Genesis Freaks Unite!

This past weekend saw me and Mrs B attending our second and third shows on Steve Hackett’s Genesis Revisited tour. The first was at Hammersmith Apollo and the second was at St David’s Hall in Cardiff. No doubt some people will think we’re mad wanting to go to so many shows on the same tour (“isn’t it the same every night?”), but each gig always has its own unique atmosphere. And of course, you can never tell when a particularly special moment is going to happen. Likewise, some gigs are really disappointing, quite often through no fault of the band in question but because the seats are poor, the sound in the venue is dreadful or, most usually, because the people around you are annoying or inconsiderate. I had a little experience of the latter at the Hammersmith gig, where a bunch of geezers – plastic glasses of lager in hand – behind us sat and giggled like children throughout most of the show. Annoying as they were, they couldn’t spoil what was a belter of a gig, made all the more special by a succession of special guests. My particular faves were Jakko Jakszyk singing Entangled and the mighty John Wetton, fresh from his latest stint with UK (see previous blog) belting out a fantastic Afterglow. Giggling idiots aside, the audience at Hammersmith were wonderfully enthusiastic and created a very special atmosphere. Cardiff was a great gig too, made all the nicer for the opportunity to catch up with old pal Helena B before the show. St David’s had a very different personality to Hammersmith. On the one hand, the crowd seemed much more restrained than either London or Rome, but at least there were no idiots to put with. There was a chap sitting behind me who insisted on singing absolutely everything (even the instrumental bits) completely out of tune. Bless him, at least he was enjoying himself! On the plus side, St David’s was a wonderful venue with great sound, and we enjoyed our best seats of the tour so far. The band seemed very relaxed, perhaps having got the ‘biggie’ of Hammersmith out of the way (which was also being filmed for future release) and I think, overall, the performance was even better. It was definitely the best Supper’s Ready I’ve heard so far, and I literally had to wipe a tear from my eye at the end.  All in all, a great weekend of stunning music.