STAGE

Having witnessed the Montreal Le Medley July 7th concert of this tour in the lazy, hazy summer of 2005, which was new drummer Andy Edwards debut gig (talk about pressure!), this DVD turned out to be a perennial memento of a concert that ultimately exceeded my expectations. What IQ fans already knew and I was to discover, is the genuine passion the musicians have for their craft and the devotion they display to their fans, the reverse adulation worldwide that was definitely something to behold. My appreciation for IQ grew immensely that fateful night and with this DVD, it will just keep on growing. The Stage package contains two similar yet dissimilar concerts with different venues, crowds and reactions but with almost the same set list. They are both noteworthy but for the sake of eliminating repetition, I will stay with the NearFest experience. While Holmes and Orford supplied the massive melodic lines with undeniable audacity and Andy Edwards was pounding fiercely in his showcase debut tour, I was blown away by John Jowitt's flowing bass mastery and his startling stage personality. It is so refreshing to see a grown man enjoy playing for/with a crowd, constantly grimacing, smiling, prancing and posing, as if he was having the time of his life. As for stellar frontman Peter Nicholls' sympathetic so typically British demeanor, he not only can sing but also has an evident hold over the fans, in the finest Fish/Gabriel/ Wilson tradition. With such an upbeat crew, how can this not be a momentous experience? From the sacrosanct opener "Sacred Sound", with its gargantuan delivery, blasting forward without any restraint, purveying a melody that grabs the attention and admiration tout de suite, you just know this is gonna be some ride! The whole concert is just one long pleasure cruise, with luxuriant islands of sound bathed with the smoothest synthesizers and breeziest guitars, the prog ship steered by helmsmen Jowitt & Edwards, under the watchful microphone of Captain Nicholls. Just like being at the show, the momentum flows on unabated with the vertiginous "Leap of Faith", the sparkling "Born Brilliant", the solemn "The 7th House", a kick ass drum solo that rocked the house, the grandiose"Widow's Peak", the penetrating "Guiding Light", the truly magnificent epic "Harvest of Souls" which is arguably IQ's crowning achievement and a trio of encores: the resilient "Awake & Nervous", the middle section of the eerie "The Last Human Gateway" and the rousing "The Wake". Beautiful show, amazing DVD with gorgeous packaging, everything exuding that typical British class. 5 Nicholls.