Post by MeemanI went to see the band "Turn it on Again" tonight at the Keswick Theater
outside Philadelphia doing the Encore Tour show of 1982. I gotta say it was
very very impressive. The singer Marc L ??? who I've seen a couple of times
with the Musical Box has Phil Collins down cold. So much so that it's kinda
strange.
I was also there. I drove 5 hours to see it. I have to say, totally
honestly - watching these guys is like watching Genesis for real. I
mean, it's down pat. This was better than the Musical Box, and I like
Gabriel era about 200% more than Collins era.. and SEBTP is my
favorite album! Yet I still think TIOA's concert was better and felt
more "authentic" in a strange way.
Don't get me wrong, TMB was just incredible for me but the lead singer
didn't do it for me well enough, even though he did a great job (his
french accent leaking through the speaking parts kept ruining it for
me). I really enjoyed the hell out of their show, though, and felt
like I had a great experience.
However, with TIOA I actually kept thinking I was at a real Genesis
show. I know that sounds really cliche but it is the damn truth. I
still think right now that I went to see Genesis and not a cover
band. But there is no denying it, the effect was so powerful I got
lost in it even though I went in knowing full well that this was just
a cover band. I think the effect is bolstered by Martin's singing AND
speaking voice being so damn close to Phil Collins it's spooky. It's
not his real voice but his impression is so close it's scary.
They do it like Musical Box, they pretend it is actually 1982, they
are 'in character' the entire time and are wearing similar clothes to
what they wore at the time. Martin Levac has young Phil Collins down
100%. It is, frankly, quite amazing. The musicians are spot on, too,
the music is really incredible and refreshingly loud as heck.
The other thing was the audience was really excitable and into the
whole magic of the thing, but weren't "in the way" of the concert.
Since it was a small venue, the audience was mostly in check (sitting
down and being relatively quieter than other concerts), you could hear
the music so clearly. Imagine not having the monster audience
screaming in your ears and being able to concentrate on and enjoy the
music.
Yes, their 'mike' and 'chester' don't look a thing like the real ones
did, but the other ones were passable, and Martin Levac looks really
close to Phil. I was in the middle of the theater and I would look at
Martin and think "wow, he looks like Phil Collins". After the first
song we moved to the rear of the theater (not that far back, the
Keswick is only as long as a movie theater) because of the tall people
in front of us. We moved to an entirely empty row and the effect was
rock solid - from back there that guy looked and sounded exactly so
much like Phil Collins I thought it was him until I stopped listening
and actually remembered where and when I was.
My only complaint is since they were doing the encore tour they didn't
have firth of fifth, but they had lots of other great things I liked,
including an almost 100% awesome Phil version of Supper's Ready. I
won't even complain about the technical difficulties during the "In
the Cage" medley because they handled it incredibly well. Great if
you are like me, you like the prog of the early days, don't mind the
first few Collins albums, but have a wife/girlfriend that likes 80s
Genesis. We both had a great time.
I think they are the new 'The Musical Box', but for 1982 instead of
1973. I think they deserve the title and comparison.