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Concert Review
Live at The Theatre Of The Living Arts
Philadelphia, Pa.
April 5, 2002
 Mixed
among the slew of tribute bands dedicated to recreating a particular artist’s or
group’s sound and visual experience is The Musical Box, a Canadian band which has
been presenting the 1973 Genesis tour of “Selling England By The Pound” since 1993,
and more recently “The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway”. The
current line up of musicians include Denis Gagne’ on vocals, percussions and flute
as Peter Gabriel, Denis Champoux on guitars as Stephen Hackett, Se’bastien Lamothe
on bass guitar and pedals, guitar and vocals as Michael Rutherford, Francois Richard
on keyboards, guitar and vocals as Tony Banks, and Guillaume Courteau on drums,
percussions and vocals as Phil Collins.
 My excitement at learning that The Musical Box was returning to the
Philadelphia area was tempered somewhat by the news that they would be performing
the “Selling England” tour and not the “Lamb” tour, as I had seen this show five
years earlier. Nevertheless, I touted the show to an ever increasing contingent of
my Prog buddies and said “You have got to see this!”. For those of us who were
either too young and/or not yet into this new and unique form of Art Rock (I didn’t
see the real Genesis until the “Duke” tour, when the early stuff was already being
relegated to medley status), it is a chance to travel back in time and experience
the magic.
The playlist includes “Watcher of the Skies”,
“Dancing with the Moonlit Knight”, “Cinema Show”, “The Battle of Epping Forest”,
“Firth of Fifth”, “The Musical Box”, “I Know What I Like (In your Wardrobe)”,
“Horizons”, “Supper’s Ready”, and the encore “The Knife”.
 At this particular show, the mix was a bit uneven until about halfway through.
I had overheard later that the house crew was handling the sound and may not have
been quite up for the delicate nuances required of an early Genesis show. The
opening of “Watcher” should have started out with more punch (i.e. volume) to set
the tone, with Gagne’ standing eerily motionless in his batwing headdress and
luminescent eyeholes. Denis Gagne’ is a treat to watch as he mimics Gabriel’s moves
and extended rambling stories in between numbers, decked out in those bizarre
costumes.
The highlight for most (myself included) was the epic “Supper’s Ready”, and
this rendition did not disappoint. The difficulty of this music requires mastery of
the instruments they play, and these guys don’t miss a note. “Supper’s Ready” and
Arena’s CD “Songs from the Lion’s Cage” are two of my favorite pieces, mainly
because I think spirituality is one of the most emotionally charged subjects suited
for Progressive Rock.
The Musical Box carries the torch for early Genesis magnificently with their
attention to detail to lighting, sets, slides, costumes, and instruments. Hopefully
the “Lamb” tour will someday make it’s way to Philly before they pack it in. I’ll
be there.
Reviewed by: Rick Woodward
4/28/02
Visit the official The
Musical Box website
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