Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Landing somewhere between progressive rock, power pop and new wave, Saga scored a non-stop streak of gold or platinum albums throughout the late 1970s into then 80s, then remained relatively prolific through the recent “Symmetry” collection.

However, the Canadian band was entirely absent from America for a whopping 34 years until veteran Onesti Entertainment concert promoter Ron Onesti pulled off an astonishing Arcada Theatre appearance in 2019, which found fans from flying in from all over the world.

History repeated itself when the “It Never Ends” Tour stopped by the very same venue as another Midwest exclusive, though the fact it even happened at all was downright miraculous considering it came a little over a month since 70-year-old front man Michael Sadler survived “an urgent, high-risk, multi-organ, open surgical procedure” following a rare and aggressive muscle-invasive cancer diagnosis.

The spirit of resilience was certainly in the air as the courageous leader, who paced himself accordingly and still demonstrated substantial might, fellow co-founder/keyboardist Jim Gilmour and the current traveling cast tore through the classics, especially when it came to the breakout “Worlds Apart” album (think a cross between Rush in ‘80s and the harder side of Styx).

“Ice Nice” introduced the 90-minute set with a chilling combination of theatrical vocals, eerie keyboards and a steam engine of a rhythm section that could only be described as Saga, followed by the synth-spiked “Careful Where You Step” tapping deeper into a colossal wall of sound.

Although it was really just beginning, “It Never Ends” assured the dedicated audience it would be a finely turned overview, further enhanced by melodic gems “Framed,” “Conversations,” “Amnesia” and “On The Loose,” each accompanied by a video wall filled by intriguing graphics and the group’s giant logo.

In spite of the title to “Tired World (Chapter 6),” Saga was downright exhilarating during its delivery, plus “The Pitchman” was filled with more instrumental pyrotechnics and set the tone for the musical master class “Don’t Be Late (Chapter 2).”

“Wind Him Up” was an epic, albeit single song encore, worthy of shaking any stadium while making the Arcada feel extremely fortunate for the up close experience that once again went well against the odds.

For additional information on Saga, visit SagaGen.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at the Arcada Theatre include Great White and Slaughter (Oct. 18); Free Fallin (Oct. 19); Micky Dolenz (Oct. 20); Badfinger (Oct. 24); Taj Farrant (Oct. 25); The Beat Goes On (Oct. 26); The Gatlin Brothers (Oct. 27); Sabbath (Oct. 31); The Phil Collins Experience (Nov. 2); The Rascals (Nov. 7); W.A.S.P. (Nov. 8-9); Ruf Records 30th Anniversary Celebration (Nov. 10); Zebra (Nov. 15); John Waite (Nov. 16); Daybreak (Nov. 17); Kenny G (Nov. 20); Wishbone Ash (Nov. 22); The Sweet and The Babys (Nov. 23); Rockin’ The House For St. Jude (Nov. 24); The Last Waltz (Nov. 24); Concert For George (Nov. 25) and Allman Betts Family Revival (Nov. 30). For additional details, visit ArcadaLive.com.

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