WUTHERING NIGHTS: LIVE IN BIRMINGHAM

Steve Hackett is now a close family with most of the musicians being in the band for a long time. Only Nick Beggs is back after a few years of absence. This is the second released filmed in Birmingham, the crowd is already sold to Steve Hackett since the 70's. This concert is the celebration of 40 years of "Wind and Wuthering", so the band is performing for the first time "Eleventh Earl of Mar" and "One for THe Vine", plus some others tracks being played before. It would have been better to also include "All in a Mouse's Night". The surprise is to watch for the first time the song "Inside and Out" who was written during the "Wind and Wuthering" sessions". The first half of the show is Hackett solo stuff including tracks from the latest album. It seems that the visuals improve on each release with a nice light show, an excellent sound, and picture. But I can't understand why for the Genesis set in the second half the surround mix is inferior to the first half of the show? Not in terms of clarity but in the fact that guitar of Hackett who was spread out in the back in key moments at first is almost kept exclusively in the front for the second half. The performance of each musician is perfect with some added sax of Townsend and the new version of "Los Endos" that Hackett has adopted a long time ago. Personally, I would prefer to hear fewer Genesis songs and hear more of his solo stuff, but I guess the man and his staff know better than me what are the needs of their public who probably want to hear again as much as possible some Genesis material. So, this is another nice addition to your collection of Hackett releases and prepare for much more as long as Mr. Hackett continue to tour again.