3, 4 October | Genesis live in LIVERPOOL | reports **SPOILERS**

  • I went back to Spain yesterday. We (my brother, my 14 years old daughter and me) flew from Barcelona to see Genesis in Liverpool last Monday.

    I wanted to be a drummer and got my first drum kit (old, second or third hand) when I listened Phil in Duke album, in 1980. I fell in love with Genesis music. I was lucky to see them in Madrid in 1987, I remember specially the new Cage medley with In That Quiet Earth... Jesus!!! (no other drummer plays this hellish jazz fusion rythm like Phil -no tribute band, no Steve Hackett Band drummer-; and no other band plays this part as the real Genesis). I saw Tony and Mike with Ray Wilson in the Calling All Stations tour too (I think the album has some great songs and great proggy moments). I have freaked out with Steve Hackett or The Musical Box live, I love Brand X songs with Phil drumming (I am not much interested in Phil's solo albums -only some songs from Face Value, Hello I Must Be Going and No Jacket Required-).

    So I am an "old school fan" (I am a die hard fan of the Trespass/Duke era), BUT I have to say that I also love songs like Abacab, You Might Recall, Submarine, Naminanu, Dodo, Mama, 2nd Home by the Sea, the instrumental part of Fading Lights, I like Silver Rainbow, Land of Confusion, Domino, TTT, No Son of Mine...

    In this tour, the old "dividing line" in Genesis musical history doesn't matter at all. I think that every concert of this tour is an intimate celebration with musicians that have been with you throughout your life. When you are young, this is not important. When you have lived births, some sad deaths, happy and not so happy moments throughout your life, you know that the time to look behind has arrived for your generation (as it happened to the others before). Genesis have been my most wanted musical friends. It seems that is time to look back with them and thank them for being there.

    Yes, Phil is frail. He is sitting on a chair (where is the problem? Steve and Mike have played seated a lot of times), perhaps he forgot one or two words in some song... BUT at the same time I saw him strong, joking, ironic, funny, the same old guy of old times (a little bit older, yes, it doesn't matter). His voice is weaker than ever, yes, but you can see him enjoying and trying his best to sing as he wants. With total dignity. I believe that we the fans are giving him waves of life and joy every night. And this is great for me.

    Some impressions:

    The band was great. 2nd Home, Mama, Behind the Lines, Duchess (wow!!!! -I have to say that some harmonies have been changed in some parts, I prefer the original ones, but no problem-; Nic pushes the song forward magnificently with some fresh and welcome "heavy"? "grunge"? air), Afterglow, Last Domino... Great songs, great memories.

    IKWIL and Firth of Fifth section or the climax in Afterglow sounded so powerful that I think they were close to the Seconds Out mythical versions (yes, I felt it that way).

    The acoustic set worked perfectly for me, a different view of the songs; the band was around a "campfire" sharing this moment with the audience.

    I think that the "no transition" from Fading Lights to Cinema Show works perfect, it's like a thunder, a terrific outbreak and the band sounds agile and powerful at the same time. The transition from Moonlite Knight to Carpet Crawlers was very beautiful too.

    Mike is moving and rocks it, Tony smiles (yes: a little); Nic is not Phil on the drums, but it works perfectly, very professional, serious and forceful (it's great to hear the drums with the same sound as his father's). Daryl is the great Daryl (I think his Firth of Fifth solo was so much better than his former versions), and the support singers are perfect too (I liked a lot their voices in Afterglow; they sang like in the original album version).

    I broke in tears a lot of times, I laughed at Phil's jokes, I screamed and sang along, I ENJOYED all the show (lights and images were amazing too, of course).

    I saw the audience very entusiasthic, lively. I have read in some places that the Liverpool shows have been the most emotionally intense so far in the tour (maybe it's true, I don't know...).

    Don't be afraid: Buy your ticket, go to the show!!

    Sorry for my bad english expression.

    I finish here this long post, thanks for your reading!!

    P. S.: One has to be realistic and not ask for songs like Can-Utility and the Coastliners or Eleventh Earl of Mar, but... Does someone remember Dodo?;)

    Edited 2 times, last by Al9000 ().

  • Great review AL. I felt much the same Birmingham and Manchester . Although Tony didn't smile . He almost did a couple of times. Looks like he might have the hang of it now from what you say.