… where butterflies sing …

Two nights in Düsseldorf. Differing experiences from (almost) the same show

Many a thing or indeed everything has been said about the sound, the lights and the screenshow. Having sat in the Sparkassen area the first night and having stood in the front area the second night, I can confirm that the sound in the standing area is a lot better than on the grandstands. More powerfull and without echoes – though it could have been a tad louder. The lights and the screenshow were as innovative again – as almost ever with Genesis. I hardly dare think about what would happen if the ideas of the trio were bundled with Peter Gabriel’s. It would probably lead to a sensory overload in the highest degree.
While they seemed to just want to get the show done on the first night the band added life and energy to it on the second night. It certainly appeared to be “a special day” for Phil Collins in particular because of the live broadcast to cinemas in the United Kingdom, Spain and Sweden. I think it was noticable in the whole band. They had more fun playing and they had more interaction with the audience. It would have bugged the band that not everything went absolutely right (a screen failure during In The Cage as well as Follow You Follow Me going completely off the track) – but is not that the special attraction of the concert that makes the musicians appear all the more human?
Everybody in the audience will have experienced and enjoyed the show in their own special way. On both days I only had contented and enthusiastic people of all ages around me. Some of them bravely endured Hold On My Heart while others remained loyal during Afterglow and Ripples. Sharp tongues claim, though, that more people needed first aid during the first songs… Pre-show and post-show meetings with folks from the fanclub were a pleasant addition to the whole thing.
What remains, though, is the desire for more. Perhaps the well-aged gentlemen see it the same way. Perhaps then there will be another old man who sings the songs from a land in which butterflies and birds sing and where a girl plays crocquet, who tells us the story of the five rivers or takes us into the world of poisonous large weeds. And if it all becomes most wonderful he may even tell us the story of a lamb lost in the city.
After all, dear Phil Collins, the carpet crawlers are very, very special to us, too…

(by udo)

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 28th, 2007 at 8:00 am and is filed under Genesis: Notes from the Road. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.