Don't worry. I have it on good authority that Virgil is part of a 60 minute suite for the second half of the show.
There's rumours of a Netflix drama adaptation too, but don't spread that around.
I heard that Mike had agreed to a 75 minute medley/mash up combining VIrgil with Whodunnit, Going Out To Get You and a new Genesis song intriguingly called "Rael's Rap"
Honestly I love the idea of them strutting onto the stage, well Phil doing his best to strut....and launching into Watcher....but it's not going to happen. As the poster above says, Nic seems to have stated that Watcher was rehearsed and didn't make the cut.
Therefore I'm wondering about songs which we know are in the set (from Nic) or are likely to make it and which would be good openers.
Behind The Lines was excellent for TIOA in 07. They could launch with this and segue into Duchess (or "new Duchess")
Abacab - it's a stonking track as heard on 3SL and would be a ballsy openener
Land Of Confusion - Appropriate for these strange times we find ourselves in
Or something less ballsy, to give Phil's pipes a chance to warm up and the musicians a chance to limber up their fingers?
Tonight, Tonight, Tonight is certainly in this category.
Carpet Crawlers? Not obvious, and therefore an intriguing choice
I do wonder about the statements various members have made. Mike's "two hour limit" was imposed a year ago, and I do wonder if they might have stretched it to two hours plus an encore or two. Much of the info from MIke, Tony and Phil dates from over a year go when they did the Prog magazine interview and the BBC Radio slot. As far as I can tell the only one of them talking at length since they actually rehearsed is NIc.
Have we heard Nic mention IKWIL? I know it's a staple of Genesis concerts since the mid 70s but with Phil unable to do the tambourine dance (as far as we know), would the consider replacing it with something else? Maybe we'll get two old medleys....though I tend to dislike the medleys that might be the direction they take.
I suspect Tony is right about the majority of the audience expecting the hits....but they could drop a couple of them. I'm doubting we'll get four or five songs from Invisible Touch this time. And I do suspect we'll get shortened versions of some songs (Fading Lights).
Another point made above is that Phil probably won't want to spend long periods of time sitting doing nothing. We don't exactly know how mobile he is these days but even if he is able to drum for a few minutes (he's said he can), he won't be sprinting between the drum kit and the mic. That could mean shorter instrumental sections, or could mean he leaves the stage (as Peter used to) for certain passages. Or maybe he'll be bathed in darkness....still unanswered questions.
Hopefully whatever it was shows up on some DVD of the rehearsals, I thought I read on here they filmed them in case the tour never happened because of the pandemic.
They filmed the final "show" in it's completed form on the last two days of rehearsals when they were ready for the stage.
The earlier rehearsals, according to Nic, included up to 40 songs of which about 25 have made the set. I would imagine that several of the 15 songs that didn't make it were dropped quickly and not thoroughly rehearsed. While there may be footage of the rehearsals, we'd likely only see fragments in an extra on a disc.
I think the most likely surprises are Squonk, Many Too Many, or maybe Watcher of the Skies. I expect one or more of those.
Other than those, I suspect most of the guesses above are going to be close to the mark.
Going from three recent Nic interviews, he's hinted that they rehearsed something really difficult (from the drummer's perspective) which they haven't played in many years...and decided not to add it to the final set.
I'm therefore drawing a conclusion that they tried Watcher and decided not to select it. Shame.
I didn't get into Genesis in the 90s, but my first experience of them was TIOA and Misunderstanding being in the charts in 1980. I was 7 years old but already into Queen and The Police, already familiar with some Yes and ELP as well as some jazz and classical. I noted "Genesis" as being a band to listen out for while I started collecting Queen and The Police. It would be around the time the Mama album came out that I actually started seriously listening, bought that and Invisible Touch when it came out by which time I was 13. Then I delved further back. A friend lent me Seconds Out, another lent me Selling England....and I was really hooked by the more complex music, fantastical lyrics, the instruments they used in the 70s, and the guitar work of someone called Steve Hackett. I started picking up all their albums, not in any particular order.....buying the cheapest used vinyl I could and very soon after buying the original UK vinyl pressings - I was lucky enough to live near a *fantastic* second hand record store which is still trading to this day. That lead me to investigate more prog bands including Yes. I really fell in love with the run from Trespass to Seconds Out. Never have been able to get on with ATTW3, I do really love Duke. To my ears, the style of composition and the instruments used in the 70s are sublime.
Suffice it to say that by 1990 I had UK first pressings of every studio album bar Nursery Cryme and FGTR, and similarly all of Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins' albums up to that point, most of Steve's, Smallcreep, The Fugitive and had started looking for Ant's work. I was aware of Peter Gabriel when Games Without Frontiers was riding high in the charts at the same time as the Duke singles but didn't know that that time he used to be in Genesis. I did have a dubbed cassette of PG3 in the early 80s, and of course for the whole decade nobody could be unaware of Mr. Collins.
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interesting quote from this ' While Mike seems to be not so sure about the UK shows ("I can't see it at the moment")'
TBH listening to the segment of the podcast the quote is taken out of context a bit and Mike is positive and 100% wants the tour to go ahead as planned
ATM here in Ireland were waiting on a new covid roadmap but in the past large mass gatherings have not been discussed. Wait and see situation
I haven't heard the podcast but thanks for confirming my suspicion that the hysterical headline was taken out of context. Elsewhere Mike is talking about the Autumn shows not only taking place, but leading to shows in other countries later.
If that's ALL they played I'd probably be quite happy!
Me too! A limited view of their substantial canon, but if they performed those songs for a TV or radio special that could be great. Nice mix of old, new, familiar and one surprise.
There's another relatively recent interview with Nic. Not much new info but I will spoiler this just in case.
The one person that needs to be on a riser, Phil, isn't on one. Very difficult to see him at some venues when people are stood up on the floor. Jon Anderson uses one standing up.
Another recent (itchy bearded) Nic interview on YT discussing the gigs and preparation.
Perhaps he will be on a riser at some venues? I guess we all have to wait and see how they modify the show going forward.
I think we can safely say they fully intend to tour in the Autumn....and that Land Of Confusion and Mama will be in the set.
When I bought WCD, all I had to go on was the track listing on the back until I got it home. It briefly crossed my mind that Jesus He Knows Me might be a religious song, but I already knew a fair bit about the guys and thought that was unlikely....so I settled on the likelihood of it being less than serious.
It's Genesis slightly off-colour humour at it's best. Harold The Barrell for the 90s. One of the better amusing songs in their canon and certainly one of the better videos.
Probably not on the set for the upcoming tour but to me it's one of the best light hearted songs they ever did.
I know quite a few musicians, from part timers who play small gigs to a couple of A-listers. In the last two weeks they've all started taking bookings for indoor and outdoor events beginning in July. Music venues of all sizes in England are gearing up in anticipation of reopening.
The caveat is that if opening stuff up over the summer causes serious increases in infection rates or deaths and hospitalisations, there will be rethinks on Autumn and winter events.
We're at a point where something like 60% of the UK will have immunity very soon due to vaccines and people recovered from infection. By September we will easily have hit that 75% needed for "herd immunity" though there remains concern over new variants (escaped mutants as the scientists actually call them!) and in all likelihood we won't be able to welcome many visitors from abroad. I don't know how many ticket holders are from outside the UK, I'd assume most are UK residents so the current concerts in the UK are fairly likely to go ahead.
talking more about it been a dig at religion of sorts
Love the song myself
It was made very clear at the time that the song was a dig at the corrupt TV evangelists that the band had seen on television in the states. As Phil stated some of them were genuine and some were crooks. Hence the extended spiel live, about God telling the televangelist he should raise millions of dollars so he could buy cars and gas for them. Hence line about his ever-loving wife beside him who "don't know about my girlfriend, or the man I met last night". It's a dig at corruption in some religious leaders and televangelists.
Well....Nic Collins gave an interview in February where he specifically talks about rehearsing Mama, HBTS, Carpet Crawlers and......Apocalypse In 9/8.
Said they'd rehearsed 40 songs of which about 25 made it into the final set.
Trespass is getting a spin this morning
I don't actually understand what your point is and why you're so upset. So I am just leaving it here and wishing you peace.
Chester has literally said that since his conversion he's more uncomfortable around certain behaviours.
But I guess well established and verifiable facts are "a stretch".
Gotcha.
90 minute interview with NIc on YT recently, with tour set spoilers.
Ooh...I don't see anything on YT...can you point us to it?
I could probably address your implication that religious people are more offended by indulgence in booze, foul language and women, who I'm sure would be thrilled to be lumped in this generalization, than those who are not religious, for the utter fallacy it is....Except, I don't want to and I don't think I should, it's neither here, nor there. I don't know whether Chester is religious or less, I don't know how deep his faith is, again, it's neither here, nor there. Phil, whom I trust nobody on this forum knows well or at all, had a rough period and less than stellar behaviors and suddenly we find out he always had a temper, we want to make sure he isn't a racist and that his behavior is kosher enough not to offend religious sensitivity, whatever that is. Yes, I do believe it's a stretch and we should perhaps not read too much into it. As for the guys not hanging around with Chester as much as they did with Daryl, couldn't it be just a matter of chemistry? Steve was in the band for 7 years and to this day, you can tell he didn't fit in as well as Phil. I don't see why that should be taken as a sign of imperfection on either side.
It is well documented that Chester became a born again Christian in 1980. Chester himself, and others who know him, have said that due to his religious convictions he does not enjoy the booze, substance use, horseplay and foul language that sometimes goes with the rock music scene.
THerefore is it a stretch to say that, after 30 years working together, when Phil was going through a tough time (unbeknown to Chester) and displaying behaviour that makes Chester uncomfortable.....that he felt....uncomfortable?
Really I can't put it more simply.
It is not a criticism of either man.
