Phil Collins - Live And Loose In Paris
Performance 
Production 
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Phil Collins - Live And Loose In Paris
Performance |
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Like many of us who have enjoyed Phil Collins' since his days as drummer and backup vocalist for the 1970s era Genesis, through his reign as lead vocalist of the 80s and 90s era Genesis, and during his successful solo career, it has often been frustrating for me to watch or listen to most of his more recent (post-1990) offerings. He has gone from fronting one of the greatest progressive rock bands of all time, to a solo career that has increasingly produced mostly simple, fluffy, pop songs. Fortunately, mixed amongst these movie soundtrack and top-forty tunes are a few great songs, and that is what makes Phil Collins always worth checking out. Live And Loose In Paris was recorded in 1997 and shows Phil in fine form fronting an excellent band. He and his band, which featured a horn section and backup singers, along with the usual suspects, Daryl Stuermer (guitar) and Nathan East (bass), were full of energy and high spirits this particular night. The concert has an "in the round" stage setup and the excellent light show and camera work made it look phenomenal. Phil and the band seemed extra determined to put on an exciting show, maybe because it was being filmed for DVD. There was a lot of running around the stage, laughing, and improvising which pleased the crowd and made it fun to watch. The show started on a high note, with a spotlight following Phil down a flight of arena stairs as he descended towards the stage while chanting an African inspired intro to "Hand In Hand". The African flavored version of this song sounded fantastic, and it made me remember the sites and sounds from my vacation at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. (Hey, I couldn't afford the real Africa). The song selection for the rest of this show was not the greatest. I would have preferred more selections from Phil's first two CD's such as "I Don't Care Anymore", or "I Missed Again". This concert stuck mostly with the lighter, more upbeat tunes, with the exception of a few depressing ballads such as "Against All Odds" and "Separate Lives". The audio quality was excellent, although it was mixed in 5.0 surround instead of the usual 5.1. I don't know why this was done, but it didn't significantly detract from the sound quality other than having a lower middle speaker output, and less bottom end. The surround mix effectively used the rear channels to broadcast the percussion and horn instruments, and the audience sounds were spread across all channels. It really sounded like you were in the audience if you closed your eyes. The video quality was exceptionally clear and sharp, but there were some noticeable pixelization problems. The light show was excellent and really enhanced the "in the round" experience. It was some of the best stage lighting I have ever seen for this type of show. The camera angles and editing were also first rate. The director chose to shoot most of the camera angels from a medium distance from the stage which captured most or all of the stage show in each shot. This created a great live vibe, making you feel like you were sitting in the audience watching Phil run around in circles. Overall, If you are a fan of Phil's hit singles and newer songs, you will love this concert. The songs are performed with fresh arrangements and the band puts on an outstanding show with the material at hand. If you prefer Phil's darker, more progressive side, you may be a little disappointed with this particular show. You won't find any extended drum duels with Chester Thompson here. Reviewed by Paul M. Roy - July 2004 |
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Set List |
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Running Time: 88 Minutes |
DVD Release Date - May 2003 |