20, 21, 22 September | Genesis live in BIRMINGHAM | reports **SPOILERS**

  • Can't say I love that set list...too similar to 2007, right down to recycling the same opening and closing songs. No "Jesus"? One of the big "surprises"? And I love "Hold on My Heart," so I miss that too. I expected at least a tease of "Supper's Ready," and that oldies medley is extremely disappointing. Sucks "Abacab" didn't make it, either.


    Phil sounds good, I even think his feeble voice works on "DWTMK." I'm hoping clips of "Duchess" and this new "Lamb" appear shortly.

  • Can't say I love that set list...too similar to 2007, right down to recycling the same opening and closing songs. No "Jesus"? One of the big "surprises"? And I love "Hold on My Heart," so I miss that too. I expected at least a tease of "Supper's Ready," and that oldies medley is extremely disappointing. Sucks "Abacab" didn't make it, either.


    Phil sounds good, I even think his feeble voice works on "DWTMK." I'm hoping clips of "Duchess" and this new "Lamb" appear shortly.

    Nic already said ages ago they dropped a few after the initial rehearsals including any Suppers Ready parts, even though he had learned them.

  • I see Phil was reading the words for a few of the songs tonight.


    I know he has a history of messing up words, especially on his own solo songs and as you get older it can only get harder i'm sure when you've been away for so many years.


    I'm glad that he is still coming out performing but I do wish he had maybe done a Genesis reunion around 2015 - 2017 when he was a little more healthier.

  • Nic already said ages ago they dropped a few after the initial rehearsals including any Suppers Ready parts, even though he had learned them.

    As I recall Nic talked in an interview about struggling to learn both Supper’s Ready and Los Endos. I’m not sure if that has anything to do with them not making the final cut for the set list.

  • As I recall Nic talked in an interview about struggling to learn both Supper’s Ready and Los Endos. I’m not sure if that has anything to do with them not making the final cut for the set list.

    I doubt it. They may be hard to learn but Nic would have done it, no problem. I'd say there were other considerations.

  • Duchess:


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  • I managed to catch most of the show on a live stream from the audience. Set list was quite predictable but a good mix of old and new. Phil sounded good for the bulk of the show and really came alive. Started a little weak and sounded like he might be struggling at the end but this is the first show, singers usually get better as a tour goes on.


    I was surprised that Apocalypse in 9/8 wasn't there given what Nic said in several interviews. But c'est la vie. Maybe they'll swap things around a bit for the American leg.

  • Are any of these lives streams still up? From the videos I’ve seen Phil’s voice isn’t great but it’s not BAD. WAAAY better than the PBS doc. Setlist would be fine for me if they just added Abacab and SOMETHING from A Trick of the Tail. I was hoping for Dance On A Volcano to replace Los Endos cuz in 1992 Phil used a vocal effect on the song so it wouldn’t be too demanding for him. Honestly I wouldn’t mind them dropping the abridged Tonight, Tonight, Tonight and replacing it with DOAV. I think Dance would work well transitioning into Invisible Touch. Although mike would have to give Daryl guitar duty on IT for that to work. I’m surprised that the pic of the rehearsal setlist reveals they even tried doing Los Endos. Not at all shocked it was dropped cuz it’s really a two drummer song... but then again Hackett has been doing it w/ one drummer for years. I think Nic could’ve pulled it off. I suspect it was dropped cuz it was understandably too hurtful for Phil to sit out ANOTHER instrumental he used to drum on. Frankly we’re LUCKY he’s being a good enough sport to allow the boys to do Cinema Show AND 2nd HBTS AND Firth of Fifth

  • I'm so happy that this first show seems to have gone off as well as could have been expected. (I predicted that the setlist to be similar-ish to the 2007 tour, so that wasn't really a "downer" for me.)


    I've been avoiding audio/visual spoilers so far; I can't promise that I won't eventually give in and have a listen/look at how things are.


    This tour's occurring at all was even more of a surprise than the 2007 tour. I'm looking forward to my being able to see them one last time (twice, if they really delight me at the one show I know I'm going to) and say another farewell to a band that has given me so much joy over the years. So, roll on December 3rd in Philadelphia!


    All those in the UK and ROI, enjoy the shows!

    Stepping out the back way, hoping nobody sees...

  • Hello everyone. My first proper post and seems like no better time to do it than the morning after a gig I've waited 35 years for! It was literally a dream come true to see my all time favorite band after so many years of thinking it would never happen.


    My expectations were suitably managed but, as someone said earlier, the man on stage last night was not the frail and tired person we saw in the doc and the BBC interview. It was proper Phil - maybe not the man he was years ago but still him. His voice was so much better than I expected, he sounded brilliant, the band were wonderful, Nic is superb, the backing singers do a great job and we all know what to expect from the others.


    I know so many of you have seen them throughout their history at their absolute peak, but for those of us who weren't around this is more than I ever hoped for. If you're going I hope you enjoy it at much as I did, and I hope the band enjoy it enough to be able to take the show to our friends across as much as the rest of the world as they can manage.


    The programme lists Anthony Drennan as a member of the band - I think I read that unfortunately Daryl's wife isn't very well so is AD on standby in case he's not available for any of the shows?

  • Another first-time poster here - I also was at the Birmingham show last night.


    Having seen every tour since IT, I’m used to the feeling “this may be the last time”. I think that’s more likely now, but reflecting on the show I think I can at least rest easy that they’re not going out with a whimper.


    Like everyone else, I’d seen the footage of a frail Phil and, remembering the human whirlwind he used to be on stage, was deeply worried how this would work now. And for the first song, perhaps, there were still some doubts. But you could actually see him relaxing into it, reacting to the crowd and feeding off it all.


    The backup singers helped but weren’t intrusive. But I was pleased just how much of the admittedly quite tricky stuff Phil managed. Nic was a true powerhouse. I don’t know if it was just me, but the instrumental sections really seemed to swing, to motor along. This had been one of the doubts for me beforehand - but it shows you should never vote against the Collins DNA!


    Setlist-wise, few surprises. I thought Duchess was a treat, the intro to that with the drum machine was quite lovely and Phil really nailed the vocal. HBTS, Domino and LOC came across well, a reminder that even in their ‘80s and ‘90s “pop” pomp they could produce really powerful modern prog. (Let’s face it, Domino was never going to get played on Radio 1, was it?)


    I think the acoustic mini-set worked really well for tracks like That’s All and FYFM. The version of TLDDOB showed some inventiveness. Joyful to see them experimenting a little after all these years.


    Phil’s sedentary nature meant perhaps the set - lighting and video - had to work harder and in this the audience were treated to perhaps one of the best displays in 40+ years. Hats off to the team for this.


    So if this is going to be their swan song, I think we can rest assured. Far from being a cynical exercise, The Last Domino (?) looks to me to be a fond farewell. And who knows, if Phil continues to feed off the warm response he gets from audiences, maybe that question mark might remain.

  • Domino (excerpt, I didn't want to watch the gig through my phone screen)


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  • Birmingham what an amazing city


    In around Victoria Square and the Bull Ring now. Annoyed as I didn't know the selfridges building has changed designs (was so looking forward to seeing the bubble structure) ah well

  • thanks for positive reports. Got to think that anyone doing something for the first time in 14 years is going to be a bit rusty!....hopefully they can grow in confidence and strength as tour progress

    Disappointed that nothing from Trick, but reckon the appearance of Duchess will make up for it:)

  • I doubt it. They may be hard to learn but Nic would have done it, no problem. I'd say there were other considerations.

    Mike usually was the guy who didn't want to play Suppers Ready especially in it's full form, but there was no way Phil could have got through A9/8 - he struggled enough with Home by the Sea in parts last night.