When word leaked out that Genesis was reforming, speculation as to which lineup
was slated to come back was rampant all over fan web sites and message boards.
Most hoped for a full-scale Genesis reunion with the classic early ’70s lineup
— Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford, Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett.
In fact, Collins said during an April 2006 radio interview that the five had
met to discuss the possibility of getting back together.
The actual reunion that took place featured only Rutherford, Banks and Collins,
the combination responsible for Genesis’ commercial success of the ’80s
and early ’90s. Now, after wrapping a massively successful worldwide tour, Genesis
rolls the dice with When In Rome 2007, a triple DVD packed
full of goodies and extras that fans of any of the lineups will feel like they’ve
died and gone to heaven.
The first two discs capture an entire two and half hour concert filmed before
a half-million people in Rome on July 14, 2007 with veteran director David Mallet
calling the shots. Hits like “Land Of Confusion” and “Turn
It On Again” pepper the evening’s set list, but Banks, Collins and
Rutherford (along with guitarist Darryl Steurmer and drummer Chester Thompson)
also stroll down Memory Lane to revisit early 70s pieces such as “Los
Endos” and “Carpet Crawlers.” The stage production includes
an incredible light show (a Genesis trademark), fireworks, and the largest LCD
screen ever used at a concert, spanning nearly 210 feet.
I could do without the audience participation numbers, which find Collins working
the crowd like Mick Jagger and falling flat on his face. For as great a singer
as Collins is, he doesn’t quite cut the figure of a charismatic frontman,
especially when making those impish, Mr. Magoo faces. Fortunately, his in-between-song
raps Italian and solid drumming keeps him in good stead with the Italians.
Along with the concert, When In Rome 2007 includes photo galleries,
deleted scenes, rehearsal footage, and photographic reproductions of tour programs.
The third disc contains Come Rain Or Shine, a documentary filmed by
Anthony Mathile covering the entire 2007 tour — from the planning stages
in 2006 to the show in Rome. You also get all the juice, be it Collins’
percussional refinements culminating with the lost art of stool drumming to
up-to-the-last minute timing issues with the video. In the end, as the band
finishes up a few rain-soaked evening sets, the date in Rome looms over the
horizon, a peak performance of one of the decade’s most anticipated tours.
~ Shawn Perry
