Fanclub Meeting 1996 – report

Based on our experiences in previous years, particularly the unpleasant end to the 1995 club day, we went in search of a new and better venue for our club meetings. Something close to Fulda seemed ideal. It is relatively central in Germany and has good rail and road connections. Last but not least, Helmut comes from there, which would be an advantage for organizing events. And indeed, the choice fell on the community center in the tranquil village of Welkers, population 1,000, where Helmut had good family and personal contacts.

The premises were perfect for us. A long, large hall can be divided into two-thirds and one-third using movable partition walls. There were stage parts that could be assembled in different heights and shapes. A curtain could be opened and closed. There was an area that we could use optimally as a backstage area. There was also a large counter and a kitchen, which was ideal for catering to the visitors' physical well-being.

We had measured the premises precisely in advance and drawn up a plan showing exactly where everything should go – the stage, the exhibition, the seating, and the area from which we could control the music and videos and which became the central point of contact for visitors—the it stand.

As with the three club days before, the crew consisted of the three editorial team members and their families, reinforced by Uwe Brehmer as security and irreplaceable help, and Oliver Schlapp as moderator. Angelika Hirschmann was also on board for the first time in the kitchen and at the bar. She became an integral part of the Welkers crew.

The effort we had put in by then meant that we had to set everything up the day before the event and also plan for dismantling everything the day after. And so the day before began with picking up the equipment from a warehouse a few kilometers away. Then we redesigned and decorated the community center according to our ideas. Although we had to improvise here and there despite all our planning, everything looked very good. The caretaker and local mayor were very impressed with what we had done with the simple space.

May 26 arrived, and with it, around noon, a large number of visitors who quickly filled the small parking lot on site. Admission began at 1:30 p.m., and half an hour later we welcomed the numerous visitors. As a joke, we had decided to greet them wearing original Genesis tour jackets, which probably looked a little strange. When Helmut then asked the visitors present if they had found Welkers, the whole thing became even more of a satirical act. But somehow we got back on track and the program began.

After two club days with Seconds Out as the live act and one club day without any concerts, we wanted to have live music at the meeting again. We were able to persuade our friend, club member, guitarist, and singer Bernd Vormwald to rehearse a short program especially for the meeting. He did this together with violinist Anke Horling, who had already played with Bernd in a (folk) band project. The duo performed at the meeting under the punning band name "The Way We Folk." They offered very interesting interpretations of pieces by Genesis & Co. Bernd Vormwald, in particular, captivated the audience with his humorous manner. Among other songs, they played Both Sides Of The Story, That's All, and Carpet Crawlers. It was a complete success.

The next item on the agenda was another quiz. Three candidates had to prove their knowledge and were rewarded with vouchers from the fan club shop. Of course, the audience was also able to join in. Oliver Schlapp kept the mood lively with his moderation of the whole event.

The screening of a rare video recording of Genesis in 1988 followed, and then we had an auction of rare Genesis collectibles. The day ended with a collectors' market where visitors could purchase new items for their collections at low prices. The event ended at around 9:00 p.m.

The premiere in Welkers was a success, and we quickly realized that we wanted to hold more events there. And so it took only four months before we transformed the community center into a Genesis cult venue again. We put even more effort into it than we had done for that club day in May.

Fun fact: The small program booklet for the meeting was based on the program for Genesis' 1992 UK fall tour. We took the photo of the three "lawn-mowing editors" on the cover during a photo session on the sidelines of an editorial meeting two years earlier.

Author: Helmut Janisch (2025)
Photos: Helmut Janisch, Peter Schütz