If you are a Genesis fan, these last few years have been very exciting.Aside from getting the whole catalogue remastered with bonus DVDs (either in a box set or separate CDs) you also got a number of DVDs, some for the first time in that format.To add icing on the cake, the last reunion tour was filmed and that is exactly what you have here.This DVD is of the concert in Rome and it is one hell of a spectacle.The set list is quite extensive although I was surprised at some omissions.The band played songs from both the Gabriel-era and the hit machine, Collins-era.As you may imagine, most of the set was culled from their time when Collins moved forward to frontman but there is quite a bit from the more prog-era when Gabriel was at the mike stand.The show does a nice job of mixing the two very distinct styles by not focusing on any one album too much.Sure, you get the hits like “No Son Of Mine”, “Invisible Touch”, and “Turn It On Again” but you also get some less played tunes like “Afterglow” and “Ripples”.This DVD set captures all of the grand glory of this unbelievable show.Genesis has always been a visual band but they take it to a whole new level on that reunion tour.The stage does in fact dwarf the band a bit but it is such a multi-media extravaganza that any band would find themselves made small.The reason I call this a DVD set is because you get 3 DVDs with a ton of extras.The concert is on the first 2 DVDs and the third disc is a documentary on the whole “selection of shows” (if you watch this disc, you will get the joke in the quotes).The documentary is quite extensive and entertaining.You see just how much effort is put in the lighting and video and how much the band is involved in the process.If you thought that was all, you also get a lot of bonus material on the concert DVDs.You get extras in the form of the tour programme (in photo form) and some deleted scenes, but each song also has extras attached to them.Although those are not as interesting as the documentary, they are still worthy of a viewing.All in all, this is a fantastic document of the 2007 Genesis tour and no self respecting Genesis fan should be without this release.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2010 Volume 1 at lulu.com/strangesound.