Lifesigns in Concert   

Lifesigns in Concert   

Bert Saraco

Lifesigns in Concert 

March 24, 2025 – Elkton Music Hall, Elkton, MD

“What else would you do on a Monday night?”

John Young asked the somewhat rhetorical question early on during the Lifesigns concert in Maryland. After all, he knew why we were there. The Elkton Music Hall is an unassuming little venue nestled in the heart of the quaint town of Elkton. From the outside, the brick building with gray accents could be anything from a boarding house to a restaurant, but in actuality is a haven for locals craving good live music in a somewhat intimate setting. The interior boasts a rustic high-pitched ceiling with a network of heavy wooden planks, a bar, and a seating space for 300-plus concertgoers in front of the 500 square-foot stage raised a reasonable three feet off the floor. This particular night was a prog love-in, featuring UK’s Lifesigns and opening solo act, Robert ‘Moog’ Schindler. A North Carolina native, Schindler is today’s premier ambassador of all things Moog (as in Moog synthesizer) and creates washes of sound and improvisation – a one-man-band on a variety of keyboards.

Lifesigns is essentially a vehicle for the musical compositions of John Young. Young, a former Strawb (a distinction shared with current Lifesigns guitarist Dave Bainbridge) writes melodic, accessible prog that manages to have all of the grandeur of the genre without becoming trapped by the excesses. Displaying a mastery of the keyboard and a voice that fits somewhere between Jon Anderson (Yes) and Sting, Young is clearly in command of the show but always with respect for his fine bandmembers. He is soft-spoken and keeps the in-between banter to a pleasant minimum (the story of how “Impossible” became a hit in hospitals in The Netherlands is classic) - his passion is, however, on display in his excellent playing and singing.

Rounding out the rhythm section at this show were long-time Lifesigns bassist Jon Poole and, replacing Zoltán Csörsz this tour, drummer Chris Mack. Mack, a sought-after session drummer well-acquainted with the prog scene, layed down a solid percussion foundation, melding perfectly into the material and proving to be more than capable and really shining on the demanding “Shoreline.” Poole, stylishly sporting a hat with a feather, produced a beautiful bed of bass that would suddenly emerge from the mix with melodic style every bit as classy as what he wore on his head. The subtlety of his bass lines impressively rounded out the sound and occasionally came to the fore in a funky exclamation.

Any fan of progressive rock will immediately recognize the name Dave Bainbridge from his excellent solo work and his time spent with the legendary Celtic proggers, Iona. Dave is currently touring with Lifesigns on second keyboard and (very impressively) lead guitar. Young’s music leaves appropriate space for Bainbridge to soar in majestic, melodic, emotional guitar solos – several of which filled the venue to the aforementioned rafters. Bainbridge was on fire the whole night but maybe never more so than during his solo on “Impossible,” which no doubt caused every air-guitarist in the room to go extreme ugly-face!

The powerful quartet performed what was essentially a Lifesigns Greatest Hits set that took great songs like “N,” “Open Skies,” “Altitude,” “Gregarious,” and “Shoreline” and infused them with the energy and passion that make live shows what they’re meant to be. John Young’s songs lend themselves to extended improvisation but are strong enough melodically to have it all make sense within the framework of the composition. Were there any standouts? Just read the setlist below.

If you go to see this excellent band perform don’t expect the usual rock ‘n roll histrionics. The performance is delightfully free of smoke, strobe lights, and flash-bombs but instead focuses on the amazing music being made by the four men onstage. There’s no demanding that the audience get up their feet, put their hands together, or ‘make some noise’… Lifesigns gives the audience what they came for – a chance to hear music they love, performed by the artists that play it best. There was very little fist-pumping at The Elkton Music Hall – but there was a lot of love - love for the music and love for the band. Interestingly, Lifesigns seems to have a more equally mixed male/female audience than most prog bands. Maybe that’s because John Young’s music is more universally appealing than many other progsters. For me, it’s rare to find a band that has elements of two of my other favorites, Procol Harum and Focus, in their musical vibe (no histrionics in those two, either). Whatever the reason, it’s worth your while to see Lifesigns in concert.

Lifesigns performed:

N

OpenSkies 

Different

At The End of The World

Impossible 

Altitude 

Gregarious  

Shoreline  

Fortitude   

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