In 2009, the Italian progressive rock band The Watch performed some live shows in The Netherlands which they called The Watch Plays Genesis Yellow Show. These special shows focused on the albums Trespass (1970) and Nursery Cryme (1971). I witnessed one of these gigs at venue De Pul in Uden (see review) which I enjoyed very much! When I found out that they would do this show again I wasn't that much interested at first, because I had seen them perform Genesis-songs from that period many times. However, when I read that they would slightly change the formula by playing material from the post-Gabriel era containing the best tracks of A Trick of The Tail (1975) and Wind and Wuthering (1976), I became interested again. After all both albums are true masterpieces! The Watch even made me curious after they had written: have you ever wondered how those Genesis albums would have sounded if Peter Gabriel hadn't left the band? Now I was sure that I wanted to see this revisited Yellow Show. The Dru Fabriek in Ulft seemed to be the best option, because the Dutch formation ENorm was also booked as support act.

Marathon (by ENorm)

In September 2011, I already had the pleasure to witness a concert by ENorm. During their organized Nazomer Open Air (Late Summer Open Air) festival (see review), I had a good time, especially when they

Ronald (L) and Eric ten Bos

performed the old Marathon material, that brought back many fine memories. The band really impressed me at the time. This time Marathon started their set with Horizon, High Above and Widow, three songs that are not recorded by the band. These pieces lacked progressive rock elements although the two ballads Horizon and Widow sounded very good and proved that they used to be a prog rock band. Ozone Layer was the first old Marathon-favourite that brought me in a good mood. Next was the ultimate Marathon piece Patters Of The Landscape featuring a marvellous guitar solo by Ronald ten Bos. After this amazing piece lead singer Eric ten Bos pointed at his brother saying proudly: 'mio fratello', which is Italian for 'my brother'. Well, he surely had a reason to be proud, because Ronald still knows how to play a melodic guitar solo that grabs you by the throat. Not only Ronald ten Bos delivered a great achievement, but I have to give all band members a big compliment. The way they performed their songs is of an international level and they certainly deserved it to be support act for The Watch! A special mention for Zoe, an impressive song dedicated to a young relative who died in a car accident several years ago. The band ended their set in style with Beyond The Veil, an epic piece just like most prog heads love to hear. Before they started, Eric ten Bos asked the audience to step forward. By doing so he gave them a beer shower, a gimmick that most people in the audience accepted with a smile...

The Watch

The Watch had divided the concert into two different sets. The first one started with two songs taken from their back catalogue: The Watch and Goddess. After that they had welcomed the audience in Dutch (!) it was time for what most people came for: listening to fine renditions of Genesis-songs from the early years of this famous British band. Well, perhaps I've seen them perform songs like Looking For Someone, The Fountain Of Salmacis and The Return Of The Giant Hogweed too often, because I noticed that I was less enthusiastic than I would normally be. After the show more people told me they felt the same. Could it be that playing these songs had become a routine for the musicians..? Who knows! In spite of that I have to say that they still did a great job by playing these wonderful songs almost

Simone Rossetti

similar compared to the original versions. It was also good to hear how lead singer Simone Rossetti announced Let Us Now Make Love and The Musical Box in the Dutch language.

The opening tune of the second set was Something Wrong, a self-written song that transformed into a spectacular ending by inserting the strong instrumental part of Entangled. Now for the first time I felt the spark that I missed during the first set. This spark even became a flame when they performed a superb version of Dance On A Volcano. For the first time Rossetti sounded as if Peter Gabriel never had left Genesis in 1974. During the tracks Down And Out/All In A Mouse's Night, Eleventh Earl Of Mar and One For The Vine it was as if Peter Gabriel sang the vocal parts of Phil Collins. While playing these songs Rossetti occasionally played the flute parts that were originally played by the keyboards. This certainly added something extra to the already excellently performed Genesis-covers.

There was no need for the audience to cheer and applause that long since the band quickly returned for the encores. The first one was a medley of The Fisherman and an excerpt of Supper's Ready. This is something they also did during previous concerts: starting with a piece of their own followed by a well-known Genesis-track. The last encore wasn't a surprise either, because they did The Knife already before as a final encore! Again the audience could take note of the fact that The Watch are one of the few bands that are able to copy the music of Genesis perfectly! I don't know if they have become richer and more famous since the last time they visited our country, but fact is that they were no longer travelling by bus, but by plane, as Mr. Rossetti said during his usual funny Dutch chat! 

Henri Strik (edited by Peter Willemsen)