|
Venue: Royal Albert Hall, London Date: Sat 1st June 2002
Set list: Watcher Of The Skies, Dancing With The Moonlit Knight, Cinema Show, I Know What I Like, The Musical Box, Horizons, The Battle Of Epping Forest, Firth Of Fifth, Supper's Ready, encores: The Knife, Firth
Of Fifth (reprise).
The Musical Box are a French Canadian band who perform music from the early seventies, Gabriel era of Genesis.
They comprise Denis Gagne on lead vocals, flute and percussion; Denis Champoux on guitars; Guillaum Couteau on drums, percussion & backing vox; Sebastien Lamothe on bass, rhythm & acoustic guitars and Francois Richard on keyboards and 12 string acoustic guitar. In essence, they are tribute band who have recreated the early Genesis stage shows - in this case the 'Selling England By The Pound' tour circa 1974.
Tribute bands in general always create something of a debate. It is, on one hand extremely frustrating for the younger original groups of today who have to struggle to get noticed and have to play lousy venues
like the Mean Fiddler in London, while a bunch of pretenders can sell out the Albert Hall by impersonating a band from 30 years ago. One problem seems to be that many fans of 70's classic rock are just NOT
interested in seeking out any new music which is a great shame.
On the other hand, there is a huge demand for this kind of thing and providing it is done well then I have no problem with it. After all Genesis are virtually no more; Gabriel is never going to re-join the
group, and even if he did they would never set about recreating this period of the group's music or stage show. Also, if it's ok for classical musicians to recreate music from the past ... why not for rock
musicians too?
Guitarist Denis Champoux began a warm up slot with some solo classical guitar pieces, some of which I didn't recognise, but I think some were Steve Hackett solo tracks and Steve Howe's 'Mood For A Day' was also
included. After a few numbers, a violinist joined Denis on stage and they played a few more pieces including the Dixie Dregs number 'Little Kids' which was a real treat for me (was I the only one to recognise it?).
Afterwards, during the interval, listening to Mike Oldfield, Yes and Gentle Giant on the house p.a. I got to thinking that maybe we really had travelled back to 1974 .... then it was time for the Musical Box to take
to the stage - to eager applause.
The four musicians came on first, donning and getting comfortable with their instruments.
As Denis Gagne appeared dressed as Peter Gabriel in full makeup, cloak and 'batwing' headgear there seemed to be something of a collective awestruck gasp as the opening chords of 'Watcher Of The Skies' began.
From the start I was pretty much spellbound, and with every song the audience appreciation for the show grew louder and more excited. It became immediately obvious that this was not just a band standing on
stage playing Genesis songs.
The Musical Box have worked on every detail - not just the authentic sound; but the makeup and costumes, the stage set, slide show and lighting; all of it looks just like pictures of the real thing from all those years ago...
Every song was, of course, a classic but the actual performance of 'The Musical Box' itself was an absolute stunner.
Denis Gagne as Gabriel had the audience entralled as he sang and acted out the song wearing the 'old man' mask which was incredibly powerful and got a huge response from the crowd.
'Supper's Ready' was another spectacular high with the humour of the 'Willow Farm' section contrasting perfectly with the climax of the closing section as indoor fireworks, both real and sensory, leapt from the stage
and this was met by a standing ovation.
After a powerful rendition of 'The Knife' for an encore, the band announced that they had a very special guest to join them on stage. Of course we had all been wondering if any of Genesis were there and the
audience erupted again as Steve Hackett walked on with his shiny black Les Paul guitar in hand.
The band launched into 'Firth Of Fifth' once again, but this time with the man himself playing that timeless spine tingling solo in all its majestic glory...
The Musical Box have brought early Genesis music back to life in a way that I had never thought possible. Visually and musically stunning, this was a very special and emotional concert that I feel very lucky to
have witnessed.
Steve
|
