Genesis -
The Way We Walk
(Live In Concert)
Performance
Production
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Genesis -
The Way We Walk
Performance
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If you are a Genesis fan who loves the Invisible Touch and We Can't Dance albums, then this DVD will be your holy grail. The Way We Walk was filmed at London’s Earls Court, in 1992, and consists almost entirely of songs performed from those two mediocre albums. Invisible Touch, although a #1 selling, mega-hit for them, is probably my least favorite Genesis album. We Can't Dance was a slight improvement, but doesn't hold a candle to any of their great 1970's albums. Clearly, I am a much bigger fan of the Peter Gabriel-era, prog-dominated Genesis albums, compared to their Phil Collins-led 80's and 90's pop-rock dominated output, but I do still enjoy much of the Genesis and We Can't Dance albums. You would not mistake me for the guy in the crowd yelling "play "Invisible Touch"...play "Tonight Tonight"!" - No...I would be that older guy yelling "PLAY "SQUONK"......PLAY "CINEMA SHOW"!", as all the teenagers look at me with puzzled expressions. Oh well, I guess I'll have to take what I can get. I was glad to see that the Mama Tour concert film was finally released on DVD, since this is a slightly more satisfying Genesis concert than The Way We Walk. At least it had "Abacab". I haven't seen the DVD version yet, so I can't comment on how the DVD transfer turned out. Is it too much to ask to have the Seconds Out tour released on DVD with a remastered DTS mix? IS IT? Yeah, I suppose it is. The Way We Walk is certainly not a bad DVD concert - actually it is quite good. I was just disappointed with the setlist. Of course I expect them to play several songs from their current album release, but why the overwhelming dominance of the late 80's and early 90's material, which just so happens to be their weakest stuff. Also, the "Old Medley" was almost a slap in the face to the old-timer Genesis fans. By far, the loudest crowd reaction was when Phil mentioned that they were going to play some "really old songs". Sorry but two minute snippets of classics like "Dance On A Volcano", and "The Music Box" just don't cut it for me Phil. It's like if the Rolling Stones only played post Tattoo You songs, and then put "Satisfaction" and "Gimme Shelter" into a frigging medley. Genesis should have dusted off at least three or four full versions of some of the 70's classics for their real fans. It's not like Collins, Rutherford, and Banks all joined the band in the 80's, after Gabriel and Hackett left. They were there at the beginning as well, which is why it is frustrating that they almost ignore that particular great era of their music. The concert starts off on a good note with an energetic performance of "Land Of Confusion", one of the better songs from the Invisible Touch album. This was followed by the two best songs from the We Can't Dance album, "No Son Of Mine", and "Driving The Last Spike", although I do love that silly, but damn catchy "Jesus He Knows Me", which they played later on. "Driving The Last Spike" was an impressive performance, one of the shows highlights actually, and this led nicely into the "Old Medley". It was a poor choice to put this medley so close to the beginning of the show. It was like they were trying to hurry up and get it over with so they could get back to the new stuff. I just don't get their thinking on that one. The next highlight of the show, for me, was the outstanding version of "Home By The Sea". This song and the whole Genesis album take me right back to my senior year in high school when I was on a bus headed to my pre-enlistment physical for my future career in the Navy. I had just bought this on cassette, and was jamming to it in my walkman on the way there. Those songs always bring me back to that pivotal moment in my life. Maybe that's why I never listen to it anymore. After a couple of pretty forgettable performances of "Hold On To My Heart" and "Domino", Phil took to his drum kit to show Chester Thompson that he could still pound those skins with the best of them. Their drum solos/duels are always impressive and fun to watch, and this night was no different. After a couple more forgettable performances of "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" and "Invisible Touch", they ended on a strong note with the classic "Turn It On Again". For a 1992 stadium concert recording, the production quality of this DVD was commendable. The video quality was especially good, as there was virtually no grain or noticeable problems such as artifacts. It could have been a little bit sharper, but it was better than most new concert recordings. The Genesis stage show was HUGE, I mean AC/DC HUGE, featuring three giant Jumbotron screens, hundreds of lights and lasers, and enough dry ice to choke a...um...er...Frenchman. That's all I could think of choking at the time. This extraordinary stadium concert experience was captured brilliantly by the camera and production crew. Multiple camera angles were used and each song was presented with four separate camera angles that the viewer could choose from. For instance, one song might typically feature the following four angles or something similar: 1) Main video, 2) Phil Collins angle, 3) Tony Banks angle, 4) wide-angle, full-stage shot. This was a remarkable feature and it was produced very well. It makes you wish that more DVD's had this option. The audio mix was good but it had some problems. The Dolby 5.1 mix sounded a little thin and too echoey. The bass channel was very weak and the guitar mix was very underwhelming. Genesis never was famous for their powerful guitar sound though, so maybe this wasn't a mistake. The drum mix actually sounded the best - very crisp and clear. The 5.1 surround sound improved some the more you turned up the volume. This brought out more separation of the instruments, which were getting buried at lower volumes, and you could almost imagine being at the stadium. The surround speakers projected some nice crowd noise and provided adequate ambience to simulate the live experience. The Dolby stereo mix was recorded at a much lower db level, but if you cranked it up enough, it actually had a little more punch to it than the surround mix, although you are sacrificing the enveloping live sound. It just depends on your personal preference. This was a good recording of a decent "new" Genesis concert. I am still waiting for the reunion tour with Gabriel, Collins, Rutherford, Banks, and Hackett, although I will not hold my breath. Gabriel doesn't even play any of his old Genesis tunes during his concerts. Was the period of Foxtrot and Selling England By The Pound really that bad of an experience? - because your new stuff certainly isn't that great dudes! Reviewed by Paul M. Roy - July 2004 |
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Set List |
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Running Time: 134 Minutes |
DVD Release Date - February 2002 |