Posts by Sentinel

    Chuckling now at the notion that, one track at a time, I'll blunder into discovering the entire set by the time I get to my first gig.


    Anyway, Anthony Drennan, on standby and stuff.

    All I’m going to say is that For Absent Friends was a brave choice and I think it came across quite well.

    I suspect it was possibly meant as an attempt at subversive humour but from the comments above has evidently backfired.

    I think you’re right. Some of the responses to his tweet were IMHO out of order (referring to Genesis as a ‘tribute band’ was a particular highlight) and I think Nad probably hadn’t considered how it would go.

    That’s uncalled for and disappointing from him, I hope Steve has a word. They would be best wishing each other well or saying nothing at all. It seems lots of folk are already forgetting the lessons we should have learned from Covid about what is important in life

    He’s since written a follow-up sort-of non-apology “..people so easily take offence…sorry if I stepped on your toes…”. Some of his responses to people who questioned him were a bit petulant too.


    I think it’s great that artists are willing to engage with the public on social media, but surely Nad would have known about the history here? Maybe Steve needs to tell him to spend less time on the laptop.

    (Didn’t know if this should be in here or in SH sub forum: mods feel free to move.)


    From Nad Sylvan’s Twitter account. I don’t know, maybe it’s me, but I thought this was a bit divisive from Nad. There’s room for all of us under the umbrella!


    My aging memory tells me he did a good job in the CAS tour. I think he tackled the FoF solo and gave a pretty good account of himself. (Someone correct me if I’m wrong, memory loss is a bummer.)


    Obviously, in the nicest possible way we all hope he isn’t needed, assuming all remains well with Mrs Stuermer.

    I still say that Tonight, Tonight, Tonight would have made a great opening song, instead of Duke's Intro/Turn It On Again for the 2nd tour in a row. TTT would have been been nice moody intro to the show... set the atmosphere.

    I’ve only seen the last few tours and they seem to swap between ‘dark and moody’ intros, like Mama, and ‘bright and confident’ starters like Abacab or the Duke suite. Like you, I think I prefer a moody start. Going back, historically they’d start with numbers like Watcher or Squonk, so there doesn’t seem to be a pattern.


    I wonder what thinking goes on when they’re planning the order?

    The problem with the segue between fading Lights and Cinema Show is that it feels like a bad edit: there is no transition into it, just BANG. In my opinion, it felt clumsy.


    There are other new 'junctions' between songs: only short musical phrases, but some are quite interesting.

    Yes, I agree this did seem a little sudden. Also disappointing not to have the Fading Lights instrumental too, but if you have to replace it with anything, I guess Cinema Show is a good option.


    I thought a full version of Fading Lights would have worked well as a finale, given the theme of the song. Mind you, I might have dissolved into a tearful mess had they done that. :)

    The set list is to be fair similar to 2007. Like you, I’d like there to be more from the four-man period, but at this point I’ll take what I can get. It’s surprising how well some of the IT-era tracks work in a live setting. Domino in particular really takes off!


    The acoustic set is really more “semi-acoustic” - sort of stripped down compared to the rest of the night - so don’t worry about it being swamped in an arena setting.

    Another first-time poster here - I also was at the Birmingham show last night.


    Having seen every tour since IT, I’m used to the feeling “this may be the last time”. I think that’s more likely now, but reflecting on the show I think I can at least rest easy that they’re not going out with a whimper.


    Like everyone else, I’d seen the footage of a frail Phil and, remembering the human whirlwind he used to be on stage, was deeply worried how this would work now. And for the first song, perhaps, there were still some doubts. But you could actually see him relaxing into it, reacting to the crowd and feeding off it all.


    The backup singers helped but weren’t intrusive. But I was pleased just how much of the admittedly quite tricky stuff Phil managed. Nic was a true powerhouse. I don’t know if it was just me, but the instrumental sections really seemed to swing, to motor along. This had been one of the doubts for me beforehand - but it shows you should never vote against the Collins DNA!


    Setlist-wise, few surprises. I thought Duchess was a treat, the intro to that with the drum machine was quite lovely and Phil really nailed the vocal. HBTS, Domino and LOC came across well, a reminder that even in their ‘80s and ‘90s “pop” pomp they could produce really powerful modern prog. (Let’s face it, Domino was never going to get played on Radio 1, was it?)


    I think the acoustic mini-set worked really well for tracks like That’s All and FYFM. The version of TLDDOB showed some inventiveness. Joyful to see them experimenting a little after all these years.


    Phil’s sedentary nature meant perhaps the set - lighting and video - had to work harder and in this the audience were treated to perhaps one of the best displays in 40+ years. Hats off to the team for this.


    So if this is going to be their swan song, I think we can rest assured. Far from being a cynical exercise, The Last Domino (?) looks to me to be a fond farewell. And who knows, if Phil continues to feed off the warm response he gets from audiences, maybe that question mark might remain.