LIVE OVER EUROPE 2007

Well!; I was one of those fans at Twickeham Stadium for their concert in July. I had one of the best moments in my life when coming to concert experiences. Everything seemed perfect (apart from the lack of enthusiasm of part of the "older" audience, in which I include myself, in the first half of the gig). The sound, without being perfect, was powerful, the musicians at their peak, the stage was spectacular, etc...

For me the best reunion would have been with Gabriel and Hackett on board (impossible??). The second best thing would have been the 3-men line-up playing only the proggiest moments (absolutely impossible). So the next best thing was this. I was afraid of Genesis performing only the 80's-90's poppy songs, and I thought that that would have been a mistake. They did the "correct" thing with the set list, which is included in this CD. They mix the old and the "less old" in a very good fashion. It flows really well.

I agree with the previous reviewer in every point: the slower pace in some songs (the introduction is a perfect example, and it's a shame, being one of the most energetic instrumental pieces in their catalogue), the sound of the guitars is way too low (especially in the first songs), and the band performs some songs in a lower key.

Having said that I have to say I'm quite pleased with this release. Agreed, again, about not being a good idea mixing different gigs in the same album. Twickeham was good enough to release it as a whole live CD (it's the only gig I went to). In my opinion the less satisfying part is the first 25 minutes. It's only when the "In the cage..." medley starts to climax when the music begins to be really interesting. And that's again a shame, 'cos the first songs, although being poppy and obvious choices, are very powerful songs in studio.

One thing that annoys me in late Genesis live is the tendency to simplify the drums. Some times one drum hit sounds as effective as the album original three or four. But it happens very often that they loose variety and subtlety economising so much. Maybe it's the trick of leaving the "complicated" parts for when Collins gets the sticks, to major effect, because I guess Chester Thompson is an enough accomplished drummer to play some of those parts without any problem.

Well, I think I've just done what I use to hate about reviews, which is to focus on the negative aspects. The truth is that this is a very good album, especially for those of us who attended one of those magical gigs. And, what it was most surprising for me is that, not only enjoyed, but I just LOVED their performs of such weak tracks (in my opinion) as "Invisible touch" and, especially, "Domino" (terrific with those lights effects). On CD they also sound "especial",... but the true magic was being there, after all.

Being there at the gig was 4.5 stars. The album is 3 or 3.5 stars. But,... What the heck!!!. It brings back so many good memories... I'll give it 4 stars. And I wouldn't recommend any live album for a beginner, but this one can be an exception.

PS: A good mix of "old and new", "poppy and proggy", but, being songs I like, "Hold on my heart" and "Throwing it all away" was when I went outside for a beer. He he!