by Dimitris Zacharopoulos

photos by Iro Kalligeri (@irokalligeriphotography)

Let’s take things from the beginning! When we arrived outside Gazarte in the Gazi area, shortly after the doors had opened, quite a crowd had already gathered. First on the bill were Stavros Allos, a Greek band whose sound falls somewhere within the realms of eclectic Greek-language alternative pop/rock. Shortly after 9 p.m., the trio took the stage and treated us to their simple yet refined pop/rock sound. To be honest, while I liked their style, I didn’t find their melodies particularly interesting. They certainly have some work to do in that department, but their overall sound and approach are more than worthy of praise. Unfortunately, they also encountered a few technical problems, with the singer/guitarist having some trouble with his guitar pedals and the bassist even breaking a string on his instrument. Nevertheless, Stavros Allos put on a fairly decent performance, and the time passed pleasantly as we waited for Mercury Rev to take the stage.

It was a quarter past 10 p.m., and Gazarte Ground Stage was almost packed. You could see the anticipation on everyone’s faces, which quickly turned into excitement when psychedelic videos began appearing on the wall behind the stage. The time had come to experience the ultimate lyrical beauty, surrender to heavenly melodies, lose ourselves in dreamlike worlds and be swept away by an intoxicating sense of poetry! The five musicians who make up the current Mercury Rev lineup began playing the beautiful songs of this great psychedelic alt-pop/rock band with grace and joy. A band that enjoyed its greatest success in the late ’90s and early ’00s, Mercury Rev continue to impress both in the studio and on stage. They proved that they still command the stage with confidence, delivering their lyrical poems and painting beautiful pictures on an invisible canvas of music and emotion. The sound was excellent, their chemistry remarkable, their performance outstanding and their emotions so genuine, honest and dramatic. They played for just an hour and fifteen minutes, but that was more than enough to work their magic, move us deeply, spread their wings and take us on a journey to distant, fairytale-like places. Jonathan Donahue looked like a poet singing his magnificent songs, a prince leading us into his kingdom, a dandy lost in a monologue across meadows filled with flowers and colors. Grasshopper was weaving intricate sonic tapestries with his guitar, the two keyboardists added multiple layers of notes, while the drummer provided the rhythmic foundation for Mercury Rev’s psychedelic anthems. And what a setlist! We heard “The Dark Is Rising”, “Goddess on a Hiway”, “Holes” and, of course, “Tides of the Moon”, which gave us goosebumps and sent a shiver through the entire Gazarte audience. A powerful torrent of notes and words mesmerized us in the context of a magnificent performance that left us spellbound on every level: musically, literarily, spiritually and emotionally. It was a multi-layered explosion of sounds and images unfolding right before our eyes, an artistic triumph that resonated both within us and in the world around us. Unforgettable.

All is Dream …

Το άρθρο MERCURY REV, STAVROS ALLOS – GAZARTE GROUND STAGE, ATHENS, GREECE – 29/10/2026 εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Myth Of Rock.