I do actually feel for those who are big fans of his solo albums and would like him to do more solo-centric tours. Those fans of Hackett's solo work are being under-satisfied on his recent tours (although on his last two, he has played more of a mixed show - solo and Genesis). I also agree that Nad's vocals are better suited for the Gabriel-era material; my love of the 4-man era songs' music gets me by on the vocals.
I'm sorry that "Inside and Out" was bad for you; it was great at the shows I saw. Was it a duff performance that night or did the vocals just grate your ears too much?
That's a good question and prompts me to qualify my previous post a bit more.
In a way, it was silly of me to have gone to that gig, maybe even unfair, as W&W is down there among my absolute least favourite Genesis albums. So it was a bit daft to go to a gig that I knew would be showcasing that album, and with vocals from someone I already knew I didn't like. With NS, for me it's not so much a case of his style better suiting the PG-era, it's in fact everything about him. He's an okay singer, nothing special, but somehow manages to combine being a bit creepy with having absolutely no presence or charisma (all puns intended) of any kind. When he slowly pads on stage in that way of his, I find it's like a vacuum sucking in most of the energy around him.
So, why did I bother going? It was partly the thing we talked about above - despite my misgivings, I was still drawn by the fact it's someone from Genesis, doing Genesis material, and with the band no longer performing that's all we have to cling on to. That feeling had sustained me through two previous Revisited gigs. But in a way it was useful to go to this one as it made me realise that (for me, anyway) those feelings are a red herring and i should just leave it now. The songs are being sung by an at-best average vocalist, and played by perfectly good musicians who nevertheless can't play them in the same way and I find it leaves the songs wanting. Roger King is a perfectly competent keyboardist but what this gig really brought home to me more than any previous ones is that there is something about the way Banks plays those trademark big chords that no-one else seems able to do. I don't know what it is, but what I did know was that they are a major part of my enjoyment of the music and it just wasn't there.
Another low point was having to again sit through the seemingly interminable Hierophant and Gary O'Toole's tedious drum freak-out. Even in a solo-only show, it would be an inhibiting factor if I knew they were still doing that one.
As for Inside & Out, it was another big attraction for me that they were doing that one, so allowing myself to have got quite psyched up about it didn't help. But to be fair, I should point out I loved the first half of it. I thought it was beautifully and delicately performed, and a joy to hear. Which made it all the worse that the second half, always one of my absolute favourite pieces of Genesis (or any band's) music, was so disappointing. It had no impact, it was as though the rug had somehow been pulled from under it, and the ridiculous inclusion of a tootling flute killed it stone dead. The original has both shimmering sparkling instrumentation but also oomph, power and gravitas, a brilliant and unique combination, but the live one felt to me like its backbone had been removed.
I saw it at the London Palladium, but whether it was just a duff show I doubt, I'm sure the arrangement was the same for the tour so it's unlikely seeing it at a different performance would've made any difference. But as I say, it served its purpose and made me realise that if i go to a Hackett gig again it can only be a solo-only one... that preferably doesn't feature Hierophant!
