Posts by DownAndOut

  • The Domino Principle in Paris

    Hi all,

    We all know the famous Domino Principle routine from Phil.
    However, it was a bit different during the first Paris show.

    Phil goes his customary "Sometimes it's been known to affect us up here" and the musicians wave their hands.

    Then he said "Sometimes it can affect this guy down here" and he shows a guy in the front row, whose image is displayed on the stage screens. The guy was puzzled and didn't know what to do, obviously ^^ but Phil made him stand up and he got a round of applause. :)

    You can see it here at 1:37:26

    I wondered if he did the same at other shows ?

  • First use of Vari-lite video?

    During the Abacab Tour, the "wow" moment I remember the most is the "Outside the cage" section of ITC, when all the Varilites centered on Phil, plus of course the "keep on turning" part. Curiously, I don't remember being that puzzled by their use on Dodo.

  • Ever heard of Rupert Hine ?

    Well, if you’re into our favorite band, you should have, because this is a musician with multiple Genesis connections :

    • He produced Anthony Philips’ Sides
    • He produced electronics for the Jerzy Skolimowski film The Shout, which Tony and Mike scored
    • Phil is credited on two of his solo albums
    • He produced Songs From Tibet : The Art of Peace, on which Peter collaborated


    In fact, I discovered Rupert Hine thanks to Phil.


    As an avid Genesis fan in 1980, I was looking for everything Phil, Tony or Mike were (even remotely) associated with. So I came upon this weird album called Immunity who featured Phil. And I was hooked right away.

    Hine, as an ex-producer, wanted to avoid comparisons with producer-turned-solo-artists such as Alan Parsons and even today, its first album is a real landmark of musical and technical ingenuity. It is indeed very close to the sonic experiments of Peter Gabriel’s third and fourth album. Hine recorded and manipulated sounds much in the way Peter did, creating loops from ambiant noises.


    Immunity was followed by Waving Not Drowning in 1982 (on which Phil played as well) and The Wildest Wish To Fly in 1983. Those two albums were less daring, sonically speaking, but are still very strong thanks to Hine’s songwriting talents.

    In 1986, in order to mock the musical industry who produced « false » groups such as Milli Vanilli, he assembled Thinkman, a group made of actors, while he assumed alone all the songwriting and producing process. Curiously, the group was quite successful, and the debut album, The Formula, was followed by two others Life is a Full Time Occupation and Hard Hat Zone. The albums were less interesting and audacious than its solo work, but they still stand thanks to Hine’s unique craft.


    In 2008, he supervised the album Songs For Tibet : The Art of Peace, which lead him to collaborate with Peter Gabriel. In the meantime, he was a sought-after producer, working with Tina Turner, Stevie Nicks, Rush, Suzanne Vega, Underworld, The Fixx, Howard Jones and Chris De Burgh.


    Sadly, Rupert Hine passed away in 2020, at 72.


    Peter Gabriel posted a very touching obituary on Facebook :

    https://m.facebook.com/PeterGa…ment_id=10158067444244760


    If you want to discover :


    The Immunity album :

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUmOql58Cck


    « Unshy On The Skyline » : The Best of Rupert Hine

    https://www.youtube.com/playli…vcxR9f_VPbQ5RbLZzbDJOW5bE


    « Fighting Apathy With Shock » : The Best of Thinkman

    https://www.youtube.com/playli…I14wobkeSbvyw2haVVOrRtU7Q


    A TV appearance, (The Set-Up, from his second album) featuring Phil Collins :

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_v5vl3C0Co


    Any thoughts ?

    I searched the forum with the keyword Immunity, but the only posts I found were COVID-related ^^

    Hope that some of you know his work, cause it's really worth it !

  • 16, 17 March 2022 | Genesis live in PARIS | reports

    I felt the same during the 2007 tour, where my two sons and my daughter went with me.
    They weren't there this time but my wife was, it was a Genesis first for her and she was very impressed.


    It was my 7th Genesis concert. I saw them in 1981, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1998, 2007 and now 2022.
    This show was really special, with Phil's touching efforts to give its best and the gang (Mike, Tony and Daryl) always playing at the top of their game. Sure, Nick can't beat Chester, but it was very emotional to see father and son united by music. In a 2007 interview, Phil said he would like very much to take his children on tour, I guess he fulfilled that dream with the current tour.


    I couldn't help being really moved by the "Fading Lights" words. It says so much about getting older and I still think it's a perfect way to end their story. With this one and "Duchess", the concert was a really moving experience.


    It was really cool to enjoy the wonderful light show. The 2007 concert was a frustrating experience in that regard, beginning too early to take full advantage of the Varilites and the projections. La Défense Arena was certainly huge (and incidentally next to the building I work in !) and the right kind of venue for such a gigantic setup. We weren't very close to the stage (I messed up my reservation) but at the right distance to fully appreciate the concert.

    All in all, a very emotional moment.