Genesis: Setlist Manchester (July 7th, 2007)
unsurprisingly, no changes in Manchester:
Behind The Lines / Duke’s End
Turn It On Again
No Son Of Mine
Land Of Confusion
In The Cage / The Cinema Show / Duke’s Travels
Afterglow
Hold On My Heart
Home By The Sea / Second Home By The Sea
Follow You Follow Me
Firth Of Fifth / I Know What I Like
Mama
Ripples
Throwing It All Away
Domino
Drum Duet
Los Endos
Tonight Tonight Tonight
Invisible Touch
I Can’t Dance
The Carpet Crawlers
Reviews welcome!
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Photo by Steve Lane, more are available in the Photo Gallery here, more to follow
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July 8th, 2007 at 9:56 am
Polished as ever, loved the stool duet!! Judging by the age of the audience, I bet I’m not the only one who would gladly have swapped some of the rather cheesier singles in favour of a few album tracks. Still, it looked and sounded fabulous. Non-fans watching earlier on TV, will no doubt have been surprised to see Bob Hoskins on vocals and the ex-Prime Minister on keyboards!
July 8th, 2007 at 11:14 am
I am pretty sure the Manchester set list was different to what is published here. Wasn’t Carpert Crawlers was in the middle
July 8th, 2007 at 11:39 am
Just woke up after Manchester gig….
I had am amazing view - 12th row from the front directly in the centre of the stage, and best of all had managed to avoid any setlisting on the web, so everything was a total suprise.
The sound quality was just superb and the set backdrop fantastic. Overall I feel that it was the best possible set to keep ‘everyone happy’. Admitedly we could have had more ‘pre duke’ than ‘post duke’ but that’s the way it goes…
The band seemed less at ease with some of the old stuff, as it’s probably harder to play, and the (erm) ‘newer’ songs are much simpler musically to belt out.
A great night. The entire crowd loving it. There were people crying at the end.
It’s been raining all week across the whole of England, but last night the skies were clear!
Carpet Crawlers wasn’t in the middle as per the last posting on this thread - it was another (similar)
top-draw mid-period classic…. A real treat.
July 8th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
to Paul Raby:
No, Carpet Crawlers was at the end good ending and i saddened to say that i noticed ALOT of people walking out before the end of the set!!
i understand why, but i couldnt do that!!
July 8th, 2007 at 2:23 pm
Four of us travelled up from Wiltshire (we all live about 3 miles from Tony Banks’ place) to Manchester for the gig on Saturday. Two die hard Genesis fans, one - “I’d like to see them” and one young guy - his first ever concert but a big Genesis fan.
We had a suspicion that down at the lower levels the audience were getting a good sound and a good view but up in the gods at the back of the East Stand at Manchester the sound was not good and the view of the stage was cut off by the roof at a level just below the top of the oval side screens. You then had speakers and lights hanging from the roof right in front of the screens restricting the view even more. We would have loved to see the top 60 feet of the stage set including the pyro technics and the use of the cargo netting but it was not to be.
The sound was muddy and indistinct with way to much on the bottom end which tended to drown out the guitar and keyboards, the worst being Duke’s Travels which just sounded a mess. It also wasn’t lound enough up there as when the stand clapped along it tended to drown out the sound of the band.
Phil’s vocals were audible above the band but not clear and you could hardly understand what he was saying in the intro’s.
Sound was better on the quiter stuff but still indistinct. It seemed to improve on Home by the Sea but the consistent drum on Second Home by the Sea was way to loud and flooded out everything.
From then on there were occasions when the sound improved but most of the time the individual notes of Mike’s bass lines all ran together in a mush prompting the comment, “not very impressed with his new double neck!” You could just about hear Daryl’s solo on the Firth of Fifth. The drum duet, which is usualy really crisp and powerful was not clear ata all.
On a positive note the stage set and visuals were incredible and from what we could hear we could tell that the band were playing superbly and had not lost any of the old magic over the last 15 years but it would have been nice to hear that clearly and see the whole stage set.
The song choice of the set was superb and with an impressive running time of just under three hours.
On the whole after following Genesis since 1973 and seeing nearly all the tours, waiting 15 years since Earl’s Court 1972, travelling up from Wiltshire to Manchester and getting home at 4.00am, four of us spending £65.00 each on a ticket, £10.00 to park. £92.50 on car hire and fuel only to have a restricted view and a bad sound was to say the least dissapointing.
This is not directed against the band as they rely on the promoters to sell tickets and their own sound crews for the sound but these guys are supposed to be profesionals. Promoters ought to state on the ticket if the seat has a restricted view and sound engineers worth their salt ought to add extra speakers arrays to cover bad spots and then check they provide quality sound coverage for the entire audience.
Rant over - they’re still the best band in the world. I’ve ordered the “off the desk” encore CD so I can hear what it should have sounded like and what Phil actually said, and othe $30 plus postage but I’m putting in for a 50% discount on the ticket price because we only heard and saw 50% of the concert.
I’d love to hear the band’s, promoters and sound engineers comments on all of this.
July 8th, 2007 at 2:55 pm
I’ve just heard the Genesis set at Live Earth online, excellent. Now that’s how Manchester should have sounded (see above).
July 8th, 2007 at 5:11 pm
We were in the middle of the pitch and the sound and visuals were superb.
July 8th, 2007 at 6:17 pm
From the centre of the pitch my thoughts were that the concert started slow the sound sounded quiet.
But as the set rolled out they got better and better.
As nightfall set WOW the stage came alive.
Highlights for me were I know what I like, Domino & In the Cage
Looking forward to The Musical Box SEBTP Black Tour in October.
here’s Wishing for a PG reunion tour next year
July 8th, 2007 at 6:29 pm
Well, I’ve been a Genesis fan for over 2/3rds of my life, and never thought I’d get to hear Phil Collins sounding as good as he did last night. I should say that I was bitterly disapponted that Pete and Steve didn’t manage to recreate the ‘dream team’, but I really think that it’s only a matter of time before that happens (and God willing, I’ll manage to get a ticket). That having been said, PC was in absolute top form at Manchester last night. Genesis have been blessed with two of the best two front men of all times, and PC once again proved that it is more than a little unjust to refer to him merely as PG’s replacement. His handling of In The Cage especially was fantastic, bringing back more than one or two glimpses of why this most English of bands will always by regarded as one the polished thoroughbreds of the progressive era.
Daryl Steurmer put in a superb performance, and with over 30 years service it’s s shame that he will always be regarded as marking time until Mr Hackett decides it’s time to rejoin the fold. DS put in a sterling performance, not least of Firth of Fifth (surely one of the greatest tracks of all time, full stop), but I for one couldn’t help imagining how much better it would sound with Steve back behind the guitar.
Mr’s Rutherford and Banks were flawless, as usual, and Chester rolled back the years once more. But it was the very superb Mr Collins that reminded everyone why Genesis were always a mighty force to be reckoned with, not only with PG, but without him. His drumming we all know is top class, but to get back out in front of the microphone after so long and put in a performance like he did is simply amazing.
If ever Peter and Steve need proof that the Genesis fan base, then this tour is it. There’s loud applause for almost every track, but you can hear the passion behind the cheers when the pre-80’s music is introduced. As I said, for the first time in a long time, I really believe that the 5 of them will play again on the same stage. Why not? Messers Bruce, Baker and Clapton did it and manage to roll back the years. So did the men from the Dark Side of the Moon. What I guess I’m saying is, the support bands are done - so come on Genesis - what are you waiting for?
July 8th, 2007 at 10:03 pm
[b]@harold the barrel[/b] - I wasn’t in Manchester, but I saw them twice in Duesseldorf. Great review. I thought the same (but couldn’t write it down so elaborate ;-)).
July 8th, 2007 at 10:47 pm
I totally agree with Colin Harrison. I sat in the East Stand second row from the back and could not even see the top of the oval video screens which was a huge dissapointment, luckily I had seen the Dusseldorf gig at the cinema. I do think, however, that we should have been warned that it was restricted view - and paid less for the tickets. It seems that the set looked amazing - so I do feel like I missed out on a major part of the experience. I think the set (and the sound) would have suited a venue like Knebworth or Roundhay Park rather than a stadium. I too would be interested to hear what the promotors have to say - anyone got any ideas how to contact them?
July 8th, 2007 at 11:21 pm
Was at Manchester last night - 3 rows from the stage in block A5.
Surprisingly, for the money, not a great seat cos we were slightly to the side of the main activity and too close to the backdrop which was awesome.
However, the music was stunning and it was all over too soon.
July 8th, 2007 at 11:37 pm
was at the gig last night i think it was a great gig… we was in the north stand good view sounded brillant just HOPE THAY DO IT ALL AGAIN….keep on going………….. GENESIS………. MARK+VIC WIGAN
July 9th, 2007 at 12:50 am
Thanks for the comment Mart, I’m glad somebody else felt the same as we thought it was hust us. Sounds like you had the same row as us. Anybody else back there and could anybody supply a direct promoter contact?
July 9th, 2007 at 1:32 am
Travelled all the way from Australia to see this show… saw them aged 12 at Earl’s Court 1992. This tour provides better value for the die hard Genesis fan, with most of the tracks played being more atmospheric/complicated/progressive tunes, whether picked from the 70’s, 80’s or 90’s version of Genesis. Indeed, they’re playing with more fire and more passion than before, the sound (even from the top of the North East stand) was marvellous and the stage is surely the finest they’ve ever had.
My only quibble (and I’m sure I’m not alone on this) is that Afterglow is coming far too early in the set… Poor ‘Hold On My Heart’, a lovely song performed very well on this tour (not transposed at all) doesn’t stand a chance following it! Too many people treat it as a toilet break. I would suggest moving it back towards the end of the main set.
A brilliant show not to be missed. I hope this is not the last we see of them… there seems to be plenty of golden eggs left in this goose yet.
Dave
July 9th, 2007 at 5:46 am
Colin and Mart - sorry to hear about the restricted view - it’s pretty inexcusable for this not to have been noted on the ticket and the tickets for those areas to have been sold last and at a cheaper price - I’ve seen this done before.
I don’t know whether the promoters etc will see this forum, but might be worth having a look at www.safeconcerts.com where they look at all aspects of the gig-goers experiences and from recollection they certainly have homed in on outdoor gigs and problems therein no matter how small. I’ve been stitched up before and had a terrible row with Clear Channel (now Live Nation) who must be the most arrogant and discourteous organisation I’ve ever dealt with. I never resolved my issues which basically centred round paying over the odds for ‘limited premium’ tickets and then not being able to see the band !
I totally agree with you but if Live Nation have got anything to do with this, they won’t entertain you unless you complained to a steward on the night.
Good luck.
July 9th, 2007 at 8:19 am
I agree totally with Colin Harrisons comments, we were 2 tier of the North Stand and the sound got better half way though. Did anyone else have trouble with the leg room - there was none! Try the City Of Manchester stadium next time boys!! Excellent concert though.
July 9th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
I was at Manchester on Saturday - East Stand E237.
Having been to a number of football matches at Old Trafford I knew that we were not going to have the best view of the stage, so went armed with binoculars, which helped make the drum duet an unbelievable sight.
Personally, I thought the sound and visuals for that type of venue pretty excellent, as was the set list - although like many, I would have preferred a few more tracks from the PG/SH eras.
As PG is currently touring, perhaps getting his support for this tour was always going to be impossible.
Like HTB though, I hope it happens some day. Milton Keynes 82 was superb, if not a little wet!
Can’t wait for the CD’s to arrive!
July 9th, 2007 at 1:37 pm
well having seen the boys in the flesh from down on the pitch at manchester i have to admit to coming away with mixed feelings. thought that musically and soundwise they were fabulous, the set list was as good as expected and Phil was in great voice.
regarding the comments about the stage set…i cant understand why people thought it was spectacular…let’s be honest until it went dark at almost 9.45pm you couldnt see most of it. i wonder if in designing and testing the set up presumably in an indoors hanger or arena the boys actually realised that outdoors it just didnt work.
thought compared to previous tours the lights. especially ones close to the band were poor, the backdrop underused and as for the fireworks…well if i had wanted to see Bon Jovi !!
come back after USA lads and play some indoor shows so we can actually see what this stage set can do.
July 9th, 2007 at 2:47 pm
I saw Saturday night’s Manchester concert and I’m still stunned.
I agree with Dave Eaton’s comments about “Hold On My Heart” being treated as a toilet break, however all was made clear when my wife pointed out the general breakdown of the audience by age and gender and mouthed the word “prostate” to me. Yes, suddenly it all makes sense.
We were sat up in the 2nd tier of the north east stand and, whilst we had a slightly restricted view, it was still a completely awesome concert. I agree with the comment that Afterglow was a little early in the set however I don’t think I would have changed a thing. I am one of those lonely individuals who saw the Calling All Stations tour and I was saddened that none of those tour t-shirts were in evidence. Also slightly saddened that Ray Wilson has been airbrushed out of the picture - after all he did his best to fill some pretty big shoes and that was also a good concert (many will disagree I’m sure, but how many actually saw it).
This concert will stand as a high spot for me. Great to see them back together and I would echo Phil’s comments on the night - Chester and Darryl have been performing as Genesis for 75% of the band’s existence so full credit and respect to those gentlemen - awesome band, awesome concert.
July 9th, 2007 at 2:53 pm
I had the best night of my LIFE on Sat eve. I have been a Genesis fan for decades and have seen them around 8 times now, and Sat night was by FAR and away the best musically and soundwise (I have seen them in some pretty dodgypaces including the Queens Hall in Leeds which was a kin to a dustbin). The only reason I had good seats (in effect behind the goal posts ) was because I perservered with the deeply aggravating TicketMaster web-site on the day the tickets came out. Bizarrely these were priced at #60 as opposed to the restricted #65 ones mentioned above.
To me the set is totally incidental to the sound … when you listen to a CD at home you look at your walls or read a book, and any venue has got to be more interesting than that .. apart from anything else there were around 50,000 other people to look at … so the lights only showed up when it was dark … if I want to look at fancy lights I’ll take a trip to Blackpool illuminations !
So I cannot imagine the evening being bettered.
July 9th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
This review on my blog.
http://paullinford.blogspot.com/2007/07/ripples-nver-come-back.html
Harold the Barrel (above) - I too would love to see Steve back in the fold, but for emotional reasons, not necessarily because I think they would sound better. Daryl is actually a better technical guitarist than Steve.
July 9th, 2007 at 6:29 pm
The Manchester gig is easily my worst experience of seeing Genesis live. For starters, I couldn’t see half of the centre of the screen because of the way it curved in and out (I was seated half way back in the North stand) but even if I could see it I don’t think it would have made much difference because well over half of the performance took place in broad daylight. I didn’t think the visuals were particularly stunning anyway – far too many bands are relying on big screens these days rather than actually putting some effort into the production.
You could argue that the screen was used because lights on their own would have been a complete waste of time but my overwhelming feeling is that Genesis are just not a band suited to playing stadiums. OK they can fill them but there is a fine art to making a stadium gig work. Since 1980 I’ve seen them give some stunning performances in theatres and arenas but their shows just don’t work as well outdoors.
I was also somewhat disappointed with the set list. They have a wealth of material at their disposal, both new(ish) and old, but we were treated to the same old predictable stuff, Ripples being an exception and one of the few highlights. As for the encore, I Can’t Dance is one of the worst songs ever (by anybody!)
The almost constant police presence in our section for the best part of 45 minutes whilst they ejected a seemingly endless supply of drunks didn’t help matters either but even without that I think I would still have been left with a feeling of total anti-climax. I’m not saying it was rubbish, I just know it could have been so much better.
July 9th, 2007 at 6:43 pm
After catching Genesis’ brilliant opening of Live Earth on the big screen in Manchester city centre square earlier that day, our appetites were whetted for what was to follow that night…..
I’ve been a huge fan of Genesis since 1992 and this was the gig i had been waiting 15 years to see.
We were sitting in the middle of the pitch in B5 section. The stage seemed to be lower than the earlier shows, but the backdrop was awesome. The band were in top form, playing on “home soil” seemed to lift their performance. The light show and visuals were superb, although it wasn’t til halfway through the show when it was dark, that the full effect was in place. The sound was top notch, it was a polished performance and Phil’s voice sounded as good as it ever was. Weighing in with a set of two and a half hours, it was a brilliant performance on the whole. Fading lights playing over the PA at the end was a fitting finale.
July 10th, 2007 at 12:16 am
Not sure if I went to see the same concert as some - fully agree with SF. Have been Genesis fan for many years and last went to see them on Invisible Touch tour which was fantastic. Was looking v much to see them but really didn’t feel any enthusiasm from the group. Phil’s showmanship was not a patch on what it was 20 years ago and they really seemed like they couldn’t be arsed - perhaps Mike and Tony needed a bit of money to see them into retirement? All the audience participations and arrangements of songs were lifted from any Genesis concert from the last 20 years vs formulaic and for £60, I would have liked to have come away thinking WOW, that Manchester gig was really special! The stadium didn’t help - why oh why do they have seats on the pitch? “Hold on my Heart” was a complete toilet break. OK it’s the worst song they’ve ever released, but if it was in a working mens club someone would have seen shouting “Best of Order” - the crowd were making more noise chit chatting. Anyway there was an ace fight in the stand about ten rows down from us in North Stand tier 2 with about 8 arrests - not what you expect from a Genesis gig is it?
July 10th, 2007 at 12:44 am
Been a fan for 30 years and promised myself I’d go wherever necessary to see Genesis if they ever got together again so travelled 700 miles. One thing that struck me was the number of people of my age with their teenage next generation there clearly loving the band and the music as much as their parents! It was a fantastic gig, excellent selection of tracks to appeal to all. However, it’s clear from the crowd’s reaction that it’s the older music that people really want to hear, particularly the tracks with a Tony Banks written instrumental section. Glad that, despite all the technology available nowadays, that they know that the iconic seconds out white lights go with, for instance Los Endos just as much as the music itself.
Here’s hoping that we’ll see Genesis again a few times in the coming years - it was worth waiting for but I don’t want to wait so long again for the next tour!
July 10th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
Experienced exactly the same sound problems at Manchester as Colin Harrison and Mart.
We moved to some unoccupied seats lower down the NE stand. No view of centre stage from this point but the sound quality was superb.
I agree the sound checks should have highlighted the problem and if it hadn’t been for the unoccupied seats you would have had 2 very disgruntled fans here. Don’t know how the people could have stayed the whole concert in those upper level seats - you must have thought Genesis had suddenly become the worst sounding band in the world!!
July 11th, 2007 at 3:37 pm
Sat in the Upper tier of East stand, nearly central with my brother who is also a six footer. Aren’t Trafford Wanderer’s fans small people? Didn’t help when a very large gent sat next to my bro’ but the row in front of us went forward to get stoned on their weed, fall over and annoy the people near them, so it worked out well. Can’t pretend I’m an expert gig man, but I was more than exstatic with my view, the sound, the team on stage and just about everything else. Can we exclude everyone who was born after 1975 from future Genesis concerts? Love it if PG and SH rejoined and did a reuninon gig, but agree it would be a tragedy if DS and the super cool CT were excluded
July 11th, 2007 at 10:29 pm
Sat in South stand. I must admit leg room was non existent but that was the last thing on my mind. A brilliant set drawn from across their career (much more varied than the last Collins/Genesis tour) and a stunning performance. Yes, the intro to Domino was the same as the last time I saw them, but it made me laugh then and made me laugh on Saturday. For me it was worth every penny, and to finish with Carpet Crawlers, what a great finale!
July 12th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
On the pitch, the sight and sound was awesome, although it could have benefited from starting 90 minutes later for some darkness. I would have preferred to see them inside, but you would have got audience noise ther as well - Earls Court 1992 was completely spoiled for me by the number of punters who treat it like tv, and talk all over it. It’s a cultural thing, I’m afraid.
In contrast, in 1992 they also played a 1000 capacity gig in Newport, South Wales. They couldn’t get the set in, and the stage was tiny, but the audience were on top of them and the atmosphere was electric as a result.
I enjoyed Collins’ antics as much this time, especially given that 60 is around the corner. I don’t know how someone came to the conclusion that the band were half-hearted, because I don’t know how you could tell - have Banks and Rutherford EVER shown any emotion on stage?
So it was a great evening, if you didn’t go in with your expectations too high about the stuff from prog Genesis rather than pop Genesis. The impression we got was that age was starting to catch up - Collins seemed to pull a couple of the higher notes, either letting the keyboard or the audience fill in, and he was definitely pulling the mic away; and MR seemed to flail about during the fast bass parts of In The Cage, (and ditto TB in Cinema Show solo) but the sound was a bit muddy there (and perhaps deliberately so?).
I feel sorry for the people at the top of the stand - clearly taking the piss charging that much for such restricted sight and sound.
July 14th, 2007 at 12:34 am
Very impressive gig, for which I’d waited almost 30 yrs. However was less than impressed with the sound mix as heard from the East stand level 2, just about in line with the merchandise stand; the keyboards just seemed to swamp both the bass and more crucially, the guitar.
Talking of merchandise, why was there only one stall inside? and why were we in the stands not allowed by the jobsworths to go down to buy a T shirt? The scrum outside the south east corner after the gig was ridiculous!
I was talking to a WPC who told me that the total police presence was but 30 bobbies!
Back to the gig; totally mesmeric music. The criticism about age catching up was totally unfair; playing almost 3 hours without a break was impressive. All I wanted was a full length version of Cinema Show and The Musical Box and I would have been totally satisfied. Having said that the rest was brilliant - can’t remember the last time I didn’t go to the gents during a drum solo or in this case duet; it was amazing!
July 14th, 2007 at 11:36 pm
“what a fantastic event” “Mindblowing” “Sensational” these are some of the views I have heard from fellow admirers, But I went to Manchester with a “Non Believer” and she absolutely loved it. - she could not understand why I cried through the first three songs? Obviosly knows nothing of the feelings that true appreciators of what I consider the ‘Best Band Ever’ experience, when like me they actually got to see GENESIS LIVE for THE FIRST TIME.
A virgin no longer!
I am on the lookout for a copy of the CD recorded on the day, I did not quite catch the details provided just before the show started so am looking for some help. Come on guys - someone must know where and how much?
I sat half way up the east stand - just to the right and even though I felt I was visually too far away, the sound was amazing, I could feel the Bass in my ribs and I along with most everyone else in the stand stood and danced and sang along with absolutely no embarrasement as I knew I was amongst like minded friends. This was a gift for my 51st Birthday, a guy 2 seats to my left got his ticket for his 50th. Just goes to show that our ladies “Know what I like in my Wardrobe” -Bring it on some more and lets Have Gabriel Back as well - for the very old stuff!
Email me with details please: steve16law@hotmail.co.uk
September 5th, 2007 at 10:45 am
I couldn’t understand some parts of this article Genesis: Setlist Manchester (July 7th, 2007), but I guess I just need to check some more resources regarding this, because it sounds interesting.