February 10, 2026 – Seeing Marillion in Atlanta

I just realized that today marks 8 years since I traveled out to Atlanta, GA to see Marillion. It was part of a short tour they planned after that year’s Cruise to the Edge and, if I remember correctly, that tour was also the last time the band had performed together on US soil. I long every day. for them to come back, but I understand that there are a lot of logistical and financial difficulties that come with trying to book a tour in America, so I certainly don’t hold anything against them. For now, the cruise is my best chance at getting to see them. They only play 60-75 minutes on the cruise, but it’s ok. I’ll take it.

Back to Atlanta, this was my very first time traveling out-of-state by myself for a concert. I had picked Atlanta since it was the only show taking place on a weekend. With it being the middle of winter quarter at college, I didn’t want to miss any class. The band later made the audio for this show and their other US shows available for download on their website, which I happily bought. I absolutely love that I can go back and relive the audio from the two non-cruise Marillion shows I’ve had the pleasure of seeing. The very first show in 2016 in Beverly Hills, and then this one in Atlanta. Since this was a standing room-only show, I had to take advantage of the opportunity to get in line early enough to secure a spot right up front, and I did! I didn’t take many photos, but here’s one of them. I really liked the way this one came out. The light shining around Steve Rothery’s head looks like a halo!

Their last tour in America in 2016 was dedicated to their album F.E.A.R (Fuck Everyone And Run), but this show was more varied, with them including some of their better-known songs like “Kayleigh,” “You’re Gone,” and “The Great Escape.” It was their first show in Atlanta in 30 years, as Steve “H” Hogarth revealed early on in their set.

But the show wasn’t the only thing that made February 10, 2018, special. A few months prior, I visited with Al Stewart after his show at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano. There, I gifted him a CD of F.E.A.R and brought along a vinyl copy of his album Time Passages for him to personally sign for the band. I had a second album of his signed too, as a late birthday gift for Marillion’s manager, Lucy. I’ll admit I was super nervous about this gift exchange, and even wondered if I would get the opportunity to hand them off at all. Luckily, I did. I approached Stephanie Bradley at the merch stand and explained what I had. She happily took me over to Steve Rothery, the first member of Marillion I met. We shared a brief chat about Al and music, and then capped it off with a photo. I went home incredibly happy the next day!