Fanclub Meeting 1999 – Report

Location: Eichenzell-Welkers. Time: Pentecost weekend. Event: Fan club meeting of the German Genesis fan club it. The same procedure as last year? The same procedure as EVERY year! Well, not quite. And at our meetings, no one stumbled over a stuffed tiger head, not even over a lamb lying on the ground… that was yet to come. The lamb… not the stumbling. But seriously, it was Pentecost again in Welkers and the fan club had invited its members to spend a day together worshipping Genesis, talking about their shared hobby and enjoying one or two items on the programme.

As usual, everything was set up, decorated and the technology tested the day before in the community centre. Admission began punctually at 11 a.m. on the day of the event, and after a welcome by the it editorial team, the first live act of the day, Eddy Pachali, took to the stage. As in the previous year, he gave a taste of his extensive Genesis/solo repertoire… including, of course, his flowers moving to the music as the visual icing on the cake.

After the lunch break, there was a new edition of 'Rudi's' quiz, where everyone in the hall could test their knowledge of Genesis and also win something.

Club member Bernd Vormwald was the second live act to perform at this meeting. This time, Bernd's bandmate at the time, Brigitte Groll (flute), completed the duo, which was formed especially for this occasion and named 'Mushrooms Tall As Houses' (see Scenes From A Night's Dream by Genesis). The following pieces were played: Medley: Jacuzzi/Overnight Sleeper, Kim, Submarine, Another Day, Medley: Timeless/Supper's Ready, The Anthem from Tarka, Congo, and the encores Entangled and Biko. For Biko, Steffen Gerlach also came on stage and supported the duo rhythmically on the djembe.

The colourful compilation and surprising interpretations thrilled the audience. One of the most memorable moments was Bernd's 'audience participation time' during Congo, when the audience was asked to sing 'Yeah-heaaah' after the lines 'You can send me to the Congo, I'm free to leave' and 'There's always somewhere anybody can lead' – first the right side of the audience, then the left. This was somewhat amusing for everyone because the right half always hit the right note, but the left always sang too low. It was hard to imagine anything more entertaining than Bernd's performances, regardless of the band combination.

This was followed by a longer break entitled 'Small Talk', as personal interaction should not be neglected. This was followed by an approximately one-hour video presentation. YouTube did not yet exist, and rare videos that are often found on the internet today were still well-guarded treasures in the 1990s and early 2000s. The traditional auction of rarities was followed by the official farewell and, after a short rearrangement, the collectors' market. The official end of the day was at 8 p.m.

This meeting was once again organised by the small crew from the it editorial team, a few family members plus Uwe Brehmer and Oliver Schlapp – plus the Hirschmann family in catering. Club member Karin Woywod joined the crew for the first time, helping us with admission, among other things, and became an indispensable part of subsequent club meetings. We should also mention Stephan von Köller, a well-known magician from Fulda, who provided us with his huge car trailer for the meetings from 1995 to the 2000s, often helped out with equipment and even stored our club day equipment at his place for several years during the 'meeting-free' period. All of this was done free of charge and without any compensation. Many thanks for that, even so many years later!

The programme booklet for this meeting was visually based on the tour programme for Mike & The Mechanics' 1996 UK tour.

Author: Helmut Janisch (2025)
Photos: Helmut Janisch, Karin Woywod

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