Genesis tour 2020?

[Shit Good Nose]

Just watched the brief interview on the BBC website.  Pretty difficult watch for a big fan and long-time Collins defender.  Looks like he's lost weight since the PBS doc was filmed and I noticed his teeth were very brown.  I think that his medical issues might be a bit more terminal than he's said.

[rue the polywhirl]

Looking forward to this tour now they got Hans Moleman taking over lead vocals. "Touring has ruined my life. I'm 31 years old!". Hope they play favourites such as 'I was saying Boo-urns' and 'Land of Man Getting Hit By Football'.

[TheMonk]

Man. I wasn't expecting it but that BBC thing brought me to tears.
I saw him solo two or three years ago and he was struggling but managed.
He looks like he's deteriorated since then.
The rest of the band seem to be in very good health physically and musically. That may hold the shows together. But this just looks so grim.
I've loved this band.
https://youtu.be/na3DF155UGo

[jobotic]

Surely they have the technology to let him drum by fax?

Never been a Genisis fan but his drumming on Mother Whale Eyeless by Eno makes me want to applaud every time I hear it so I hope he recovers from whatever is wrong.

[SweetPomPom]

Wish I hadn't watched that BBC thing, bit fucking bleak.

[Darles Chickens]

Wish I hadn't watched that BBC thing, bit fucking bleak.

Likewise... very very sad to see Phil in that condition, slurring his words and pretty much looking 20 years older than he is.  If his current health problems don't finish him off, I wouldn't be at all surprised if this tour did.  I really wonder why they're doing it at all.

[Jittlebags]

Shame Willie Thorne has died and taken his alien tech to the grave. He might have had some alien exoskeleton with synapse controlled actuators Collins could have worn.

[Huxleys Babkins]

He didn't seem that bad when he was doing that Hyde Park show back in 2017, so the idea of a Genesis tour three years after that didn't seem so far fetched.

[olliebean]

The second half of this video, with Phil trying to drum and not being able to keep time, was pretty devastating tbh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNR2YsfT37A

Not sure when this is from; it must be an early rehearsal for this tour, but he's looking a lot worse in that BBC interview. Scary to see him having deteriorated so quickly.

[metaltax]

That's not this tour because Chester Thompson is on 2nd drums in the video.

[olliebean]

Must have been the 2007 tour then. I didn't realise he was so out of practice when they started rehearsing that one.

[Shit Good Nose]

Yep, that was for the 2007 tour.  He wasn't out of practice generally, just on that song - they hadn't played it since 1982 and, by his own admission, Phil has ALWAYS struggled to remember songs he hasn't played for so long and it takes him a while to pick them up again, so completely unrelated to his medical issues in 2007 (which were relatively minor at that point) and now.

[Shit Good Nose]

Saw Steve Hackett in Cardiff last night.  A few solo songs to open before a break followed by a complete performance of Seconds Out, with full length versions of all songs except Dance On A Volcano.

Absolutely amazing gig.  Hackett is definitely showing his age now (he's got an old man's hunch and stoop), but boy-hoody can he still play the geetar, and his current touring band is phenomenal.  Genesis will have to do a FUCKLOAD on Monday to get anywhere near that live dynamic.  By which I mean there's no way they're going to get anywhere near that live dynamic.

[SweetPomPom]

Sounds good, I'm at Hackett on Monday. So is he basically supporting himself with a solo set?

I'm at the point where if the Genesis gigs happen then thats enough to count as a win. Low bar since that BBC breakfast thing, hopefully he was just having an off moment..

[Shit Good Nose]

Sounds good, I'm at Hackett on Monday. So is he basically supporting himself with a solo set?

Yep basically, a short 25-ish minute first "half" and then Seconds Out straight through without a break, which must be about 2 hours given the full length songs and extended Supper's Ready. 

Craig Blundell is the best drummer Hackett's had since Ian Mosley (absolutely nothing wrong with Gary O'Toole, but Blundell is next level) although his style is completely different from Collins, Thompson and Bruford, so don't go in expecting familiar fills, and in Jonas Reingold you've got a proper prog beast on bass.  Nad Sylvan remains a bit marmite (perhaps Bovril as it's less divisive).

I've now seen Hackett live about 15+ times and last night ranks in the top 3.  The only thing I would say is I REALLY want him to do a tour of his own stuff because it's been getting on for 10 years since he's done a proper solo tour.  I get it though, he's onto a good thing with the Genesis tours and he's the only one that seems to care about the back catalogue.

But if Hackett was all about the music, then Genesis on Monday will be all about duty, atmosphere and a farewell to both Phil and the band.   As one of the friends I'm going with says "we'll do the singing for him".  I don't say this with any humour at all, but I genuinely can't see them making it to the end of the tour.  I think at best they'll stop after a few nights (perhaps at the end of the UK leg), at worst Phil will cark it.

[SweetPomPom]

Sounds good, looking fwd to it.

I've got a mate in DC, his show is mid-Nov and he's already biting his nails... Does Phil have another son that sings?

[monkfromhavana]

Sorry for posting probably a very obvious question, but what is wrong with Phil's health? Or is it booze?

[Echo Valley 2-6809]

Sorry for posting probably a very obvious question, but what is wrong with Phil's health? Or is it booze?

Chronic problems with his back. Years of operations and painkillers seem to have taken a toll.
He did have a booze problem back in the day and it wouldn't surprise me if he was back on it given his private life. He had to pay his wife (3rd or 4th?), Orianne, £30 million in a divorce settlement 15 years ago, then for some reason got back together with her, whereupon she left him for a much younger man.
Getting into the realms of gossip here, but she reportedly wants more millions from him, and used armed guards to stop him getting access to their home in Miami.

Orianne's team accused the singer of being "unhygienic", "incapable of having sex", adding his "stench became so pervasive that he became a hermit".

I wouldn't blame him for wanting to stay in the company of Rutherford and Banks for as long as he can.

[olliebean]

He also has type 2 diabetes, which is probably more likely to finish him off.

[Tikwid]

Does Phil have another son that sings?

As it turns out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ksb-mWH082M

[TheMonk]

As it turns out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ksb-mWH082M

Here he is live doing Keep It Dark. So it's not beyond the realms of possibility. I'm afraid he has some demons of his own though.
https://youtu.be/CFrBEj3YNpQ

Also I'd you haven't heard it, a few spoilers in the Planet Rock special.

Incidentally a bit disappointed to hear Phil say at the end he hopes to see people there hopefully without masks on. Having said that, I'm not sure he really knows what he's saying a lot of the time.
https://planetradio.co.uk/planet-rock/player/180154415/?fbclid=IwAR1DYLDCszHa71ptecC9z0EVhPRuI-DlZOIZBmqC7yZqsUbwb9huoRYCv-Y

[Flouncer]

Getting into the realms of gossip here, but she reportedly wants more millions from him, and used armed guards to stop him getting access to their home in Miami.

That's a bit much, isn't it? She could've just left a car parked in the driveway so he couldn't get his wheelchair past.

That footage from the 2007 tour really had me going, "Aww, poor old Phil," so I don't think I could stomach seeing him in a really bad state. I feel like I should've gone to see them on this tour, as truly the last opportunity to see one of my absolute favourite bands, but I'd be a lot better off going to see Hackett by the sound of it.

[Echo Valley 2-6809]

Getting into the realms of gossip here, but she reportedly wants more millions from him, and used armed guards to stop him getting access to their home in Miami.

That's a bit much, isn't it? She could've just left a car parked in the driveway so he couldn't get his wheelchair past.

Possibly a misinterpretation of "guards waving their arms around".

[TheMonk]

Tour has started.
A strange beast they are in 2021.
Phil is well past his prime. Slow delivery all over the place with his lyrics. He'll improve a bit over the next few nights.
But the rest of the band sound reinvigorated. Collins junior is a shot in the arm. A ball of energy.
On balance, I'd go and see this. And you know what? Good on Phil for having the balls to get out there.
https://youtu.be/yKywgedVUq4

[Swoz_MK]

Had to take a peek at the setlist, my show (1st London one) is a few weeks away so things may change?
But very happy with that, what a great mix of old-ish and new-ish.

[SweetPomPom]

Setlists looks like a ton of medleys but I guess that's ok as long they're fairly complete, not just a verse/chorus affair..

Saw Hackett at the Palladium last night, very good indeed. Doesn't seem to know what to do with himself between numbers, he was quite chatty for the solo set but never uttered a word during Seconds Out. Sound and lights were spot on though and band were tight as.

[Echo Valley 2-6809]

Is Hackett the first example of an artist performing a live album in its entirety?

[Shit Good Nose]

Tour has started.
A strange beast they are in 2021.
Phil is well past his prime. Slow delivery all over the place with his lyrics. He'll improve a bit over the next few nights.
But the rest of the band sound reinvigorated. Collins junior is a shot in the arm. A ball of energy.
On balance, I'd go and see this. And you know what? Good on Phil for having the balls to get out there.
https://youtu.be/yKywgedVUq4

There was a LOT of hat eating going on last night.  Phil did incredibly well and, yeah okay he doesn't have the range or the power, he was reasonably in tune and in time and a completely different person than what we saw on the BBC interview the other week.  The backing singers didn't do as much heavy lifting as a lot of people were expecting either.  There were a few forgotten lyrics, but that could just as easily have been first night fumbles.  Nic Collins is incredible.  For the mostpart he was doing the job of two drummers (the only times the double drums were noticeably missing were Home By The Sea and The Cinema Show - the former just needed the heft of two drum kits going on largely the same beat, whilst the latter - using the 78-onwards arrangement - has two distinct percussion melodies, and Nic could obviously only play one [his dad's]).  He will be an absolute beast in 5/6 years time.

Setlists looks like a ton of medleys but I guess that's ok as long they're fairly complete, not just a verse/chorus affair..

Saw Hackett at the Palladium last night, very good indeed. Doesn't seem to know what to do with himself between numbers, he was quite chatty for the solo set but never uttered a word during Seconds Out. Sound and lights were spot on though and band were tight as.

Several melodies, one of them VERY clumsy (as in just not worked out very well compositionally rather than fucking up on stage).  My only real gripe was that they only did the opening ballad part of Fading Lights - which is, in my opinion, one of their masterworks - and didn't bother with the instrumental break.  They could have easily dropped I Can't Dance to make way for that.  Highlight of the show was Duchess - epic.

RE Hackett, the reason for nothing in between songs during the Seconds Out set is, I believe, lack of "spare" time.  He's usually quite chatty, especially when it comes to the Genesis songs.

Is Hackett the first example of an artist performing a live album in its entirety?

I saw Wishbone Ash do Live Dates back in the early-mid 00s, so there's at least one other example.

EDIT - oh and Dweezil Zappa has toured Roxy & Elsewhere.  There was talk of him doing Live In New York as well, but nowt's come of that yet.

[olliebean]

Is Phil as chatty between songs as he used to be? When I saw them back in the 80s, they could have fitted in a couple more songs by cutting Phil's lengthy bits of audience interaction.

[SteveDave]

If he's sat down singing will his son do the "I Can't Dance" dance? But Seriously, "Jesus He Knows" came on my iPod the other day and that's an A1 banger. Reggae breakdown and all.

Fuckinell.

Spoiler alert

I've just seen that they did "I Can't Dance" for the encore in Birmingham. I hope there was some gallows humour from Phil beforehand.

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