Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *
It is near on nigh impossible to recreate a classic. To recreate a masterpiece and make it epic takes musical genius and a talent that coupled with a deep burning desire to give some of the great tracks of Progressive Rock a re-imagination could only be found in the hands and minds of some of the very few that practice the art.
As Steve Hackett stands on stage at The Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, it doesn’t take long for the appreciation of what he and his fellow musicians have achieved on the album Genesis Revisited 2 to be vocally shouted out. To take the re-imagination out on the road and then recreate, extend the brilliance to the live arena and give what in the end is a truly magnificent show full of the songs that made Genesis fans fall in love with quirky English, Vaudeville like music all those years ago.
Anybody who has heard Genesis Revisited 2 will recognise the endeavour, the sheer boldness and creativity needed to take tracks such as The Musical Box, Blood on the Rooftops and the heroic- Homer’s Iliad like Supper’s Ready and give them a new pulse, a 21st Century transfusion to make them not just relevant for a new generation of fans but to also pay homage in what the classic line- up of the group achieved over the course of six studio albums between 1971 and 1976.
Steve and the band, some band indeed when you consider the quality alongside Steve on stage, opened up the evening with Watcher of the Skies. The huge intake of breath that was audible as the music started was perhaps one of the finest compliments that the band could get. This was an entire sold out Philharmonic audience wishing, hoping that the magic they felt when they first heard this music was still there and that each person on the stage would capture it in its purity. With Watcher of the Skies finished that collective intake of breath was spontaneously expelled into what amounted to some of the loudest cheers heard by a rock crowd in all the years that the Philharmonic has been open. Quite astounding!
From there the tension that had probably been building up since Steve announced this tour rose and each time the band played as if the songs were all that mattered for the day, week and even for the month. With songs from the phenomenal and perhaps second greatest Progressive concept album of all time being played early into the set, including the beautiful Chamber of 32 Doors, Fly on a Windshield and The Lamia it was soon evident to all that the music was indeed all that mattered for the night. Other tracks from the distant past, but an era that has never been forgotten by die-hards of the Genesis scene included a storming version of The Musical Box, Afterglow, the quite brilliant Dance on a Volcano, the beautiful Entangled and as a finale to the main set, the opus of them all, Supper’s Ready. To have played this song in its entirety in such a venue as the Philharmonic Hall was surely a dream come true for everyone in the venue, a classic that was made bigger, grander and full of intensity by all.
Much credit most to Mr. Hackett for having the inspiration to take this challenge and run with it but without his supporting musicians of Gary O’ Toole on drums and vocals, Rob Townsend, the ethereal and hugely entertaining Nad Sylvan, the tremendous Lee Pomeroy who was going beyond the call of duty with some rather excellent work and the sublime Roger King, this was truly a team effort and one that even before the end of the encores, audience members were giving a complete and utterly deserved standing ovation to.
One of the magnificent gigs of all time and a pleasure for the fans in Liverpool to have witnessed.
Ian D. Hall.