In the past I saw several Genesis tribute bands performing complete versions of The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (1974). Bands as The Musical Box and ReGenesis succeeded very well in performing those magical moments of the seventies on stage. People who had missed Peter Gabriel performing his role as Rael got a second chance this way. However, many devotees of progressive rock neither witnessed Genesis nor a tribute band performing the music of this masterpiece. For those people I have some good news, because they now can watch a fine version of this stunning show. Genesis Project, a Dutch Genesis tribute band performed the integral live versions of The Lamb... in 2011 and filmed it for a DVD-release. Unfortunately I missed these shows and thus I was very pleased with the release of The Lamb Live In Gigant. This DVD features the complete show plus the encores played at Gigant, Apeldoorn on March 25, 2011. The band already released Genesis Project - Live In Boerderij (2002) and Genesis Project & Awaken - Live In Boerderij (2005). These were both good DVDs. However, their latest is without doubt their best so far. The brilliant sound and the professional camera work make this DVD a must have for anyone who calls himself a Genesis-fan. The performance of this double concept album is just excellent. Singer Roland van der Horst gives a faithful impression of the way Peter Gabriel has performed Rael's role. He perfectly sings the vocal lines while wearing the same kind of leather coat. Sure, he doesn't sing exactly like Gabriel, but he tries hard to be his twin brother. Unfortunately he didn't wear the same kind of make-up as you can see at the slides projected during the show nor did he play the flute. Those parts were played on the keyboards by Ebert Zwart, who could have been a good replacement for Tony Banks if Genesis would ever decide to play without him. The way Zwart played the keyboards and the acoustic guitar was high-levelled, but this can also be said about his fellow-musicians. They all made it possible that the music came pretty close to the original version. The visuals looked very professional too, just like the props they used for the encores like the batwing and the robe for Watcher Of The Skies and the old man's mask for The Musical Box. The films to visualize the story contained the band's own interpretation of the original slide show. Van der Horst, who's also the singer and guitarist of Dutch prog band Mangrove, took his role during the songs seriously and he acted just the way Peter Gabriel did at the time. Unfortunately he didn't act as a slipperman during the performance of The Colony Of Slippermen. I suppose it was too difficult to make a costume similar to the one Gabriel used. Apart from that all band members and all the people involved can be proud of what they achieved on The Lamb Live In Gigant. This registration and some additional footage shot at Metropool in Hengelo, is a fine alternative for people who never saw the original performance. Therefore this DVD is highly recommended to all Genesis addicts and devotees of prog rock from the seventies. Well done, indeed! **** Henri Strik (edited by Peter Willemsen) Where to buy? |
