Thanks Foxtrot
Have translated your post for our German forum, see here
15, 16 November 2021 | Genesis live in CHICAGO | reports **SPOILERS**
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Awesome report Foxtrot. Amazing that you got that seat upgrade. Reading your post is getting me even more excited for the show next week. Cheers mate!
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The whole negative reaction to old stuff is a bit perplexing to me. In 2007 Ripples, FOF, IKWIL, the Old Medley and Carpet Crawlers were all warmly received at the show I attended in DC. Fourteen years later are there suddenly a bunch of 50 year old IT fans showing up at Genesis gigs who have no exposure to any of the older material?
To tag on to what others have said.... It could definitely be the city. It'll be interesting to see whether the crowd reacts similarly in those old Genesis strongholds - Philly, Montreal, Toronto come to mind. There's also a weird age/nostalgia thing potentially kicking in. Those "IT" fans are probably about 50ish nowadays? The "older" fans are very late '50s and '60s. With the pandemic, it's quite possible that the older people (also the ones more likely to have some health issues) just aren't going into crowded spaces yet. Boy, that makes aging sound appealing lol. I'm nearly 59 and I'm still not entirely sure about sitting cheek to cheek with 20000 other people, to be completely honest.
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Boy, that makes aging sound appealing lol. I'm nearly 59 and I'm still not entirely sure about sitting cheek to cheek with 20000 other people, to be completely honest.
Yeah, aging is not for the faint hearted LOL. I'm 64 now and was a bit concerned about attending the London gig. The official O2 advice was to wear a mask in the communal areas but I cant think of anything more communal than the actual arena itself. But I guess they thought people wouldn't wear that, literally. I was intending to wear mine though. Hopefully the situation will be better in March. We will be triple jabbed and case rates should have dropped by then.
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To tag on to what others have said.... It could definitely be the city. It'll be interesting to see whether the crowd reacts similarly in those old Genesis strongholds - Philly, Montreal, Toronto come to mind. There's also a weird age/nostalgia thing potentially kicking in. Those "IT" fans are probably about 50ish nowadays? The "older" fans are very late '50s and '60s. With the pandemic, it's quite possible that the older people (also the ones more likely to have some health issues) just aren't going into crowded spaces yet. Boy, that makes aging sound appealing lol. I'm nearly 59 and I'm still not entirely sure about sitting cheek to cheek with 20000 other people, to be completely honest.
And BTW, it was loud!!! Chicago has been a long Genesis stronghold, much like most of the cities on this tour. But like I said, a lot of people seemed to travel for this gig, so they were invested totally.
Funnily enough, I was more emotional at end of 2007 show. Not that Fading Lights wasn't or anything. For me, it was just a gas seeing the guys again, it was more a joyous celebration than youtubeland, which was more sad for me.
Mask up Bass and 12 man and if you go, let us know.
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Awesome report Foxtrot. Amazing that you got that seat upgrade. Reading your post is getting me even more excited for the show next week. Cheers mate!
Forgot to mention that somewhere during Second Home by the sea I noticed Phils seat was empty. I was concerned and hoping he was all right then I looked at stage left, Phil decided to take a little stroll! He went to the drum Riser and I hung out until the final vocal of second home by the sea. I know ow this is grasping but he seemed to go on and offstage a bit faster then in the past. All wish him the best of health.
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To tag on to what others have said.... It could definitely be the city. It'll be interesting to see whether the crowd reacts similarly in those old Genesis strongholds - Philly, Montreal, Toronto come to mind. There's also a weird age/nostalgia thing potentially kicking in. Those "IT" fans are probably about 50ish nowadays? The "older" fans are very late '50s and '60s. With the pandemic, it's quite possible that the older people (also the ones more likely to have some health issues) just aren't going into crowded spaces yet. Boy, that makes aging sound appealing lol. I'm nearly 59 and I'm still not entirely sure about sitting cheek to cheek with 20000 other people, to be completely honest.
I’m 60. I’ll be at the DC show tomorrow night. I have the 2 Moderna vaccinations (and have the booster scheduled for early next week before Thanksgiving). Also, they require proof of vaccination to enter the arena, and masks are required as well. I’m going to try to put Covid out of my mind for a couple of hours tomorrow night and just enjoy the show. My partner is 45 and only knew about the IT era stuff until I introduced her to the rest of the band’s catalog. Now she’s even more bummed about Duchess being dropped than I am. This will be her first (and obviously last) Genesis concert. We can’t wait!
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One fan's opinion:
My wife and I were very fortunate to attend the November 15, 2021 show in Chicago. As with the Phil Collins "Not Dead Yet" tour I splurged and purchased 4th row VIP dinner seats. The dinner was fabulous with a huge variety of food and drink choices all included. Then came the trivia contest. Egads. By no means have I ever said I was a Genesis trivia expert. I hate competition and started to sweat. From the 10 questions they asked I'm confident I got 9 correct (let's just say I didn't remember the correct order of previous drummers but I got the first name correct on the answer!). While I didn't make the lightning round to win the "special" prize I knew every answer to the 15 or so questions they asked so I walked away feeling ok. They also had a poll of how many time you had seen Genesis and the winner was 33 times!
Then onto the show...I went there not expecting anything and not knowing what they had played previously at earlier shows. I value the element of surprise and knowing that songs change between legs of tours I didn't want to be disappointed expecting to hear a particular song. For the most part I got what I expected. A 2 hour plus show from a band I've been following since 1980. My personal highlight was "Afterglow" which has always been a favorite of mine and was so glad it was part of the show. I grabbed my wife's hand as tears filled my eyes and ran down my face knowing this would be the last time I would hear such a beautiful song live in concert. I was disappointed to read we did not get to hear "Duchess" as that would have been a true highlight for me as well coming from the album that started it all for me.
Nic Collins' drumming was superb and I think it's such a fitting tribute to play for his father honoring the legacy that Phil gave us all those tours ago. I could think of no-one else filling those shoes. Mike Rutherford was more lively than usual being fairly animated onstage I thought then in previous outings I've witnessed. Tony Banks was his usual serious "get the job done" attitude with just a glimpse of a smile at times which is why my wife has always called him "smiley." Daryl was outstanding as usual and with my wife and I being from Wisconsin we have seen him numerous times with his own bands and he definitely never disappoints. Truly a class act every time. The two background singers helped to fill out the vocals for Phil and were a helpful addition in moving things along. We noticed Phil had lyrics for each song printed on laminated sheets which he would deposit into a receptacle after each song. With a few missteps on lyrics throughout the show all in all it was the Phil Collins we all know and love.
My ending thoughts:
I came away feeling it can now be time to close the book on seeing Genesis live for the rest of my life. After seeing Genesis only 4 times and Phil Collins 6 times I feel that I've had a good run. I have to admit I would have rather hoped against hope for a new Genesis album rather than see them go on tour. I still hold hope that could happen and that "Calling All Stations" wouldn't be the final release in their catalog. However, everyone that has followed this band for whatever reason can all agree we have all been part of something special that can't be described to others. We all have the greatest of memories which will live on forever.
Thank you Genesis (past and present) for enriching our lives...
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Here is night 2 report. Sorry for the long post - but need to put it down while it is in my memory. I'm 51 and have been a fan since 86.
I JUST woke up as I had a 3 1/2 hour drive back to Madison WI.
Night 1 had 15 row with my wife and son, Night 2 I had 2nd row and went alone - centered between Daryl and Mike. Daryl was probably 15 feet away from me. First of all, 2nd row was a different experience than 15 row, I'll say that. I could SEE what Mike and Daryl were playing, and I could hear the 2 vocalists raw - without the mains (PA). Obviously I could hear the raw drum sound as well. I thought I would be able to hear the guitars/bass a bit better as the amps were right there - I could hear them, but the front mains were right in front of us too. Defiantly could hear the guitars more than the keys this time - when I had 15th row the keys were HOT. Not so much from 2nd row.
Daryl playing the pedals was amazing to watch/feel/hear.
The vocalists at the end of Afterglow - they sang all the way to the end and it was fantastic.
Mama had a problem - Tony's keys went out for about 12-16 bars after the interlude - they just waited. It was interesting to see how they rebounded from it - usually when a song goes south, it's very difficult to pick up the pieces and move on. They did a decent job of finishing it off.
Mike loves the 2nd half of Domino.
I never knew Daryl's bass playing at the end of Invisible Touch was so complex - was fun to watch. Mike even came over to watch a bit of it.
Crowd by me was into it - even the older tunes.
Misunderstanding was great - once it started the crowd came alive.
Watching Nic on drums was fantastic, one could tell he was into it mentally and he was on time and I didn't see even one mistake. His rolls are like his dad's, but other ones (like in Cinema show), he plays them different than Phil.
Saw an older couple in front of me, who I'm sure have been fans longer than I have (looked like in the early 70s). They were frail and you could tell tired - one looked like they had chemo at some point. Seeing them come to life and give what they could with clapping and singing, than having to sit down - puts everything into perspective.
Two younger women filed in next to me - they were..maybe 25? My first thought was they were rich and just wanted to be there. Well was I wrong - they knew EVERY LYRIC! Even more than I did - and they knew they drum hits as well. Was fun watching them get into the music so much. Lots of younger people around me - kids in their 20's.
Lots of younger people around me - front row had a few people who were on their phones the whole time (why?), but a couple in their 30's had dead center and they were loving it and the band watched them quite a bit. Talked to them on the way out - they were really nice.
I know Mike saw me a few times during Domino - I was mimicking his guitar swoops during the 2nd part, and he smiled when he saw me and the guy next to me doing it.
But the real moment for me was Second Home by the Sea - my all time favorite. I've probably heard that song over 300 times in my life, it is my favorite musical composition and I never get tired of it. Monday night was great - but being right there seeing them only a few feet from me was worth the $ for the ticket. During the middle of SHBTS right before the solo when the drums do 4 heavy rolls (right when the eyes come on the screen), they are 4 bars that intro into the solo. Daryl was doing a heavy progression on the bass, Nic was pounding the drums and Mike was handling the guitar like he was 30. It was truly magical - there is no better word for it. I felt a brief musical euphoria - know it sounds kind of weird but best way I can describe it.
All in all, it was both a sad occasion - some of us talked about it before the show how it's the end of the band - and US as we are getting older. But at the same time, it was a celebration. Genesis had an amazing run and what else is better than that? As someone else on here said...We'll never see the likes of them again.
Also - these two shows were musically better than the 07 shows. Just sayin
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Nice review and sounds great. Looking forward to seeing the London shows at last next March.
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Here is night 2 report. Sorry for the long post - but need to put it down while it is in my memory. I'm 51 and have been a fan since 86.
I JUST woke up as I had a 3 1/2 hour drive back to Madison WI.
Night 1 had 15 row with my wife and son, Night 2 I had 2nd row and went alone - centered between Daryl and Mike. Daryl was probably 15 feet away from me. First of all, 2nd row was a different experience than 15 row, I'll say that. I could SEE what Mike and Daryl were playing, and I could hear the 2 vocalists raw - without the mains (PA). Obviously I could hear the raw drum sound as well. I thought I would be able to hear the guitars/bass a bit better as the amps were right there - I could hear them, but the front mains were right in front of us too. Defiantly could hear the guitars more than the keys this time - when I had 15th row the keys were HOT. Not so much from 2nd row.
Daryl playing the pedals was amazing to watch/feel/hear.
The vocalists at the end of Afterglow - they sang all the way to the end and it was fantastic.
Mama had a problem - Tony's keys went out for about 12-16 bars after the interlude - they just waited. It was interesting to see how they rebounded from it - usually when a song goes south, it's very difficult to pick up the pieces and move on. They did a decent job of finishing it off.
Mike loves the 2nd half of Domino.
I never knew Daryl's bass playing at the end of Invisible Touch was so complex - was fun to watch. Mike even came over to watch a bit of it.
Crowd by me was into it - even the older tunes.
Misunderstanding was great - once it started the crowd came alive.
Watching Nic on drums was fantastic, one could tell he was into it mentally and he was on time and I didn't see even one mistake. His rolls are like his dad's, but other ones (like in Cinema show), he plays them different than Phil.
Saw an older couple in front of me, who I'm sure have been fans longer than I have (looked like in the early 70s). They were frail and you could tell tired - one looked like they had chemo at some point. Seeing them come to life and give what they could with clapping and singing, than having to sit down - puts everything into perspective.
Two younger women filed in next to me - they were..maybe 25? My first thought was they were rich and just wanted to be there. Well was I wrong - they knew EVERY LYRIC! Even more than I did - and they knew they drum hits as well. Was fun watching them get into the music so much. Lots of younger people around me - kids in their 20's.
Lots of younger people around me - front row had a few people who were on their phones the whole time (why?), but a couple in their 30's had dead center and they were loving it and the band watched them quite a bit. Talked to them on the way out - they were really nice.
I know Mike saw me a few times during Domino - I was mimicking his guitar swoops during the 2nd part, and he smiled when he saw me and the guy next to me doing it.
But the real moment for me was Second Home by the Sea - my all time favorite. I've probably heard that song over 300 times in my life, it is my favorite musical composition and I never get tired of it. Monday night was great - but being right there seeing them only a few feet from me was worth the $ for the ticket. During the middle of SHBTS right before the solo when the drums do 4 heavy rolls (right when the eyes come on the screen), they are 4 bars that intro into the solo. Daryl was doing a heavy progression on the bass, Nic was pounding the drums and Mike was handling the guitar like he was 30. It was truly magical - there is no better word for it. I felt a brief musical euphoria - know it sounds kind of weird but best way I can describe it.
All in all, it was both a sad occasion - some of us talked about it before the show how it's the end of the band - and US as we are getting older. But at the same time, it was a celebration. Genesis had an amazing run and what else is better than that? As someone else on here said...We'll never see the likes of them again.
Also - these two shows were musically better than the 07 shows. Just sayin
Love the report. Thank you, and Madison is fantastic. Very moving report. I would have preferred Duchess too, but your report about the elderly couple who was been through a bit and then came to life, hasn't 2020 21 taught us to really enjoy the moment rather than quibble about details that really don't matter in the grand scheme of things. I looked around the crowd several times just trying to absorb it and taking it in knowing that this has been a very difficult time for so many people and it was just great to be with everybody again. Be well.
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Few more tidbits...
The sound was LOUD!
On night 1 - they messed up the end of Domino. So yesterday I had the VIP ticket and as they let us in and to the dining room - the band was sound checking. I stuck my head in the curtains (was behind the stage) and they were working on the ending of Domino specifically, I heard them do it a few times - stop and then pick it up again. No light show - just the music.
And Land of Confusion - wow. The song never sounded so good. The main riff was so tight and power full. Phil this time even gave a "Oh Yeah" at the end like he did back in 92.
So when the hit the ending perfectly last night, Phil and Mike looked at each other and smiled. They were saying "Whew - got it that time!".
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Thanks Methos.
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Here's a great review and pics from opening night in Chicago
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Phil sounded really good on Mama, the best i've heard so far.
If I have one thing that bugs me about Phil right now, is that he would look a lot better if he actually shaved or just had some stubble, instead of what ever he has going on, as it makes him look worse.
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Phil sounded really good on Mama, the best i've heard so far.
If I have one thing that bugs me about Phil right now, is that he would look a lot better if he actually shaved or just had some stubble, instead of what ever he has going on, as it makes him look worse.
lol. Maybe him and Nic have a beard contest going on.
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Display More
Here is night 2 report. Sorry for the long post - but need to put it down while it is in my memory. I'm 51 and have been a fan since 86.
I JUST woke up as I had a 3 1/2 hour drive back to Madison WI.
Night 1 had 15 row with my wife and son, Night 2 I had 2nd row and went alone - centered between Daryl and Mike. Daryl was probably 15 feet away from me. First of all, 2nd row was a different experience than 15 row, I'll say that. I could SEE what Mike and Daryl were playing, and I could hear the 2 vocalists raw - without the mains (PA). Obviously I could hear the raw drum sound as well. I thought I would be able to hear the guitars/bass a bit better as the amps were right there - I could hear them, but the front mains were right in front of us too. Defiantly could hear the guitars more than the keys this time - when I had 15th row the keys were HOT. Not so much from 2nd row.
Daryl playing the pedals was amazing to watch/feel/hear.
The vocalists at the end of Afterglow - they sang all the way to the end and it was fantastic.
Mama had a problem - Tony's keys went out for about 12-16 bars after the interlude - they just waited. It was interesting to see how they rebounded from it - usually when a song goes south, it's very difficult to pick up the pieces and move on. They did a decent job of finishing it off.
Mike loves the 2nd half of Domino.
I never knew Daryl's bass playing at the end of Invisible Touch was so complex - was fun to watch. Mike even came over to watch a bit of it.
Crowd by me was into it - even the older tunes.
Misunderstanding was great - once it started the crowd came alive.
Watching Nic on drums was fantastic, one could tell he was into it mentally and he was on time and I didn't see even one mistake. His rolls are like his dad's, but other ones (like in Cinema show), he plays them different than Phil.
Saw an older couple in front of me, who I'm sure have been fans longer than I have (looked like in the early 70s). They were frail and you could tell tired - one looked like they had chemo at some point. Seeing them come to life and give what they could with clapping and singing, than having to sit down - puts everything into perspective.
Two younger women filed in next to me - they were..maybe 25? My first thought was they were rich and just wanted to be there. Well was I wrong - they knew EVERY LYRIC! Even more than I did - and they knew they drum hits as well. Was fun watching them get into the music so much. Lots of younger people around me - kids in their 20's.
Lots of younger people around me - front row had a few people who were on their phones the whole time (why?), but a couple in their 30's had dead center and they were loving it and the band watched them quite a bit. Talked to them on the way out - they were really nice.
I know Mike saw me a few times during Domino - I was mimicking his guitar swoops during the 2nd part, and he smiled when he saw me and the guy next to me doing it.
But the real moment for me was Second Home by the Sea - my all time favorite. I've probably heard that song over 300 times in my life, it is my favorite musical composition and I never get tired of it. Monday night was great - but being right there seeing them only a few feet from me was worth the $ for the ticket. During the middle of SHBTS right before the solo when the drums do 4 heavy rolls (right when the eyes come on the screen), they are 4 bars that intro into the solo. Daryl was doing a heavy progression on the bass, Nic was pounding the drums and Mike was handling the guitar like he was 30. It was truly magical - there is no better word for it. I felt a brief musical euphoria - know it sounds kind of weird but best way I can describe it.
All in all, it was both a sad occasion - some of us talked about it before the show how it's the end of the band - and US as we are getting older. But at the same time, it was a celebration. Genesis had an amazing run and what else is better than that? As someone else on here said...We'll never see the likes of them again.
Also - these two shows were musically better than the 07 shows. Just sayin
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Methos I was one of the young women in the second row. I'm such a huge fan of them. I've waited my whole life for them to finally reunite and perform. I'm 28 btw and I ha e my dad to thank for introducing me to not only genesis but all old school music.
I was front row at Phil Collins concert in 2018, saw Daryl Stuermer and his orchestra play tribute to genesis about 8 years ago. It was a dream to see them together again. Wish peter was also there but I'm so happy nonetheless. A dream come true 😀
