(Hannover, Germany) – Following on from the incredibly successful ‘Genesis Revisited’ project, Steve Hackett is on the road again. This time he is including tracks from his vast repertoire spanning over 40 years. Hackett’s latest album Wolflight was released earlier this year to much acclaim.
Tonight I was at the all seater, Theatre am Aegi in Hannover, Germany. The venue is packed with punters young, middle-aged and older, many of whom are sporting Genesis T-shirts. It’s been a while since I was in at an all seater gig but I was kind of glad to have a seat. Maybe I have reached that age? Who knows, but it was nice.
A trip back to 1979 with Spectral Mornings opened the show, quickly followed by a return to 2015 and Out of the Body, the first track from Wolflight. So the night progressed. Back and forth through the years with the earlier materiel seeming to please the audience most and receiving the loudest roars of appreciation. Having played almost 2 hours the band returned to a much anticipated rendition of Genesis early classics.
Steve Hackett has sometimes been criticised as meddling with these early Genesis songs. Of the 6 or so he and his band performed tonight I couldn’t pick fault with any, they all sounded exactly as I had heard them in the past. If anything perhaps better. I would suggest more polished than meddled with. My personal highlight was the The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. Rather than attempt to put his own stamp on this classic, vocalist Nad Sylvan has opted to stay true to the original. The manner in which his voice resembles that of a young Peter Gabriel is uncanny and is to be applauded.
Steve Hackett undoubtedly remains a master of his art. Although he is probably still best remembered for his time with Genesis, which no doubt had a hugely positive impact on his solo career, it is only a tiny part of the story. To appreciate the musicianship and the arrangements of his solo work you need to sit down. You need to relax and listen. This is music for those who appreciate it as a craft, it is not intended to make the listener want to jump and dance, ‘nor is it intended to be fashionable. It has been said that Hackett’s sort of music is outdated and has no real place in todays world. The bringing together of the generations in attendance tonight and the fact that he continues to sell out venues wherever he plays goes some way to counter that argument. Having grown up in post Hackett Genesis years I wasn’t too sure what to expect from tonight. I now feel I am better educated for having seen him at arguably his best and I am pleased to report that he is as probably more relevant today than at any point during the past 40 years.
Set List
Spectral
Out of the Body
Wolflight
Every Day
Love Song to A
The Wheel’s Turning
Loving Sea
Icarus Ascending
Star of Sirius
Ace of wands
A Tower Struck Down
Shadow of the Hierophant
Get ‘em out by Friday
Can Utility & the Coastliners
The Cinema Show
Aisle of Plenty
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
The Musical Box
Clocks
Firth of Forth
The Band
NAD SYLVAN – VOCALS
ROGER KING – KEYBOARDS
GARY O’TOOLE – DRUMS, PERCUSSION AND VOCALS
ROB TOWNSEND – SAX, FLUTE AND PERCUSSION
NICK BEGGS – BASS AND RELATED PARAPHERNALIA
Web: www.hackettsongs.com
All Photos by Spike Porteous.
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