Date: Fri, 27 Feb 2004 13:09:56 -0500 From: Bill Fox <>
Subject: Musical Box
Greetings, I went out last night with some friends to a concert. But my EMUSIC
radio show airs on Thursday at 11:04 pm. I solved the conflict by prerecording
my show and having a friend play the tape. Not knowing what time I'd arrive
home, I never expected to hear myself on the radio the way everyone else hears
me. What a strange feeling! BTW, the concert that drew me away from EMUSIC was
The Musical Box, a Genesis tribute band. They did a show from the Selling
England By the Pound tour. They put me into instant gratification space by
starting with Watcher of the Skies. And it only got better from there. They had
the set, slides, light show, costumes, and music perfectly recreated! The singer
had Peter's manerisms and between-song stories, a recreation you must see if
you're a fan of early prog. If you never saw Peter Gabriel-era Genesis, you
still can by catching the Musical Box in concert. And they have none of the
technical difficulties that Genesis experienced. Oh yes, the FOH mixer does a
great job and at a reasonable volume level.
From: "Grant Penton"
<>
Can I get in a plug for the MUSICAL BOX? The best classic Genesis cover band, everyone
should see 'em-
From: "Robertson, Scott"
<>
For those of us who were not fortunate enough to catch Genesis in the early years, there
is an alternative. As Grant Penton mentioned, The Musical Box is quite an experience. For
those who may not be aware, The Musical Box is for lack of better terms, a
"Tribute" band for Genesis. The biggest point to make is that they completely
replicate Genesis concerts. From the stage design, to lighting, to PG's costuming and
gestures...all the way through has been painstakingly reproduced from actual films of
Genesis performances. The musicianship is incredibly accurate. The equipment is the
original models so that the sound can be accurately reproduced. Even PG's dialog between
songs is replicated. Two weeks ago, I trekked from Cincinnati to Montreal to catch their
final performance of "Selling England" tour. I still have yet to put the
experience to words. For the first time hearing Watcher of the Skies, Supper's Ready and
Firth of Fifth live was incredible. It was very difficult to remind myself that this was
not Genesis playing. After a 15 hour drive, a 4 hour detention at Canadian Customs (a long
story, but legal), it was worth it just to see/hear The Musical Box. Their Web site is
x. Catch them if you can! They revived a lot of memories of the early Genesis years
and brought back to me some of the "Progressive" music that I had been lacking.
From: Rob <>
>Their website is great, but in major need of an update...they have no dates listed
after Spring '98. Anyone know if they're planning to hit the USA this year?
They didn't perform any shows between Spring '98 and their final Selling England show
on 14 November in Montreal, as far as I know. Having retired their entire repertoire, they
are either no longer a band or are working on a Lamb show.... personally I couldn't care
less what a show looks like as long as they play something from my record collection
really well, but I do regret having missed TMB because they did play early Genesis really
well.
From: joelkru@aol.com I've just returned from Montreal after having seen both Saturday evening performances of Genesis' "Selling England By The Pound" by The Musical Box. IMO, quite an odd experience. I drove up from Connecticut with some friends. While Waiting in line we ran into folks who had flown in from Indiana and California. These guys have some serious fans. (They don't perfrom very often.) It's one thing to see a tribute band who plays a particular band's music. It's quite another to see a group of people present what ends up being a theatrical re-creation of an actual Genesis concert. Every note was in place, the set was identical to the original, and the gentleman who "played" Peter Gabriel, other than being of a slightly heavier build than the slim Gabriel of the time in his black jumpsuit, was quite fascinating. Not only did he sound like PG of that era, including the surreal stories between the songs, but he bore quite the resemblence to him facially as well. I still have reservations about why a show of this type exists at all. Granted, I truely enjoyed hearing this music live, particularly the breathtaking "Watcher Of The Skies" which opened the show, but there was something scratching around at the back of my mind which would not let me transcend the fact that these folks, for all their facility, were not Genesis. Then again, this is about as close as anyone could actually being able to experience a classic band such as this live. (Genesismania?) They even gave out promotional CDs which feature live tracks from their shows in November of '98. Is it real or is it Generex?
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