MARILLION’S BARE-BONES ‘PROG’ ROCK

Ever wonder what the classic “progressive” rock of the ‘70s would have been like stripped of the theatrics of Genesis and the symphonic pretensions of Yes? Without those often-criticized elements, Marillion seemed a bit flat Saturday, opening its two-night engagement at the Roxy. Still, the British quintet’s L.A. debut left no doubt that it’s the heir to the “prog” crown as it presented nearly two hours of lengthy suites (and suites within suites) replete with shifting time signatures and serious expositions on alienation and meaning.

Of its predecessors, Marillion bears closest resemblance to early Genesis, thanks largely to singer Fish’s Peter Gabriel-like voice. Refreshingly, though, Marillion staked its own ground, numbering love and romance (the hit “Kayleigh”) among its Important Topics and refraining from tedious soloing. Fish, a large, sturdy Scotsman, even flashed a winning sense of humor between songs (and in the choice of encore, Chubby Checker’s “Let’s Twist Again”). Now if that could just be incorporated into the music. . . .