The Last Domino? Tour: a Blu-Ray will NOT happen

Dear all:

First of all, all respect to the one(s) deciding that London shows (or any others) will not be filmed (may be neither recorded). Those are their shows and it´s their decision.

There is no need to say the huge number of fans around the world behind Genesis full story. And that most likely, this is their last tour, the last time to see them play together.

All 3 Tony, Phil and Mike have decided to go out to road and tour again, even when Phil´s condition is not as used to be. All fans attending to the shows could/can find out.

So, if the reason for not recording & filming the shows is Phil´s condition/voice, why are they touring again ?

I went to both Leeds shows 2.021 and those were different from 2.007 shows, but still amazing. And I´ll be in London on the 26th.

All of us, the fans, deserve to have an official recording of what will be "the last time".

We´ve given our fidelity to all Genesis family up to now. And Genesis family should pay us back with the release (cd, dvd/bluray or download of a show) of what likely will be their musical epilogue. We deserve it.

I´d like that this message could be forwarded to the ones who have the final decision. Hopefully, they´re still on time to change and to consider to most of the fan´s wishes, arranging a beautiful filming of the last 1, 2 or 3 concerts of an immense musical career.

Thanks very much.

Quote from Schrottrocker

Having no recordings made has to be a Mike Rutherford decision.

Quote from FeelItComing

Why?

Yes I wondered why that would be as well! I'd imagine the three of them and Smith would've come to this decision.

On a tangent, I'm reminded of a comment by PC, I can't remember where from: "Genesis is a democracy. A democracy in which you do what Tony Banks says." I'm sure he was of course joking despite TB's reputation.

Quote from fernando

All of us, the fans, deserve to have an official recording of what will be "the last time".

We´ve given our fidelity to all Genesis family up to now. And Genesis family should pay us back with the release (cd, dvd/bluray or download of a show) of what likely will be their musical epilogue. We deserve it.

Eh, that sounds very entitled. As disappointing as it seems, they owe us NOTHING.

QTE

Eh, that sounds very entitled. As disappointing as it seems, they owe us NOTHING.

UQTE

Of course they owe us NOTHING because we owe them NOTHING. What I meant is that, after so many years, they could have a gesture with us.

As many of have commented on other threads, the experience of this tour in-person is better than watching the videos. In-person the energy of the crowd, the sensory overload of the visuals, the volume and power of the music, all of these combine to make the experience worthwhile.

Watching the videos on a screen at home or at work, the flaws start becoming more prominent, especially on repeat viewings. You notice when Phil flubs a line or can't hit a higher note with authority. You notice when Nic's drumming is very good, but lacks the extra layer of finesse or complexity that Chester or Phil brought in earlier tours.

My guess is that the members of the band probably know this too - that their performances are still meaningful in the live context, but this is not the tour to save for posterity. Better that the fans can instead watch them in their performing prime. I can understand that and might probably have made the same decision if I were in their situation.

If they were somehow "embarrased" by the current state of their performances, I doubt they would have authorized that recent pre-tour documentary of rehearsals.

Quote from Dr. John

As many of have commented on other threads, the experience of this tour in-person is better than watching the videos. In-person the energy of the crowd, the sensory overload of the visuals, the volume and power of the music, all of these combine to make the experience worthwhile.

Watching the videos on a screen at home or at work, the flaws start becoming more prominent, especially on repeat viewings. You notice when Phil flubs a line or can't hit a higher note with authority. You notice when Nic's drumming is very good, but lacks the extra layer of finesse or complexity that Chester or Phil brought in earlier tours.

My guess is that the members of the band probably know this too - that their performances are still meaningful in the live context, but this is not the tour to save for posterity. Better that the fans can instead watch them in their performing prime. I can understand that and might probably have made the same decision if I were in their situation.

Spot on. 'When In Rome' captures the later years peak, in my view. And I think the whole band recognises this.

Nevertheless, so grateful that they have given us this final 'in the moment' live experience as a last hurrah, even without an official video memento.

I could accept that there won't be a blu ray for the current tour if the band would put out a blu ray of the When in Rome tour. When Steve can produce a high quality blu ray for each of his tours, Genesis do a disservice to fans by not upgrading the 2007 concert DVD.

Quote from KeithC

I could accept that there won't be a blu ray for the current tour if the band would put out a blu ray of the When in Rome tour.

Yes indeed - I have yet to hear any good reason why this was never released in the first place.

We know the hi-def version exists so it just feels like a massive disservice to fans that it still isn't available. It's not like Tony Smith to pass up a golden opportunity for another pension fund top up.

When In Rome was released right in the middle of a high definition format war between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD. I think the story at the time was, they didn't want to choose between the two and go through the expense of releasing it on a "dead format" (which is what HD-DVD ultimately became).

Also, in the US at least, there was an exclusive deal with Walmart to carry the dvd. Can they even re-release it on Blu-Ray at other retailers now? Has enough time passed? Not sure what the arrangement is.

Supposedly the record company decided there wasn't sufficient demand for a blu ray in 2008, yet hundreds of thousands of people saw the tour and surely a significant proportion of fans would have wanted a souvenir in the highest A/V quality, since then costs have reduced. I don't know how many Steve sells but it is obviously worthwhile putting them out. What we have instead is a blu ray of Sum Of The Parts, which cannot have sold in any quantity as it was poorly received and with low rewatchability.

The When in Rome concert had great visuals and a top making of documentary. Although I prefer the 1970s songs, it had a good career spanning setlist to appeal to both old and newer fans. Also, depending on the film format, it might even suit a 4k release.

I think there's a good case for them re-releasing When In Rome on Blu-Ray because Pink Floyd restored and re-released the concerts from the A Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour and The Division Bell Tour as well. I hope Genesis would do the same thing with When In Rome, besides I've got an ad in my DVD copy saying they will be releasing it on Blu-Ray

Quote from JDH

I think there's a good case for them re-releasing When In Rome on Blu-Ray because Pink Floyd restored and re-released the concerts from the A Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour and The Division Bell Tour as well. I hope Genesis would do the same thing with When In Rome, besides I've got an ad in my DVD copy saying they will be releasing it on Blu-Ray

"Deliciate Sound Of Thunder" needed major restoration. The concert was originally shot on 35mm film, and yet the VHS that came out in the late 80s looked like total garbage. They totally restored and re-edited the entire thing a couple years ago, and it's a vast improvement.

For "Pulse", they also recently re-edited, but the new version didn't improve much. They couldn't upgrade the picture very much as it was shot on standard definition tapes. The new version is redundant.

If "When In Rome" ever finally gets a Blu-Ray, they don't need to do much. It was already shot in high definition and was edited well. They could just release it, as-is. Hopefully in 4K too.

Again, I think maybe the issue holding it back was the exclusive deal with Walmart stores (in the US). I don't know if that was just for a set period of time or if it's permanent.

When Rush played the R40 (final) concert in their hometown of Toronto, it was filmed and later released as a Blu-Ray or DVD.

Perhaps it was all planned but at the time, the tour was not announced as a farewell tour but as a retirement from the road. The idea was that the band would still exist but only in the studio but nobody knew or anticipated the shocking news of Neil Peart's passing early 2020. So that Blu-Ray had even more significance.

Can you tell the similarities here? Genesis will now play their hometown maybe for the final time and even if the tour has a question mark, with all 3 members into their mid seventies and Phil being so frail, to film those concerts would be not only welcome by everyone (specially those who missed out like Australia) but would be a way for Genesis to say thank you to the fans who supported them for more than 50 years.

Quote from raeltheduke

Can you tell the similarities here? Genesis will now play their hometown maybe for the final time and even if the tour has a question mark, with all 3 members into their mid seventies and Phil being so frail, to film those concerts would be not only welcome by everyone (specially those who missed out like Australia) but would be a way for Genesis to say thank you to the fans who supported them for more than 50 years.

I dont think its possible to improve on what Dr.John said further back on this thread as an answer to your question. I would imagine that Rush were still able to put on a show that would bare close scrutiny when their last show was recorded.

As I have said on here before, we are all hardcore fans. We might love such a Blu-Ray but for the man/woman in the street who might happen to see the disc in a shop one day and think "I used to like some of the Genesis hits" they might be disappointed to see Phil sat down and unable to reach many of the notes. All of which is overshadowed at a live performance but would not be a good look for posterity on a disc!

Aside from being a planned last tour, the R40 tour is very different from The Last Domino. As Rael mentioned above, Rush was still performing at a high level and so filming and releasing the show makes a lot of sense. When The Band quit performing in 1976, they similarly were doing so at a high level and we have the magic of The Last Waltz as a result. Genesis are performing OK, but nowhere near their previous level. So why would they want to preserve it for the fans? The fans can watch previous really amazing performances instead.

As much as it was lovely to hear Duchess this tour, if I want to hear/watch a live performance repeatedly I'll always go back to 3 Sides Live or the Duke tour videos. As much as it was poignant to hear a couple of verses of Fading Lights on this tour, nothing beats watching and listening to Tony, Mike, and Phil as a trio performing the whole thing from the The Way We Walk tour.

Quote from Dr. John

Genesis are performing OK, but nowhere near their previous level. So why would they want to preserve it for the fans?

Well, Genesis DID authorize a PBS documenary about the making of the tour, featuring early rehearsals when Phil was really struggling. (and that official DVD can be ordered during the PBS pledge drives).

If Genesis were so concerned about how they currently appear, they would never allow that special to see the light of day.

If they're okay with that documentary out there, "preserved for the fans"... then I see no reason why they can't release a video of a full finished show from this tour.

Plus, I'm not sure there's a big enough market for concert dvds now, outside of dedicated fans - taking into account production costs etc.

They're not doing it; end of story. (Literally).

Quote from Christian

It's obviously not about concerns regarding the quality of the performance. They simply never thought about it. They have done it in the past - quite often actually - and maybe we are a bit looking at it with thoughts about how Steve Hackett does it in mind.

Genesis only did a new compilation for this tour, no extras, nothing. They don't want to.

I don' think "we look at it with thoughts about how Steve Hackett does it in mind".

We love Genesis ("we really do"...) and many of us cannot reach for a show in presence, like those from Italy like me...

So we'd only like to watch the concert. Don't tell me Youtube is enough...

As for Genesis "don't want to"... why? Musical business? Ah yes, money: this is a good reason...

I think it is a very questionable reason, not very appreciable for someone who has had so much.

Ciao