IQ20 - The Twentieth Anniversary Show, The Mean Fiddler, London 15.12.2001 (DVD)

After a wait of nearly three years, the IQ20 DVD is finally out, and it is well worth the wait indeed. This double disc set is packed with extras as well as the normal show on disc one. It is well filmed and is a nice presentation of the band at their awesome best, and has most of the classic songs that most of us all love and who have followed the band over twenty years ago.

From all of the shows I have attended, the familiar faces at the venues are all in the crowd, but now we have the luxury of seeing this over and over again. There is a review of this very show on this site, so there is not a lot more I can put into this review, but seeing and hearing The Last Human Gateway again is worth the price alone. There is a mixture of old and the then new songs from The Seventh House album, and older fans will enjoy songs like Just Changing Hands and Awake and Nervous spanning the band's history, and not forgetting guesting on some songs, former bassist Tim Esau.

So, disc one is the two hour set, disc two opens with the encores, which were Subterranea, Jet, Crazy Horses and The Wake. As a bonus, The Lens take up the next 20 minutes as they specially reformed for this night, and claimed IQ copied their songs!

Next, the intros and the outros features various images such as IQ Glam Boots and underwear you all wanted, but could never get! There is a nice tour dairy in Access All Areas featuring the behind the scenes look at sound checks, the lads relaxing, and having fun with the crew. The Cookie cam is just a peep at Paul Cook taking us through a live performance from a camera on his left hand side. After the quick stage set up feature, the Photo Gallery is next and includes pictures from long standing fans such as Sam Smyth and Mark Hughes. There is a nice mix of Capricorn playing whilst the photos skip by.

Closing the whole package is a short piece from this years tour Mamma Mia/Out of Nowhere filmed in Zaandam Holland.

Technical Aspects

Picture is very clear and well presented.  Great sound.

Package Features

Package is well presented with track listings, and special features listed too. Many photos behind the transparent disc holders, and on the inside cover. A year by year history from 1981-2001 is a welcomed sight too. 

The two DVD9 discs are in 4:3 screen format, PAL, universal region 0, and in Dolby Digital Stereo and 5:1.

Summary

This is a must for all IQ fans World-wide, and the special features are a big bonus. The four hour duration just passes you by, and it is a perfect start for anyone who has just discovered the band. A important item in the bands history.
 
Danny Mayo 
 
www.gep.co.uk/iq

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