Steve Hackett, guitarist and one time member of Genesis from 1971 -1977 finally brought his Covid delayed tour ‘Seconds Out’ to the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall this week. He first visited Glasgow as a solo artist in October 1978 appearing at the Apollo months after his split from Genesis. Do your sums and that’s almost 42 years ago.
Over those last 42 years he has released over 30 albums with mixed success. The highest ranking of those was the 1980 album ‘Defector’ which reached number nine in the UK album charts. His current new album ‘Under a Mediterranean Sky’ released in January of this year made it to 52 in the charts. When considering the fates of the five members of Genesis in the early 70s, his would appear to be the least successful.
Peter Gabriel who left Genesis two years before him went on to higher and greater things as a solo artist. The three members that remained and continued as Genesis; Phil Collins, Michael Rutherford and Tony Banks; took Genesis to even greater heights in the album charts and filled stadiums throughout the world as they found world stardom. Coincidently, Genesis appear at the Hydro next week in their farewell tour. Or will it be their first farewell tour? It has been know to happen in the past.
Anyway, back to Steve Hackett now you know the history. Over 30 albums as a solo artist, a recently new album to promote and a tour to promote the new album and play some of the old faithfuls. Well, that’s normally the case, but not here.
The show lasted 2 and a half hours. Steve gave all of 30 minutes to his solo work (the first act) and the remaining 2 hours to revisiting the live album ‘Seconds Out’ from Genesis released in 1977 and recorded in Paris in June of that year. And that is why the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall was packed to the seams.
Steve Hackett knows the score. He knows there’s a desperation from Genesis fans of the early 70’s version to hear again the masterpieces the band created through albums such as Foxtrot, Selling England by the Pound and The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. That’s when Genesis were Kings of Prog Rock.
When Peter Gabriel left, soon to be followed by Steve, the remaining members went in a different musical direction. Prog Rock became Pop Rock and for many Genesis devotees like me, it was a path they set out on that we didn’t want to follow. Yes, Genesis reborn 1977 onwards were massively successful with chart hits by the score both singles and albums, but and it’s a big but, it wasn’t the real Genesis.
The audience at the Glasgow Concert Hall; what a great venue it is for viewing and listening it is; were of a similar age. It could have been a convention of those who got their first jab early days in the Covid vaccination roll out. There was a commonality among those attending. That commonality was an opportunity to see and hear those classic songs from Genesis being performed lived and delivered by an ensemble that Steve Hackett had put together to do justice to the songs played. He is a guitarist of the highest order.
That mastery was on display despite him now being 71 years of age. His fellow band members, much younger I may add displayed the same expertise. I also give credit to vocalist Nad Sylvan. I always think if you are doing covers of songs it helps if the vocalist sounds similar to the original singer and Nad whilst not a Peter Gabriel, made you think that Peter was somewhere in the room on the night. On another note, when Gabriel left Genesis, they looked at over 100 replacements before settling on Phil Collins their drummer. Collins it turned out was able to sound closest to Gabriel when they did songs from the back catalogue.
When Phil Collins takes centre stage next week at the Hydro on the Genesis farewell tour the set list from earlier gigs shows that they concentrate on their material from 1977 onwards. They do pay some lip service to songs from a previous era.
What Steve Hackett offered was a trip down memory lane. When you get to the age that I am, like many others of a similar age a wee trip down memory lane is not a bad thing. For many in attendance at the Concert Hall to watch Steve Hackett, it was a chance to roll back the years and celebrate our long gone youth. Perhaps even, in the light of the last 18 months it is to celebrate the fact that we are still able to enjoy music.
For those in attendance at Steve Hackett’s first solo gig at the Apollo in 1978 and who were present in 2021 at the Glasgow Concert Hall it has no doubt been an incredible journey. And long may the journey continue. Haste ye back Steve Hackett. See you in 2022! If you do come back be assured, you’ll be well fed and looked after. Yer tea’s oot as we say in Glasgow or as you say in Englans, ‘Supper’s Ready’.
