AND NOW EVERYBODY TO THE STAGE

I really didn´t know what to expect from this DVD. After all it came on the heels of a (relatively) disappointing CD (Believe) and the band, with a established line up for 20 years, lost one of their most celebrated members, drummer Fudge Smith. To top that they had released in 2001 one of the best neo prog DVDs ever, Live At Last. Could they face those challenges and still come up with something extra to offer?

Fortunately they did. The overall quality of this DVD is superior: better stage, bigger audience, more cameras, very good photography and editing. The only major let-down is the keyboards sounds that are mixed too low. Still,at least on the Believe songs, they are more prominent here then in the studio, which is plus. Besides I´m really glad to say that the Believe stuff works far better live than on CD.

After a pinkfloydian intro (a flick that reminds me of Floyd´s Take It Back) the band hits the stage with power and passion. Their stage movements are much more fluid and natural than on Live At Last and this is more so of Nick Barrett. Nick´s voice is definitely not in his prime, but he makes that up by doing some great interpretation of the repertoire. He definitely never sounded or appeared so natural and convincing on stage (watch Am I Really Losing You, the concert´s final number).

Newcomer Joe Crabtree may not have Smith´s charisma, but he´s got the chops. The guy bashes his drum kit all the way through the show and does a fine job, injecting an extra punch to the group´s performance. He is really good and you don´t miss Smith as much as I thought. In fact, by the end of the DVD I found myself not missing him at all.

Sure I´d like to have some more old songs included here and some others already available on Live At Last deleted, but you really can´t satisfy everyone. However I´m pleased they included Kowtow (from the much maligned album) and a superb version of The Black Knight. I only wish they played Sister Bluebird in full, instead of only a verse in a medley of Not Of This World songs during the encore.

Conclusion: a great DVD by a great band. An excellent companion for the Live At Last DVD and a must have for any neo prog fan. Highly recommended!

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