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Hope you have all heard the happy news that there will be encore CDs of each show. I'm very pleased about this and will certainly be getting one or maybe two. Please could we use this thread for people to recommend the CDs from the shows you attend. Great setlist/ great performance etc. Clearly this would involve spoilers for those who don't want them, hence the the title. This would be much appreciated by a poor PG deprived Brit.

Good idea sculduggery!

Good news , I was hoping we might get this. I've got a set from 2003 and some others over the years and this years isn't a bad price $225 but $80 postage back to the uk is a bit steep. Might wait and see if the set list varies at all and then just hand pick a couple and see if we get a blu-ray/dvd at some point.

I wonder if postage would be less expensive if someone in the U.S. ordered the CDs and then sent them on to the UK. Some enterprising Lunatic might want to look into that. I pre-ordered the Quebec show so that I'd have the first one, as well as the show I'm attending in Los Angeles. It's such a great idea -- I'm surprised more artists don't take advantage of it.

Bump - don't forget to post your encore cd recommendations here - Quebec show sounds great - looking forward to more details of future shows. Thanks. I've also read a comment about the show being filmed. I would love to hear confirmation of this if anyone gets it.

Quebec was great. They tried to get The Tower That Ate People going but they had problems. Peter commented on it and it was funny. During In Your Eyes it was funny how he made Tony sing in his low voice 'In your eyes' and the crowd cheered. There were long cheers... everyone was quite happy to see Peter and his bandmates. I think the music was great. The drumming, the guitar, bass, etc. Peter's voice was in great shape. I was told some lyrics from Mercy Street might have been different and I seem to have noticed too but it probably just gave the song an interesting 'customization'. I haven't seen any evidence that they were filming. There were cameras of course but they were for the live feed shown on both screens at either sides. I don't think that would make DVD footage. IMHO Quebec is a good one to get. - First show therefore there might have been an extra 'edge' or 'spark' from everyone playing back together again after all these years. Peter did mention that this was the first time the original musicians played the entire album together. - Music and voice on top form - Technical anecdote(s) - Enthusiastic cheers from a typically overjoyed fanbase here in the province. Tomorrow in Montreal should be the same if not more due to the larger venue. Easy for me to say but I'll get both shows - it's a no brainer. In theory every show should be a 'collectible' item. A specific song played but not on most shows, an 'extra-chemistry / synergy' happening on any possible show. Great thread, great idea !

Thanks so much RealFan, a great read. Jealous!

Thanks ! Believe me I realize how lucky we are here in Quebec to have; a) the first concert, b) two concerts in two towns that are only a 2.5 hrs drive from one another. I read the newspaper articles from Quebec and David Sancious did an interview (a journalist met him during is 'stroll' around the colisée !! David said everyone in the band likes Quebec city very much. I saw Tony sitting at a Bistro on Monday while we were walking in the old city. They had two little white dogs. I took photos of him (trying to be discreet and not be impolite doing so). I didnt bother him for an autograph... This was a good enough 'souvenir'. Peter (and his band) seem to enjoy Quebec and we've always let him know that we appreciate him/them. Back in the Genesis days Montreal was always a very appreciative crowd. The whole 'progressive music' movement was always 'big' here in Quebec.

Bumpity bump!

So, we are well into the tour now. Anyone got any thoughts as to the best shows to order? I have picked up from various comments that Red Rocks was a good one and the PG team have described both San Jose and Hollywood Bowl as being 'perfect' shows. Others have said though that the audience at San Jose wasn't as responsive. I would also favour a night where Humdrum was played over Washing of the Water. Anyone got any other thoughts?

Sculduggery -- this is such a fantastic idea, to collect some suggestions from lunatics who were there. (I'm sorry for you that you missed out on the tour, but am very hopeful for you that you'll be the first to hear him when he returns from his year of interesting things). Anyway, I can only suggest the shows that I have seen, but I do think that the one show is still fairly high on the "really good show" list of shows -- that is, Philly. I attended both Philly and Jones' Beach, NY and will attend VA. I know that I will be getting Philly (and although I would have most likely gotten it anyway, I really do believe it was a very, very good show). I think the band sounded great in NY also, but I'll most likely not buy it because I personally didn't think the crowd was as enthusiastic as the Philly show (at least not at all in my section) and also, PG had a lot of fuck-ups that night -- it was clearly visible that he was "working" hard to please the crowd and the crowd in front of him just didn't respond in return. I always smile when I hear the first fuck-up, I like the Gabrielese, but honestly didn't enjoy it that night (sorry PG if you read this) because it was sorta upsetting to know that everyone was playing so well and working so hard but couldn't get the crowd to live up to it. So, in the end, I'll buy Philly and hopefully VA. I will also probably get one of the shows from CA since it has the set change in it. Good luck with making your choice. No matter what you buy, you're sure to enjoy it! Kind regards,

I second Pat. Out of the three shows I went to Philly, Boston and NY , Philly by far sounded the best. Boston and New York were good but it didn't sound as sweet. Boston sounded off to me but It could be because I was tired or heard things differently since I wasn't on the floor. I'll let you know about the Connecticut show. The band will probably be tighter but I don't think the crowd will give them that extra umph. But who knows I could be pleasantly surprised.

In regards to my last comment, I'm really talking about the feel of the crowd. PG and the band always sound good as far as I'm concerned. Sometimes the crowd can give that extra excitement that can really show through. I really felt that in Philly. How it comes out on CD I'm uncertain. Why I'm considering the whole set though is I'm curious about that new song. Did it develop more throughout the tour or did it stay the same? If it developed that would be really cool.

Red Rocks was a great show, as it seems they all have been. I'm curious to hear how the recording sound quality turns out since it's Red Rocks. It was a sold out show though, and the crowd was into it... which sounds like hasn't been the case at every show unfortunately. People were up for all the up tempo songs. Digging, Secret World, and the Tower that Ate People were all really sharp I thought. And the crowd was really into Sledgehammer, Don't Give Up, etc obviously. Humdrum was not played at this show though, if that's a deal breaker. I can see why PG's team didn't mention it as a perfect show. Peter did flub OBUT at the beginning and restarted it. It was funny. But otherwise there weren't too many mistakes. The piece of cloth in the helix didn't drop properly after Tower, and there was light rain during the last three songs. So it wasn't "perfect" but it had good energy. I think everyone on stage was excited to play Red Rocks.

Hi kids, long time lurker, here. This thread is great, I'm thinking of getting something in addition to the show we saw. Would like to know what recording would be best to choose. We were at San Jose. Plus: Hum Drum. Minuses: I swear there was something off about Solsbury Hill. I actually turned to my husband during the show and said -- something is off. It was a very much a Tuesday night high tech crowd. Not much engagement from the audience. Which, if you live here, and are familiar with the kind of insane work demands that a lot of people live with around here -- this isn't surprising. I think folks who don't work in the valley -- can be a bit miffed that people might be too busy checking their email during a concert to sing along. But a lot of the people I was sitting around seemed a pretty tired and distracted, no doubt because it was a week day concert.

Hi Ann! Nice to see you come out of the shadows. I was at Hollywood, and the big plus for me was Washing of the Water. Minus? No Humdrum. Solisbury Hill was amazing, so if you want a live copy of that, I'd definitely get the Hollywood Bowl Encore.

San Diego was fantastic! We didn't get 'Washing of the Water' but he played 'Humdrum'. The crowd energy was high and everybody on stage was ON! The arrangements made it obvious that the whole "orchestral" project helped to strip back the songs, re-imagine and re-energize them. Everything sounded fresh. The whole show flowed flawlessly. Easy to say, they exceeded our expectations! After a few years of more mellow "new blood" performances, PG is back in force! If this is an indicator of a new sound direction, I'm excited!

Anyone know why Santa Barbra was dropped from the Encore Series?

Official annoucement says "due to venue restrictions" ...

I would highly recommend the Red Rocks show. PG and his band gave an incredible performance, and PG noted that it was maybe the most beautiful arena. As someone noted earlier, it was sold out -- so there was high energy on both sides, the band and the audience.