Posts by BassAnd12Man

Quote from Ashley

Actually I am getting a bit tired of those "Genesis Revisited" tours. I am not that familiar with his solo stuff but would go see him if he did just that (for a change).

Just my 2 ct ...

I understand the sentiment but he's found that "sweet spot" with these tours and unlikely to change the formula, especially at (nearly) age 74. He would be playing to much smaller crowds if he focused solely on solo stuff. That being said, I have been following Steve (solo) since nearly Day 1 and have seen a lot of those earlier tours and they were fantastic, with virtually no Genesis in the setlist (then again, he was in his late 20s and early 30s). I consider myself lucky to still be able to see him at this age, not to mention mine!

Quote from thewatcher

Seems to be outpacing inflation. I wonder if there are structural reasons behind it (transport logistics, carbon taxes in different jurisdictions, more middle men etc).

The music business model is the reverse of what it was in the 1970s, i.e., in the '70s, bands made money selling records and tours were merely marketing vehicles to drum up sales. Bands, rarely, if ever , made money on tour in the 1970s. I had chat many, many moon ago with the promoter who brought Genesis to the Tower Theater in Philly for the SEBTP tour and he said something like "I paid them $250, and their touring expenses were $500". My numbers might be slightly off, but not by a lot. Today, bands make zero dollars selling albums, hence the financial model dictates that they make a killing touring. The first act to do this big time was the Eagles on their Hell Freezes over Tour in 1994? Tickets were insanely exorbitant, something like $150, which was unheard of. But boomers (of which I am i part of the very late segment) forked over the money. Guess what? Every other '70s band starts kicking up their ticket prices after that "watershed" tour. It's a great time to be a promoter since they stand to make major $$$$$$$$ from tours.

Quote from CountingOutTime

Have you watched The Wrecking Crew documentary about the studio musicians who performed on many of the classic hits of the 60s, including Wichita Lineman? Fascinating insight into the music biz in its heyday.

Glenn Campbell was a member of the Wrecking Crew and appeared on many Beach Boys hits in the '60s. He was an incredible guitarist, which many people don't realize. Same with Muscle Shoals "Swampers". To quote Lynyrd Skynyrd, "now, Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers". They played on everything, including Aretha Franklin hits.

The list has changed significantly over the decades but one song that I've never wavered from is.... Seven Stones. And they rarely played it live.

Quote from OneForTheVine

...and then there's the star of the show. How does Steve play as well as he has always played at age 72? He does, he just does.

Thanks for your review! I actually think that Steve is a MUCH better guitar player now (over the past 10-15 years) than he was when playing with Genesis. If you listen to old Genesis recordings (certainly in the Gabriel days), there were a number of flubs (try finding the Firth of Fifth solo played flawlessly on any show from the SEBTP tour - good luck). His tone now is incredible and his playing is super confident. I'd sort of expect this with 50+ years of playing but as you point out, not everyone ages so well. Happy that we can still all enjoy his playing. Thanks again.

Quote from Backdrifter

I noticed a new vape shop is opening in Inverness. What a relief, there's only about 20 f***ing thousand already there so we do desperately need another one. Phew! Panic over.

I agree Backdrifter. I live in a really nice colonial, upscale village outside of Philly and they opened one those. It reminded me of Trespass' cover - like slicing a knife across a beautiful painting.....

Quote from OneForTheVine

That’s great to read - good news from very sad inspiration.

Unfortunately, great songs often arise out of very dark places and emotions....

Quote from The Lamb

So I haven’t bought my ticket yet but it looks like I’ll be going to the TMB show here in Montreal on Saturday. Today I listened to the entire TLLDOB double album. What a masterpiece it is. So ironic that Peter left the band after that triumphant album and tour. It could have spelled the end for Genesis.

I always called it "the anti-Genesis" album. Set in NYC, punk attitude to it and so radically different from SEBTP (and no acoustic 12-string guitar - blasphemy for Genesis lol). And Trick was really a return to more familiar grounds with soft pastoral 12-string guitars and an "Englishness" to it. All incredible albums, of course!

Quote from MoonlitKnight

Hmm, the guitarist? (Just a wild guess lol).

Bassist :).

Quote from OneForTheVine

OK - another update...

They have now added a date in Cleveland on the 12th of June. So, that pretty much takes away the time frame in between the 10th and 16th for putting on two shows at The Keswick (since the 14th is already taken by another show at the venue - I can't see them shoehorning in shows on the 13th and 15th when they are playing NYC on the 16th and 17th).

So, at the moment, these are the most likely windows for Keswick shows:

1) the 20th/21st of June (both available at the venue - it would just mean extending the tour beyond the Tarrytown, NY show)

2) just before/after their two shows in Quebec City in September.

3) some indeterminate dates in between

So, we're still waiting for official info.

In the meantime, I have decided to see TMB perform "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" on Broadway. If this is the last time there are doing it in full, why not see it there? So, I'm going to the Palladium on the 16th. Of course, I'll still catch a show at the Keswick, whenever tickets go on sale (someday)...

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It'll most likely be 1) above. I can't see 2) happening because of the travel and tax headaches for just a handful of shows. I can't imagine them not playing the Philly area especially since one of the members is married to a girl from Upper Darby lol (yes, I have a bit of inside info

Could of, should of, didn't :).

Quote from thewatcher

He has a beautiful unique sound and style. If a guitar can be very lyrical, his is. I agree his sound was a huge part of the Genesis sound, a very prominent part of the fingerprint. I think - but am open to correction - that he incorrectly claimed to have invented fretboard tapping as a technique, that obviously became a huge part of metal.

I don't think of best guitarists of all time too much, I think there's an elite group of masters that were/are the best. I would have Steve in a group with David Gilmour, Mark Knopfler, Phil Lynnott and several others I'm sure belong there but I don't know their work as well (Hendrix, Slash, Clapton etc). Brian May maybe. Bernard Butler too. Billy Corgan is an extraordinary guitarist but lacks some tiny bit of expressivity those others all have.

I very much put Hackett and Gilmour in the same "bucket". Not super fast and technical guitarists, compared to the Allan Holdsworths of the world (whom I also love - listen to his solos on the 1st UK album) but their styles are so incredibly haunting and emotive. Think of the end of Epping Forrest or the end of All in a Mouse's Night or Spectral morning, to name just 3 examples and you get where I'm coming from. Same for Gilmour - those 4 simplistic opening notes of Shine On still hit me every time.

Quote from FeelItComing

Don Henley-ish sound to the keys? You mean like Building The Perfect Beast where the synthesisers take over the entire album and ruin it (despite what all critics say)? I will have to listen to the original song.

Sure, if that's how it resonates with you lol lol lol.

Not sure why this topic keeps getting dredged up over and over again. Steve left Genesis at age 27; he's now 72 (notice the little inversion lol?). He was a key member of the band and wrote very key bits/songs as a member. He spent the late '70s, '80s and a good chunk of the '90s pursuing his solo interests and now prefers to balance the Genesis stuff and his own solo offerings. I've been fortunate enough to see him from '77 through the first solo tours and the Genesis revisited shows. All great experiences. We can over-analyze this to death but can't we be thankful that one former member of the band is still providing us with these great songs and great performances with top notch musicians? Oye-ve....

Quote from KeithC

I just cannot see any reunion, it seems very unlikely that Tony or Mike will want to guest on Steve's shows, and accepting that Phil is done with Genesis, a new singer would have to be found and the last time this happened it wasn't a happy experience. I think Steve would have been up for a reunion anytime over the past couple of decades but this has always been unlikely as evidenced by the BBC doc. Also, Steve left abruptly in the 70s and I doubt Tony has forgiven him! It's just wishful thinking and teasing from Steve.

Hi Keith. I can assure you, Tony does not dislike Steve and has showed up at some of his past gigs (he's even stated liking Steve's solo work quite a bit). Steve has also attended past birthday parties for Tony so it's all water under the bridge at this point. The "rags" like discord and though their relationship may have been a bit rough in the late '70s, that's 45 years ago.... As far as a "reunion", it ain't going to happen to use common vernacular.

Here's a completely random thought. Like many, I'm still "cognitively" chewing on the Lamb re-arrangement that was performed on the last tour..... However, in flavor(u)r, it kept reminding me of something.... And it hit me this morning. The Light Dies Down on Broadway. I'm not saying that it sounds like that song but it has that kind of vibe to it, albeit with a modern "Don Henly-sh" sound to the keys. Have I lost my mind? That happened a long time ago.... Cheers.

Quote from Squonk_Watcher

I caught Steve in London for this tour in September 2021, my first time seeing him but long overdue. Should have seen him years ago!

Anyway, it was a brilliant show. I've always liked Nad's vocals, he did a fantastic job and the setlist was incredible. I'm 38 and so never got to see Genesis perform most of these songs, so it was amazing to see them. Supper's Ready was phenomenal, and Hackett was mesmerising to watch. It was also a treat to see the full version of The Musical Box.

I really liked the new tracks too, so I bought Steve's new album and love it!

Always nice to see a "young one" (kidding) get into this type of music since it's from a completely different time. Glad you're enjoying the shows and the music. I was lucky to be there from the late '70s onwards and it's nice that this music serves as a bridge between generations. Peace.

Thanks for your replies everyone. I especially appreciate the civility of your tones as I was quite frankly expecting to get skewered from all possible angles. Probably why I enjoy this site so much. Cheers, Andre.

First off, thanks to all of you who posted videos and thoughts on the final show (for those of you who were lucky enough to be in attendance last night at the O2). But, forgive me if I'm reading in between the lines, it sounded all a bit "anticlimactic". Not bringing Steve and Peter out for 1 song was a bit of a downer to long-time fans. At the very least, introducing them and thanking them for their contributions would have been a nice gesture and a way to close the loop. As someone stated, "it was business as usual" which is disappointing as a final show. From the sounds of it, the show could have happened in the US, Germany or anywhere else they played on this tour. Then again, Genesis have never bent over backwards for their fans (I know that I'll get torched for saying this) or have never struck me as such. They do what they want to do. And as far as the "they owe us nothing" argument, I can buy that in some respects but the reality is that they would not exist without the support (financial and otherwise) of their fanbase so let's temper that a little bit, shall we? And finally, for those of you hoping for a Phil solo tour, uhhh, keep dreaming. If you think he looks beat up now, he will exponentially look worse in the next couple of years. Sorry if this is a bit of a downer as a message..... This is the end....

Quote from kb1977

100% agree. We were at the concert last night which was great but I was amazed at the number of people who seemed more interested in their drinking, eating and toilet breaks. I found it hugely disrespectful to the musicians on stage. People got up time after time during some of the most poignant moments of the show. I will not go to a gig of this size again or to the O2. We see lots of music at the De La Ware Pavillion in Bexhill including Steve Hackett a few months back and this was not an issue. Everyone seemed to be there to listen to the music rather than drink all night. Last night there were some huge fans like us around us who seemed just as frustrated as we were by the attitude of other people at the concert. A lady next to me said "it is just how people are now" after she had told two guys off for chatting throughout the first hour of the show and showing no interest in the band or their performance. I saw Genesis numerous times in the 80s and 90s and my memory is that everyone sat in their seats and gave the concert their full attention. I do not recall this drinking and eating culture.

Just to say finally, despite this I had a great time. Genesis were brilliant and as it looks like this is it can I just say that they went out on a high. They were magnificent and Phil was a revelation. He was so much more engaged and enthusiastic compared to the 2007 tour.

The bigger the band, the bigger the venue, the more "diverse" (not in the good sense of the word) the crowd gets. You have TONS of people who are there just to say "that they were there". It could be Genesis or any other band for that matter. That's the real downside of becoming commercially successful (with an inordinate amount of upsides too, obviously - like those multiple mansions). The worst is stadium shows - constant jabbering and up/down. The funny part is that Genesis, certainly in the '70s, was major "weed" band. You might not like weed but it doesn't lead to people using the urinals every 10 minutes!