Playgrounds is the first-ever live album by the german, or more precisely 75% german and 25% dutch-prog-masters. The tracklist is comprised of songs from A Sense Of Change, The Art Of Navigating By The Stars and Paramount albums. Obviously, when having to do with music giants such as the two mighty Holzwarths on the rhythm section, one fairly imaginative and dreamy guitar player-namely Mr. Markus Steffen and so passionate and gifted a vocalist such as Arno Menses, the whole result can be nothing but stunning and flawless.
Moreover the experience of the aforementioned musicians as live performers (probably along with a few studio tricks to polish the final outcome a trifle) guarantees that even so complex song structures can flow surprisingly smoothly. However, when in concert, the songs are almost identical to the recorded ones. There are no improvisational parts and not even slight changes. Of course, this is something one would expect since the music of SIEGES EVEN has a somewhat strict character and is so densely-constructed, that maybe changing even a pause would be out of the question and would rather spoil than enchance a music moment.
So far so good but then again if somebody already has the records and is not a die hard fan who would even buy again a record ,was it re-released with the band's name written in a different colour( i.e. quite a fetishist ),why buy this one? Don't get me wrong for I really dig this band and I did enjoy Playgrounds.Yet, since the only difference from the studio versions is a couple of jokes with the audience, brief spoken introductions by Arno Menses and some applauding, I dare say that this record would only be of some interest to somebody totally unaware of the band. Thus, he might be provided with a sufficient overview and a sonic appetizer-so to speak-of the band's unique and ever-evolving character and would easier decide whether to purchase their stuff or not in case he/she is on such a dilemma.
I must however add, with the risk of maybe overly analyzing, that if this is the first contact one attempts with the band, he /she'll barely get a clear picture of the concept ,the philosophical and poetic aspects each of those records deals with, which undoubtedly are a major part of the band's artistry.Hence, I think that a DVD release would be more proper and tempting alike to a wider range of people and would capture the live atmosphere and skills of the prog quartet far more spherically.
The verdict: for hysterical fans and prog rookies only.