LIVE OVER EUROPE 2007

Announced first as a classic line-up reunion, it ended up the Collins-era line-up that reformed. It was also announced that this would be Midget Collins' last tour, this prompting epithets like the Retirement or Pension Fund Tour. Of course it's easy to criticize, but given the absence of new studio album, this felt like The Police's commercial stint, although the latter hasn't yet exploited that tour in terms of live album or DVD. Not really wanting to participate to this kind of exploitation, I voluntarily skipped the tour and only borrowed this from the library and I swear not to copy it. Coming with an impressive booklet showing just how monumental the stageshow was, it only confirms me that I did well to skip that tour (the structure looks like The Stones' Urban Jungle or Steel Wheels tour stage. Whatever.. Right?? BTW, there is an hilarious picture of Collins holding drum sticks and his look halfway between wonder (WTF are these??) and anger (they swore I wouldn't have to touch drums when I signed) and hunger (he's gonna use those to eat Chris Squire'sChinese food), while some amused roadie is looking on.

Track list-wise, I suppose it actually resembled their set, Si I can't say I missed much either, although they open up on a duo from their last worthy (I'm in a good mood so far) album, Duke. However the next two tracks are showing just how insulting Phil thought of godd or fitting drumming and while he's out front, I pity poor Chester playing this binary almost trisomic beat.

Things of course get a bit better with In The Cage, but I can't see how first hour fans can be happy with this simplified version as it becomes a travesty to include a few Cinema Show solos .and end on Duke again. Apart a few semi-interesting tracks, and concert mainstays like Afterglow and Home By The Sea (an elongated version), the first disc is mostly a bore until it reaches its end where Firth and Wardrobe, the former is indeed interesting because Struemer or Rutherford indeed apply a different solo to the Hackettian affair, although relying on the normal landmarks. The flipside includes the gentle Ripples and absolutely delightful Carpet Crawlers as an encore/closer, the absolutely hateful Domino Tonight and Throwing It All away (Could you please??? ;o))), before the usual drum extravaganza, which by now has become more than a cliché, but apparently they drummed up their stools (that would make two stooges for two stools) before moving to the drumkit.(next time they will drum with the stools to make a wink to Spinal tap) and Los Endos

Why did I bother to rent and review this, you ask?? Well I'm a little short on albums I can safely give one star rating after objectively reviewing it and this made a pretty safe bet. Mission accomplished. A totally useless album if you own their other Live albums. You might want to try the GVG to get the images.. Hey there's an idea for another one-star rating.