PROGFEST 2000

This DVD features not the entire known French progrock band Mona Lisa but only their singer Dominique Le Guennec (he also plays flute), supported by the members of other French band Versailles. I have no problems with this because I have always been a fan of Versailles and on this DVD they did an excellent job, especially the guitarwork by the 'hippie-looking' Guillaume De La Pilière is mindblowing, this man knows to push the right buttons for guitar freaks who love Page and Blackmore! Keyboard player Alain De Lille delivers a wonderful keyboard sound, ranging from the spectacular Minimoog synthesizer and powerful Hammond organ to soaring strings and some majestic Mellotron waves. But the focus is on Dominque who is obviously influenced by Christian Decamps (Ange) and Peter Gabriel looking as his 'stage antics' like wearing a Pierrot costume, a 'The Musical Box old man outfit', a wedding robe with a devil's mask and lots of humorous and enthousiastic actings. The music is a dynamic and very exciting blend of rock, blues and symphonic rock with lots of great soli on keyboards and guitar, improvisations and spectacular shifting moods and breaks. After the concert the band got a standing ovation, I hope you wil try to discover why, what an overlooked DVD!