LIVE IN JAPAN 2002

This is a real treat, what an amazing music from Italian progrock legend PFM, featuring three original members. Some hair was lost or has become grey but the band sounds very inspired and so virtuosic! PFM plays 25 songs including strong and exciting renditions from 'classics' like La Carozza Di Hans", Photos Of Ghosts", "Dove .. Quando", "Il Banchetto", "Mr 9 Till 5", "E Festa" (aka "Celebration") and "La Luna Nuova" (aka "Four Holes In The Ground"). Lots of outstanding soli on piano, acoustic - and electric guitar, keyboards and violin (special guest Lucio Fabbri). Some tracks from the later, more commercial era sound a bit polished but in general this DVD delivers outstanding progrock (the Japanese fans go wild, what a perfect atmosphere) from the best Italian progrock band ever. GREAT!

It's a remarkable video representation concerning their return in Japan: therefore this latter country alone has always been appreciating such beloved Italian progressive bands - including of course PFM- for many years in the seventies and afterwards (still regarding of some other Italian bands like BMS, Balletto di Bronzo, etc.); so - by thinking of the period concerning for instance the famous concerts of ELP with PFM- whose constant mutual collaboration moreover had already been generated in the American and Japan Tour by ELP, I'm quite excited also about the whole DVD!! PFM supported ELP during the Chocolate Kings Tour for example and the present gig sometimes reminds me of those incredible years!!

Instead, coming back to the concert filmed in Kawasaky, I'm not completely satisfied about a few takes filming them on stage in some further moments, especially talking about the scenes concerning their instrumental interplays, being not so much in evidence. But after all it's a minor defect, above all if you consider the happy choice concerning a good amount of immortal songs: in fact you can find some classics within, like for instance "La Luna Nuova", "La Carrozza di Hans" and even the ever-green ballad entitled "Impressioni di Settembre". Certainly the production is pretty good and besides - as PFM nowadays is a simple pop rock band, in spite of enriching sometimes their stuff by means of some electronic and experimental moods, it seems to be lacking their old inspiration. As a matter of fact you could remain a little bit disappointed about them, yet They are always conscious of their role, as important musicians whose impact live (in particular in this place) is reasonably powerful!! Moreover their huge experience let them play all their tunes enthusiastically, even though sometimes the guitar solos by Mussida are performed with an uneven execution. at the end never mind, cause the output of the whole opera is surprising!!

Important recent live witnessing another remarkable reunion!!

The best music dvd I´ve ever seen! Great sound and picture quality. Great production/editing/camera work. Great music - a fine selection of old PFM masterpieces mixed with a few less known songs which works fine in this context + a few solo/jam numbers. Impressive musicianship/artistry! And it lasts for more than two hours!

I can´t see how a music dvd could get any better than this!

I just received this dvd and just watched and all I can say is WOW!These guys are not human, they are angels in disguise! This is how all live concerts should be like. The songs are all excellent, most of them from the 70s era (the best). The playing is awesome and the renditions are accurate and the complexity of the arrangements is performed with mind-blowing accuracy. Too bad the flute is absent but the presence of the violin makes up for it. If you like early King Crimson, Jethro Tull, Yes and Gentle Giant then BUY IT NOW!!

What do you expect to see a live performance from a band who was successful in the past and not present anymore with new albums? Usually, you might see the performance is very disappointing because they can no longer perform their old tunes wonderfully. But, that's not the case with PREMIATA FORNERIA MARCONI (PFM). Their performance - recorded live on May 12th, 2002 at Club Citta in Kawasaki, Japan - is really awesome and a gem that any prog rock fan, especially those who love PFM in the past, must see this DVD.

The video starts with applaud from the crowd welcoming members of the band come up on stage. The show kicks off with La Carozza Di Hans, a very dynamic composition that blends various styles with changing tempos. All musicians perform their role marvelously. Franco Mussida takes a position at front with his guitar while performing lead vocal in alternate with Flavio Premoli who sits with his keyboard at right wing of the stage (crowd view). Patrick Djivas (bass) stands at Mussida's right and Lucio Fabbri (violin) stands at leftmost wing of the stage, close to Djivas. The band's energetic drummer Franz Di Cioccio plays his drum set with passion and energy and he becomes the key attraction of the show. Excellent opener.

What truly amazes me is when the band performs River of Life, my all-time favorite PFM track. The track starts off wonderfully with perfect acoustic guitar work by Mussida. The combination of keyboard, acoustic guitar and violin work during intro part is really fabulous. Mussida changes his guitar to electric one and sings the song with his heart. He seems too old but his voice is really powerful and transparent. I especially enjoy the part in the middle of the track where Djivas plays his bass guitar solo combined with guitar and keyboard. It's really cool. The song itself is very melodic and composed with symphonic nuance. Great composition and flawless performance! Photos Of Ghosts continues the show featuring great violin solo by Lucio Fabbri. Those of you who are familiar with this song will be amazed seeing the band performs this song on stage as it is delivered lively and better than the original studio version. Fabbri also plays acoustic guitar during this song. At track 5, Peninsula, Cioccio takes the microphone continued with Japanese speaking words by Mussida.

Overall, it's a masterpiece live concert DVD. Anyone who is curious about prog must have this set! Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

If anyone has read my reviews, they'll know that I'm a fan of PFM (PREMIATA FORNERIA MARCONI). However until now I had never bothered to check out the DVD "Live In Japan 2002". Big mistake. What a fantastic set (more than two hours of music) and a well-produced video. Watching it really makes me wish I had been in the audience. The filming is slick, and the audio and video quality are top notch.

Fans of early PFM will not be disappointed, as the old favourites -- plus a few numbers from later albums "Chocolate Kings", "Jet Lag", "Suonare Suonare" and "Serendipity" -- are included and played with gusto. In fact, the enthusiasm of the group is delightful. Di Cioccio (drums & vocals) and Mussida (guitars & vocals) certainly look their age but, boy, do they deliver, as do Premoli (keyboards & vocals) and Djivas (bass & vocals, and recorder on Dolcissima Maria).

I'm not normally a fan of live improvisations as they are often below par, but in this concert I find the various improvisations enjoyable, especially Premoli's on the Roland piano as I'm a keyboard fan.

Guest musicians Lucio Fabbri (violin, keyboards & guitar) and Piero Monteresi (drums) meld well with the other group members. The group all look relaxed and are evidently enjoying themselves. They never look bored and do all the pieces justice even though they have played them countless times in the past. In fact the relaxed nature gives some of the tracks a nice, jazzy laid-back feel.

The 1980 album "Suonare Suonare" is not rated as highly by fans as the early albums but I like it, even if it is more commercial sounding, and the rather laid-back renderings here of 'Suonare Suonare' and 'Maestro Della Voce' are real foot-tappers, with the silver-haired Mussida grooving on the guitar.

Di Cioccio's drumming is impressive and he also does an excellent job fronting the group, announcing the songs and musicians, and singing with much gusto when he temporarily gives up the drums to Monteresi. He belts out the songs, scats, gesticulates and prances with much energy, his drumsticks tucked into his belt in front and behind.

If you are already a fan of PFM then I strongly doubt this DVD will disappoint you. And if you're new to PFM and enjoy symphonic Progressive Rock and live music, this should impress you. OK the guys are getting on in years but, believe me, they play a mean live set and the musicianship is evident.

As far as videos of Progressive Rock concerts go, this must rank amongst the best, and I find it difficult to fault it. Purists might complain that the Anglicised versions of some of the early songs are performed, but they work well on stage in my opinion. And the group mixes the two languages anyway on a couple of the tracks, so both camps should be pleased. Perhaps the lead vocals are not quite what they used to be, perhaps a flute would have been nice (but Premoli and Fabbri do a good job with the keyboards and violin in its place). But, to my mind, these are all quibbles. Watching and listening to this makes me want to jump for joy, so five stars it is. Highly recommended.

Having already got the 2 disc CD version buying this DVD was a bit of a luxury. However I enjoyed the Piazza Del Campo DVD so much I thought I'd add this to my collection. Pardon me if I make some comparisons between the two performances.

So, my thoughts.

The sound is excellent (better than Piazza I think, particularly Franco's guitar being higher in the mix). The musicianship is just stunning. I love watching these guys play!

In general I think they feed off an audience's energy and the Japanese seemed a little restrained. So maybe it's just a little less energetic than the Piazza show.

Franz Di Coccio is more prominent in front of the drums in this collection, but actually does a really good job. None of the slightly embarassing audience participation stuff that mars the Piazza show.

The set selection is great. A mix of material from their back catalogue, including "Chocolate Kings" and "Jet Lag"

If I remember rightly I gave Piazza Del Campo 4 stars and balancing the pros v cons of each I have to give this slightly higher because of the audiovisual quality plus the strength and length of the set.

Round it up to 5 stars

So, you say you want to kick back and watch an incredible symphonic concert without all the ridiculous and nasty visual effects so many are infected with these days? Well look no further my friends.

To be short and sweet, this is one of the most fabulous live prog experiences you are going to find anywhere. Incredibly beautiful Italian symphonic prog rock delivered with perfect sound and video, virtuoso performances, and lots of it. PFM seem to defy the logic that the old prog giants can't get it right anymore. Based on this DVD and on the recent Stati CD, it is clear that PFM are like fine wine, getting better with age. From their classic songs and passionate performances it seems they have taken only wisdom and grace from their advancing age. Unlike some of their peers they seem to avoid the trap of trying to be all things to all people, or trying to please the record company by being trendy again to gain sales.

Instead you get a simple and unbelievably good presentation of fine music that anyone will fall in love with. Beautiful expressive acoustic and electric guitar, stunning e-violin, nice piano, solid bass and drums, and warm vocals. Most of the vocals are in Italian thankfully, but they do a few numbers in English as well.

An essential view for any lover of symphonic progressive rock. I just can't imagine any fans of the genre not digging this DVD, it's that good.

My introduction to this band was a live album back in the '70's. I lost track of them in the '80's but was really thrilled when I found a live in 2002 CD back in 2003. Didn't even occur to me to see if there was a DVD, which a got my hands, eyes, and ears on, until recently. This is both a treat for those already acquainted with the band as well as a great introduction for those who aren't. One of the best prog band from the '70's making a comeback in the '00's you can get.

Franz Di Cioccio, Franco Mussida, and Flavio Premoli are back on vocals/drums/percussions, guitars/vocals, and keyboards/vocals respectively. Patrick Djivas provides some great bass work. Lucio Fabbri shows his talents very well on violin, keyboard, guitar, and backing vocals. Piero Monteresi takes over drumming duties quite nicely when Di Cioccio takes center stage.

It's one thing to hear a great band play in person, but being able to actually see and revisit a performance you couldn't have attended, so well filmed and recorded is much better for me. Over two hours of concert music, they really played their butts off. Plus thirteen minutes of bonus (non-concert) footage backed by new music. I don't usually rate live shows as essential, but will have to make an exception in this case.

A very nice collection of old material, some new jams and improvisations, but what's up with Franz sticking all those drumsticks in his pants?

PFM - Live in Japan (2002)

Is it really impossible to revive that seventies magic nowadays? This dvd shows a group of very talented musicians playing mainly music from their progressive zenith live. The tracklisting is almost like a dream for fans of the band. And though I can much faults in the performence, I must admit I really did not enjoy this show. I love the musicianship, but I just dislike the sound and sterile performance of the band. The sound of the dvd isn't optimal, the amplification of the band isn't optimal and the crowd's cheering sounds as if it were recorded from a cell phone. What went wrong? I myself thing the sound was recorded directly from the main mix table. This excludes those who listen to the dvd from the live experience, because the sound was recorded BEFORE it was live. Furthermore the vocals are a bit dissapointing.

But hey, I'm a bit to negative here. These compositions are phenomonal and the band even manages to play songs like Mr. 9 Till 5 very good. The guitars and vocals of Franco Mussida are very good and his acoustic solo (derived from the opening section of Jet Lag) is amazing. The electric violin of Lucio Fabbri has it's great moments and rhythmical section is strong. And again, the tracklisting is real treat. I just missed some spark here an there and I disliked the recording. Perhaps PFM deserves a better and more professional dvd recording, something like David Gilmour's dvd's.

Conclusion. Great tracklisting, but the sound-quality and performance of the band is lacking greatness (except for the excellen guitar playing throughout). Three stars. A warmth recommendation to all fans of the band.

Having the chance to watch to this concert video for the first time gave me some additional views about this release, because I reviewed the CD version of this concert ten years ago (!).

Three original members of the band (Franz Di Cioccio, Franco Mussida, Flavio Premoli) and a long time member (Patrick Djivas, playing with the band since 1974) appear together in this video which was recorded in Japan in May 2002. Also appearing with them are multi-instumentalist Lucio Fabbri (a member of the band during the eighties, and appearing with the band as guest in this video) and drummer Piero Monterisi.

This concert video is very good, with the band playing very well mostly songs from their best period (the seventies), plus three songs from their 'Suonare Suonare' album from 1980 (the title track of that album, 'Maestro Della Voce' and 'Si Puo Fare') and one song from their 'Serendipity' album from 2000 ('La Rivoluzione'). Most parts of the concert are really very good for my taste, playing the songs with a lot of energy and feeling, with all the members of the band playing very well, and with some visual interactions and smiles between the musicians, giving the impression that they were enjoying playing in the concert very much. Most of the lead vocals and interaction with the audience are done by Di Cioccio, (with Monterisi playing the drums while Di Cioccio sings at the front of the stage), giving a very 'dynamic' and enthusiastic performance, with him smiling, dancing and moving around the stage playing percussion and / or carrying the mic stand. Other lead vocals on other songs were done by Mussida and Premoli. But after 'Dolcissima Maria' is played (with Djivas playing a bit of soprano recorder in that song, remembering a bit former original member Mauro Pagani, who played flute and violin with the band until he left them in 1976), for me the concert begins to be less interesting (and a bit boring), with the band playing long versions of 'Maestro Della Voce' and 'Si Puo Fare', playing a lot of improvisations in these two Pop Rock songs from the eighties (their less interesting period for my taste). After this, the band plays 'Mr. 9 to 5', in a very good version, but after this, the band starts again to improvise a lot (from 'Scary Light' to 'Tokyo Violin Jam - Part Two') with only some parts of 'Alta Loma 5 Till 9' being interesting for my taste. Fortunately, the band recovers the 'inspiration' very well to play three very good songs as Encores ('Impressioni Di Settembre', 'E Festa ' Celebration' and 'La Luna Nuova - Four Holes In The Ground'), bringing the concert to a very good end.

It was very good to have this line-up of the band playing together for some years (from 1997 until 2005 when Premoli left the band again). As I mentioned before, all the members play very well. Fabbri really has a lot of work in some songs, with him playing violin, rhythm guitar and keyboards (all in a same song!) plus also singing some backing vocals. The band appears playing really as a team, doing very good arrangements to the songs (particularly by Fabbri and Premoli on keyboards), and giving space to each other, sounding like they rehearsed a lot and with a lot of experience as musicians. Di Cioccio really works very well as lead singer and communicator with the audience and with the other musicians.

The recording and mixing of the sound are very good, and the camera angles and editing of the video are also very good.

In general, this is a very good concert video.