Last year I witnessed the A Genesis Extravaganza Vol. 1-version by this awesome Genesis tribute band. They blew away the crowd (a sold out house, lots of 50+ males) with their show. I have seen The Musical Box, founded in 1993 in Canada, 7 or 8 times and "never a dull moment!". In comparison with 2018, the 2019 setlist was without songs from The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (1974) because they planned to dedicate a show to this album in 2020. This resulted in a bit more focus on A Trick Of The Tail (1976) and Wind & Wuthering (1976). As an encore they played the ultimate symphonic rock epic Supper's Ready, which they didn't perform last year.
The tracks varied slightly from 2018, like the strong and dynamic opener Eleventh Earl Of Mar and the more mellow

The Musical Box on stage in 2018

songs Ripples and Entangled which were embellished with wonderful work on 12-string acoustic guitar and keyboards (from piano to Mellotron). A nice surprise was the track Down And Out from ...And Then There Were Three... (1978), one of the few genuine prog moments on that album. The final track from set 1 was Los Endos including an exciting version of the Boeing landing lights, what a magical experience and what a perfect blend of prog and visuals.

After the series of W&W and ATOTT compositions in set 1, the band presented tracks from the 1970-1974 era in the second set. The long and varied Stagnation showcased Genesis as the pivotal and captivating early seventies progressive blend of rock, folk and classical. Thanks to TMB we can experience how it was to watch Genesis in those days. What an adventurous music! More great prog with the renditions of Firth Of Fifth (awesome piano intro and electric guitar solo, with sustain, goose bumps!) and Cinema Show: excellent interplay and powerful job by the drummer who really loves to imitate Phil Collins. I loved to hear the distinctive ARP Pro Soloist synthesizer flights.
Halfway during the 'classic' The Musical Box the singer appeared on stage with the legendary fox head and red dress from the Foxtrot cover. Mindblowing prog, performed so inspired and skilled! The long encore Supper's Ready was played without the usual Peter Gabriel masks, but TMB delivered an outstanding version with a beautiful and very subtle lightshow. And what a compelling closing section with the singer holding high the microphone stand in a small green spotlight, as a symbol that Good has beaten Evil, for 'a New Jerusalem'. Goose bumps again.

So next year TMB performs TLLDOB, I hope to be there again, what a splendid and memorable prog evening, a big hand for The Musical Box!!

Erik Neuteboom

P.S.: the picture is from 2018, because it was not allowed to take pictures, also not with mobiles.

Setlist:

Set 1:
Eleventh Earl of Mar
Dance on a Volcano
Entangled
Down and Out
...In That Quiet Earth / Robbery, Assault and Battery / Wot Gorilla?
Ripples
Los Endos
Set 2:
The Fountain of Salmacis
Stagnation
Can-Utility and the Coastliners
Looking for Someone
Firth of Fifth
The Cinema Show
Aisle of Plenty
The Musical Box
Encore:
Supper's Ready