STEVE HACKETT - North American Tour 2019

    • Official Post

    Steve Hackett has finally announced 20 US-Dates for next September and October. An additional show in Toronto is also new on the list


    Find all dates here:


    https://www.genesis-news.com/c…and-ticket-info-s685.html



  • YEE-HAA!!! ^^


    I think I’m going to catch a couple of these shows and maybe finally throw down for a meet-and-greet, if they are announced.


    Bring on September! 8)

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

  • Tickets purchased for both the Ithaca, NY show and the 2nd Keswick show for Philadelphia! 8) I'll have to decide which show to do a meet-and-greet for now. Steve always seemed like a nice, down-to-earth guy. I also like several people in his band (well, all of them really). So, why not meet them this time around? I can't imagine he'll do these Genesis-themed shows forever.


    I have noticed a pattern, though. He's singled out "Wind & Wuthering" and "Selling England By The Pound" on a couple of these tours. He's also honored "Voyage Of The Acolyte", "Please Don't Touch", and now "Spectral Mornings" as well. Does that mean he'll single out "A Trick Of The Tail" and/or "Defector" in the near future? I guess time will tell.



    P.S. If anyone wants the pre-sale code for The Beacon Theater show in NYC on September 25th, it's "ROCK" (all caps, no quotation marks).

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

    Edited once, last by OneForTheVine: added P.S. ().

  • Would love to see him play the entire Trick of The Tail album. My guess is it will hinge on whether Roger King can play the piano mid-section of Mad Man Moon. Few can play that with only two hands.:)

  • A very "Steve Hackett Day" for me today! 8) My ticket for the Ithaca, NY show arrived in the mail today (which I was quite eager to have in my possession - I was able to get a front-row center seat for the show:thumbup:), AND the meet-and-greet links went live for all the shows from April to November (Europe/North America/UK). Here are the links - the meet-and-greet links are to the right of the ticket links:


    http://www.hackettsongs.com/tour.html



    The price was quite reasonable - only $45! Here is all that you get for that price:



    Commemorative laminate pass.

    Limited edition art print suitable for signing & framing.

    Complimentary copy of the official 2019 Tour Programme.

    Autograph & photo opportunity with Steve (using your own camera or smartphone).



    You are e-mailed before your event with further details (I'm sure that includes where to go specifically, how many items you can bring for autographing, etc.). I haven't done a meet-and-greet before, and I have always wanted to do one for Steve. He always seems so kind and approachable; I'd love to meet him and the whole band. So, if you would like to participate too, the links are live!

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

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    Here is Nad Sylvan's first performance of "Blood On The Rooftops".

  • Hope you enjoyed the show. Some great songs in the solo part.....and of course you cant beat a bit of Genesis

    I most certainly did! 8):thumbup:


    A more comprehensive review is coming. I incorporated a mini-vacation into this trip, so I have been too busy to write yet.


    But, it is coming. :)


    A great show!

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

  • I'll have to do this review in parts. I travelled a bit to see this show, I did the meet-and-greet, and then of course I saw the show. The first two bits first, then the show itself next.


    When the original theme for this tour was announced (i.e., what music from Steve's past and present would be highlighted), I knew I was seeing more than one show. In the past on the GR tours, I would catch one show. This was because only one show would truly be convenient for my schedule. The early tours in 2013 and 2014 I was sorely tempted to see another show, but I couldn't make any other shows besides the one I ended up going to.


    However, with SEBTP (my favorite Gabriel-era Genesis album) and "Spectral Mornings" (my favorite solo album of Steve's) being featured, I was definitely seeing two shows (at least - after seeing this show I am flirting with the idea of catching a third). My "local" shows were the two at the Keswick Theater in Glenside, PA (i.e., honorary Philadelphia) on September 27/28 (I am going to the second one). With this tour's current theme, I wanted to incorporate a meet-and-greet also.


    So, why didn't I just go to both Philly-area shows? A good question which has good answers: 1) I'm not the biggest fan of seeing shows on consecutive nights (especially if it's the same artist with identical setlists) - I like to avoid fatiguing my ears, 2) the Keswick Theater is just far enough away from where I live to make driving there twice in two nights a bit annoying, and 3) the demand for the meet-and-greets there will be massive. So, I needed to find another show within reasonable driving distance and with more time apart from the Philly shows (this is why I didn't opt for the Beacon Theater show in NYC - that, and the high demand for the meet-and-greet for that show).


    I checked out the dates of the tour, and all the alternatives after Philly required more driving than I wanted to do, as were the ones before Philly. Before the New England shows, he was playing Canada. At first, I thought my mission may have been hopeless. But wait...what do I see? Before Canada, he is playing two shows in New York State! The first...North Tonawanda...suburban Buffalo...that's much too far. However, the second...Ithaca...now that's doable! I have also always loved the Finger Lakes region of NY; a family vacation in Watkins Glen when I was a kid sealed my love for this beautiful area forever. So, Ithaca became my other show.


    Of course, scoring a front row seat for this show made me feel like this plan was destiny! Then, when the meet-and-greets went live, I was the first to sign up for that too! (I only found that out on Friday when Jacqueline (Steve's merchandising assistant) read out the names to line up in the order in which the original reservations were made; I was called first.) I was finally going to meet Steve and be blown away by great music in the front row! 8)

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

  • This was my first paid meet-and-greet. As you probably already know, many such opportunities can be very pricey. However, Steve's was quite reasonable - $45. This was the clincher for me in going to one, i.e., I didn't feel like I was being financially fleeced just to meet him briefly.


    For the price, I also felt like we got a lot too. As I described above, you got a tour meet-and-greet lanyard, a copy of the tour program, and autographed album-sized poster promoting the tour (those last two would have been $25-$40 by themselves - I can't say exactly because I didn't research the price of them since I already had them), the opportunity to bring two items of your choice to be autographed, talk to him briefly, and, if you brought a camera/smartphone, to be photographed with the great man himself! I think all that was well worth $45. (I wouldn't be against doing it again sometime either.)


    However, even in sleepy Ithaca, NY, there were plenty of people who must have thought the same way as I did because there were 25-30 people there for it! Jacqueline explained, with the number of people there and with Steve's need to have some time to decompress before the actual show, that it would be nice if we didn't linger for too long in conversation (she actually looked quite concerned on the demands for his time pre-show). Since I was first in the queue, I acquiesced to her request.


    I got to introduce myself to Steve, shake his hand (thus, I have accomplished a dream of finally meeting a member of the band in person - he was my first, hopefully not the last), have him autograph my vinyl copy of "Genesis Live" (inherited from my uncle who, along with my mom (yes, seriously), made me a fan of proper music) and the "centerfold" of the original re-release CD booklet of "Spectral Mornings", and have my picture taken with one of my musical heroes. (Jacqueline was nice enough to take more than one too - she's a true saint.)


    I even had time to take my swag back to my hotel room before the doors opened for the actual show. Just a great experience! 8)


    After I came back and got in, I got a lovely t-shirt which featured a visual tribute to the cover of SEBTP. Instead of the sleeping figure on the bench was, of course, Steve's guitar. Subtly, in the background, the artwork for his new "At The Edge Of Light" album is visible too. A very nice shirt!

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

  • "But what about the show?" I hear you ask. Well, here's about the show...


    The set was the same as the night before in the Buffalo area (see a few posts above for the link to that setlist). The structure of the show was Solo Album set, intermission, SEBTP in order with the unfinished SEBTP-era track "Deja Vu" appended at the end, along with "Dance On A Volcano", and "Los Endos" as a final encore (with a couple of extra look-ins from Steve's solo work included).


    I won't comment on every song (all were very well performed by the whole band), but I do have to talk about a few songs. In the first set, after "Every Day" (which had to be the opening song), he played 3 songs from the new album. These sounded really good live! If you weren't wild about the studio versions of these songs (or never bothered to pick up the new album), hearing these songs performed by this band was a real treat! They sounded great!


    The rest of the "Spectral Mornings" songs were stellar (as is the original album, of course). If you were concerned about Gary O'Toole not being on this current tour, rest assured that the drumming was expertly taken care of by Craig Blundell. To put it bluntly, he was/is absolutely phenomenal! To hear him play the solo in "Clocks - The Angel Of Mons" was worth the price of admission by itself. He even threw in a one-handed drum roll at the end for good measure - yes, seriously. I heard an impressively-played roll with two hands; however, as I watched it, only his right-hand was moving! :huh:

    Steve even pointed out the spectacular feat at the end. This ended the first set.


    The SEBTP set came next and was absolutely phenomenal! The album was played in order, and a few songs deserve special mention. IKWIL got an extended instrumental jam by the band near the end of the song. Wow...just WOW! It just rocked! Not everyone was enthused, though - Nad pretended (or not - I can't read his mind, so I don't know for sure) to fall asleep on his mike while it was going on. ^^ "Firth Of Fifth" was magnificent - Roger King aced the piano opening (who, strangely, plays it better live than Tony often did on the original SEBTP tour - consult the boots of the era for proof) and Steve displayed the majesty of sustain in his glorious solo. Nad's vocal really shine on the Gabriel-era songs; however, some are less impressed by his renderings of Collins-sung songs. I have to say that his singing on "More Fool Me" and "Dance On A Volcano" later was really great! Perhaps the best I have heard from him on such songs. Nad was also excellent on "The Battle Of Epping Forest" - Peter sang some tongue-twisting lyrics on that song in particular, but Nad handled them perfectly! "After The Ordeal" gave Rob Townshend (sax/flute/assorted wind instruments) an opportunity to shine (and Steve as well of course). "The Cinema Show" was one of the highlights of the evening - the instrumental section was just pure prog rock at its finest. Jonas Reingold was superlative (he was all night; anyone who plays a Rickenbacker bass as well as he does will always get plenty of smiles from me). Jonas and Craig make one hell of a rhythm section too - very potent, but with subtlety when it is needed too.


    "Deja Vu" was a joy to hear live. I had only heard the original (i.e., the fleshed-out version of the originally unfinished song) on the first "Genesis Revisited" album; it was more vibrant live. "Dance On A Volcano" got a mildly extended jam at the end too. Cheers galore afterwards.


    "Los Endos" was another "Joy of Prog" moment too - faithful to the original, but opportunities were given for the instrumentalists to shine, and they took them. Just a great, great evening of music. 8):thumbup:


    The band was clearly enjoying themselves all night. Watching them play off of one another and challenging each other during the show was as fun as the music itself. They all love playing this music, and it showed audibly and visually. If you like great music played very well, treat yourself to a show (or two or more). I know I'm going to.

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

  • Well done OFTV. What a great show & how great you got to meet Steve. We are not doing the meet & greet next year - hubby thought it was too expensive. :cursing:

    Hmmm...I can't believe they would be so much more expensive Down Under.



    I just looked at his HackettSongs website, and they haven't posted any links for the AU/NZ meet-and-greets yet. I would keep checking this link:


    http://www.hackettsongs.com/news/newsLive97.html


    and see if links don't eventually pop up.



    They will appear to the right of the "Tickets" links, like they do on this page:


    http://www.hackettsongs.com/news/newsTour2019.html


    The meet-and-greet links went live about a month after the tickets first went on-sale. I bought my ticket to the show in January, but I didn't buy the meet-and-greet until February.


    In any case, I hope you enjoy the show - it was great! 8):thumbup: I hope you can purchase the meet-and-greet later!

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

  • Here the M&G were sold as part of the ticket price, not separately, through one of the major ticket agencies, and hubby just refused to consider it. The VIP package which is listed on the right of the Australian tour page is the M&G package. I see what you are saying about other tours but that doesn't seem to apply to us. I can't do anything about it anyway as we already have our tickets.