After the brilliant 2023/24 Morsefests in the USA, Europe, and the UK, an even more ambitious plan was hatched for the next season of Morsefest! D’Virgilio, Morse & Jennings had yet to play a full live show, and so the Morsefest stage was the perfect opportunity to launch their live career. Drawing on songs from the “Troika” and “Sophomore” albums, Nick, Neal and Ross showed how their vocal and musical blend was one that easily translated to the live stage. Starting with the stripped-down acoustic “Troika” opener, “Everything I Am,” building to full band performances of “Mama,” “King For A Day” and “Julia,” and ending, in London, with a version of June, featuring Big Big Train’s Alberto Bravin, it was a brilliant show!
“Jesus Christ: The Exorcist” had only been performed once, at Morsefest 2018, and so this season of Morsefest saw the return of some of the highlights of that album. Eric Gillette, Randy George, Bill Hubauer and Talon David reprised their parts from the original, joined by Johnny Bisaha, Ross Jennings and Nick D’Virgilio as well as backing singers, string players and percussion. The highlights included the drama of “The Madman of the Gadarenes” through to the finale of “The Greatest Love of All.”
Night 2 focused on “The Joseph Epics,” “The Dreamer” and “The Restoration” with the full cast and horn players joining the massive on stage line up. The show shifted from the dramatic “Overture,” to the Rock-out, “Like A Wall,” to the choral “I Will Wait” on the Lord sung by all the vocalists. Part 2 brought the pop of “Cosmic Mess,” the vocal gymnastics of “The Argument” and ended in the epic climax of “Everlasting” and “Dawning of a New Day.” The evening started and ended with Spock’s Beard classics “Day For Night” and an all-star “Wind At My Back” that had the audience on its feet.
The 4xCD/2xBlu-ray set captures the full London show, filmed at Trinity Church in Brentwood in January 2025 in dazzling video and audio. Make sure you add this one to your collection!
Pre-Order “Morsefest 2024” here: https://nealmorse.com/product/morsefest-2024/
Neal Morse has also announced a return to his singer-songwriter roots with the heartfelt and introspective new solo album, “Never Been Down This Road,” out on Oct. 31st, 2025. Known for his work on recent prog-rock masterpieces including “No Hill For A Climber” (with Neal Morse & The Resonance) and “Deep Water” (with Cosmic Cathedral), Morse now offers fans a more personal collection, rich with storytelling, emotion, and spiritual depth.
Written in the quiet early hours at the grand piano in his studio—a daily practice for Morse—Never Been Down This Road captures the spontaneous magic of inspiration as it comes. The result is an album that blends deeply personal reflections with narratives of people he has encountered and songs came from day to day inspiration, spanning genres from folk and pop to worship and soul.
“Never Been Down This Road feels like a journey through my heart, my memories, and sometimes the hearts of characters I’ve imagined,” says Morse. “It’s a quieter kind of album—less about the epic, more about the honest moment. I hope people connect with it the way I have.”
Following in the tradition of 2024’s “Late Bloomer,” this new release showcases Morse’s solo artistry in full. With the exception of saxophone and backing vocals, all instruments and vocals were performed by Morse himself, further emphasizing the album’s raw, intimate nature.
Stream the first single “Reach Deep” via the YouTube player below:
Pre-order here: https://nealmorse.com/product/neal-morse-never-been-down-this-road/