songs, with the addition of the Flowing Chords and the percussion of Andy Gangadeen, just added that little bit more depth to an already intricate sound. As complex as the music was, if I shut my eyes, I could still hear every element of the band contributing its part to make the sum of the whole the mighty sound it was.

'Lucky Man' was a welcome surprise for me, and I really enjoyed 'Go', from 1999's Marillion.com, as a show closer.

After a suitably short break, the evening ended with the encore of 'Man of a Thousand Faces'. There could not have been a better choice as a closer.

"Life's Been Good to Me" started pumping out of the PA as we made for the long walkway that had, in another time, been the route into the Amphitheatre for the hungry lions. On Saturday night I got to see 'my band' in a really special place. The weather was great, the atmosphere electric, and, for me, a highlight was being there with my son, Gregor. Life has been good, and nights like this were to be cherished.



This event was being recorded for a DVD, that will be Christmas sorted, and I can't wait.