Concert review: Steve Hackett playing "Seconds Out"

[timwat]

Saw this stop in Oakland @ the Fox Theater last night. I'd purchased the tix a while ago, was intending to bring my wife (who is unfamiliar with prog) as sort of an introduction to the music of my youth. Seminal prog (ELP, Yes, Gabriel-era Genesis) served as the bridge from pop music to real imagination for me, and was part of the equation that influenced my lifetime pursuit of music as a player. But my wife is fighting really bad allergies and decided to stay home the night of. So I was a solo act last night. 

 

Demographic was very old, very white-haired, very tie-dye shirt, old ponytail, old concert t shirt crowd. Sort of like an AARP version of lost hippie prog nerds. And even the few women in the crowd all looked like the men. Lots of conversations around me of how many times I've seen Genesis and the real story behind that song, etc.

 

Concert sound was...bleh. Very polite volume (remember the demographic, I suppose), very bass-shy (except for the occasional Taurus pedal), very midrange heavy. Drums mixed too far back, keys very muddy, no bass guitar. I could produce a better mix with one ear tied behind my back.

 

First set was very short of Hackett solo numbers. Clocks, Everyday, a short snippet from Acolyte, a couple new numbers. Then a 20 minute break, and then the entirety of "Seconds Out" album from tip to stern.

 

It becomes obvious that Genesis write stronger songs than Steve. During the second set, it becomes clear that while Steve may be a much nicer person than Banks, there is real songwriting prowess in Genesis that Steve left behind. And it becomes clear when so many of Banks' Pro Soloist lines are swapped over to soprano sax in Hackett's band how much live work Banks has always performed on stage.

 

But the real challenges for me: There's no fire in this band. The best I could say is that the music was delivered respectfully, but passion is not a term found anywhere in the Fox Theater last night. It seemed tired and by the numbers. Maybe it's because over the many decades since I devoured prog vinyl, my tastes and playing have migrated from rock to jazz and funk. But I remember getting so much more from going to see Genesis, Yes, and ELP. And my expectations from live music are so different than what I got last night. And maybe we're just all getting older, and maybe it's been a long tour for Hackett and his band.

 

Next month my wife and I are catching Lizz Wright in a duo setting @ Yoshi's.  I am hoping that it much more to my tastes, and much more fire and passion to enjoy.

 

 

[stoken6]

20 minutes ago, timwat said:

AARP version of lost hippie prog nerds.

You might call it an AARP Odyssey…

 

(I’ll get my coat)

 

Cheers, Mike

[Mills Dude]

Tim, our musical tastes intersect as I'm sure intersects with a lot of others on this board, 70s prog, fusion, bop and post-bop, etc.  All those great keys centered prog bands from the 70s are in our wheelhouse, but at this point its all just legacy touring and tribute bands.  Can it be delivered with passion and intensity?  Sure, but Hackett's 72 now and he's been disconnected from Genesis for a long time or maybe it was just an off night with suboptimal FOH.

 

Seeing the coverage of that last Genesis tour didn't inspire me to want to venture out and see Phil sitting in his chair and have to weed through the 80s stuff to hear the gems.  Seconds Out still has that special place in my heart.  I'm in NY area and spring is finally springing and its time for my yearly solo drive in the country side blasting Seconds Out as for some reason this time of year connects it to me the most.   I actually prefer the post-Gabriel era, the records up to and including the 'Mama' record.  I think Tony Banks was at his peak right after Gabriel left.

 

ELP is basically gone with Carl doing his legacy act.  I'm sure Yes will continue to work it but all the tunes are 50 years old and Yes was never one to mix up the arrangements.   Kansas is one of my favorites but its just Phil Ehard and Rich Williams carrying on the legacy, although Billy Greer and David Ragsdale have been with them for a long time.  I did catch a show in 2015 just after Ronnie Platt took over on vocals, it was a great show but its still just about hearing those great Livgren tunes (yeah Steve Walsh has a couple of great ones too!).   How many more years do they have left?

 

So we're kinda stuck in this era of Grandpa Rock.  I was having a conversation this weekend with someone about how long will this Classic Rock era be marketable and when it's fully dead, what will replace it.  We were at some small festival with a Journey cover band followed by a Southern Rock tribute.  Stayed for the Journey band (with a female singer no less).  Once the other band started with Ramblin' Man, I was outta there.  

 

I remember when I was a teen in the 80s and the old fogeys were going to doo-wop shows.  I guess prog is our doo-wop.

 

I've been mulling over getting tix for Steely Dan this summer.  I've never seen them and I kinda feel like I need to get it out of my system but I still haven't been able to pull the trigger on it.  Still a bit concerned about Covid and just the general malaise of wanting to avoid the hassle of getting to a live show.  Who knows how much longer Donald Fagen is gonna up for touring?  

 

Anyway, I'm not quite a boomer, just make the cut for Gen X, but how much longer is this boomer rock going to be commercially relevant?

 

[David Emm]

Turnin' grey is all the rage
(Oh my magic truss)
Need a walker to get to the stage
(Oh my magic truss)

 

I saw Genesis perform "The Lamb" live, so you know where I fall on that spectrum.

 

Now get me some new Roger Dean tennis balls for my walker, sonny. 

[Mark Zeger]

Seems like seeing The Musical Box is a far better choice than the Hackett show.

 

I was fortunate to see Genesis on the Mama tour, the Peter Gabriel solo tour between the first 2 albums and later tours, Yes (with Anderson, Squire, Howe, Wakeman, and White, plus Drama & 90125 versions), the King Crimson Discipline tour, and others. Never had a shot at seeing ELP. The “music of my youth” itch isn’t there anymore. The Genesis farewell tour had no interest for me.

 

I have no desire to see huge concerts where affordable seats mean watching on video screens. There is 1 performer I haven’t seen and would pay a premium to see in a large venue: 
 

Paul McCartney. 
 

I’ve heard his concerts are great. My wife would love it. He’s playing near me next month, there are good seats still available ($250-300) but we’re out of town for a wedding. Hoping there’s a next time.

[stillearning]

Old progger  here, and feel lucky enough to have seen Genesis several times during the Gabriel era. Something magical about seeing Supper’s Ready with Gabriel in a small venue. Saw them once post Gabriel, Seconds Out. Definitely more production in the post Gabriel era, but something about the early shows that meant so much more. Greatest concert I ever attended was Gabriel’s Secret World Live tour in Cleveland. Nothing like it! What a show! 

[Stokely]

I feel the same about huge concerts.  I saw Genesis at an outdoor stadium decades ago and they were ants,  I watched the video the whole time.    A show I regretting not seeing:  Tommy Shaw sitting in a Barnes and Noble with an acoustic, taking requests from people sitting right next to him (yes he did that for a little while at least).   Much further back, I could have seen Keith Emerson playing with Three (iirc) at a local bar in Orlando, not sure why I didn't....not that I care that much for three, but I could have had a front-row seat to see him play.   As far as the age/energy thing, Tommy can (or could) still bring it, hitting the notes and with passion and I wouldn't want to see anything less.

Plus with big shows (and small, increasingly) who knows if you are hearing what they are actually playing due to tracks.  No thanks, I can listen to the cd at home.

Probably the only big show I'd be tempted to see is Muse (tracks or not) because like Peter Gabriel they put on a spectacle that goes beyond "concert" a bit (or in PG's case, a lot!)

[ProfD]

It is fortunate that favorite artists, musicians and bands are still performing well beyond their prime. Sometimes it shows.

 

However, there is an inflection point especially as we mature and age where certain things start fading into the rearview mirror of our lives.

 

The music that was the soundtrack of our lives often times will be superseded by our growth in musicianship and/or refined tastes in music.  Then, there's life responsibilities and priorities. 

 

It's great being able to catch musical heroes before they can no longer perform.  However, the reality is that aging  on both sides of the equation can dull the luster.  We can only enjoy what's left of it.  Hopefully, the performer can bring the magic one more time before fading away. 😎

[synthizen2]

17 hours ago, Mills Dude said:

how much longer is this boomer rock going to be commercially relevant?

 

 

As far as boomer rock being "commercially relevant" in the current age... well, it isn't.

 

But as long as Clearchannel's algorithm thinks there are enough people who still want to listen to Classic Rock Radio (with the annoying smarmy DJs), they'll still keep pumping it out. Whether people actually listen to it or not. Give it another 10 to 15 years for it to dissipate entirely.

 

I'll pass every time on seeing a legacy Boomer Rock (or Prog) band for $250 in a huge arena. Not happening. Doesn't mean I don't respect those musicians anymore, I just don't want to see Grandpa Ants from a huge distance or from a video monitor.

 

Just 3 years ago I caught a great legacy Boomer/Prog band (Procol Harum) at a small venue in Boston for about $40 per seat. Took my wife. We loved it. And the band was still in top form. And we got to see Gary before he passed on. I'll go to those kind of shows.

[pizzafilms]

17 hours ago, Mills Dude said:

I've been mulling over getting tix for Steely Dan this summer.  I've never seen them and I kinda feel like I need to get it out of my system but I still haven't been able to pull the trigger on it.  Still a bit concerned about Covid and just the general malaise of wanting to avoid the hassle of getting to a live show.  Who knows how much longer Donald Fagen is gonna up for touring?  

 

Go.

 

I've seen them several times over the past few years, and while the shows have been fairly similar, the band is SMOKIN.

[stevebnorcal]

Sorry to respectfully disagree TimWat.

 

I was at the show in the fourth row center, sound was perfect there including low end so don't know how it sounded wherever you were.

 

I've seen several hundreds of shows but about 8 years too young to have seen Genesis with Peter, same Prog Rock tastes as yourself so have a similar frame of reference.

 

This show (2nd set specifically) was THE Peter Gabriel with Genesis show that I never saw.

 

I'd easily put it in my Top 10 of all time best shows ever witnessed, again frame of reference being Peter at the Greek both nights 1983, Talking Heads 1984 also at the Greek, Pink Floyd, Yes, Roger Waters, King Crimson, Roxy Music, too many Grateful Dead shows to pick one, David Bowie Shoreline 1992 ish, Eagles at Angels Camp, etc... come to mind.

 

This show was epic and your demographic details while funny to read and mostly accurate on the crowd completely miss the point that this was a really great show.

 

I had what could best described as "almost religious" or whatever call it "spiritual experience" listening to a full Suppers Ready live and was without psychedelic enhancement.

 

Just my 2 cents and have never replied to a review online before and read this since wanted to send something to a cousin in Seattle to recommend seeing the show this Thursday. 

 

All I can say is your perspective was very different from most others I spoke with after the show including a friend who was 10 rows back from me and said sound was great, so perhaps the mix was bad on the balcony and your review maybe should have pointed out where you were sitting.   Or perhaps maybe your mind space wasn't there for this show to enjoy it, no biggie, everyone has different experiences at shows.

 

Here are some photos from 4th row center:  https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzQrKU

 

Cheers🤨

[timwat]

Hi, Stevebnorcal - you must feel pretty strongly to create an account to share your perspective (it appears this is your first post here). Welcome and no worries - everyone is entitled to their own opinion. No offense taken.

 

I was on the floor level, but much further back (Row X) so no doubt my mix was different than yours. And we may each have different things we're listening for. I was handshaking distance from the FOH board, and I will double down that with my limited experience mixing professionally I believe I could have rendered a better mix than what I was hearing. But that may also simply be a result of musician's "professional dissatisfaction syndrome" - which I'm very guilty of far too frequently.

 

Regarding the show itself, we will have to respectfully agree to disagree. 

 

Having caught Gabriel solo live a few times, post-Gabriel Genesis several times (including the Winterland show where the bass pedals brought down pieces of the ceiling plaster), Hackett solo several times (including the Old Waldorf) and many of the prog acts so many folks have cited in this thread over the decades, I really did find the concert somewhat less than epic - compared to other prog shows I've seen over the many years. 

 

Agreed, it was a very sweet and personally special thing for me to hear Supper's Ready performed yet again, after many years. Many of us have a very fond attachment to specific epic works (as I do for SR and Plague of Lighthouse Keepers), and I was quite moved by it...but because of the piece and my personal attachment to it, not because of the particular performance. Same with Firth and Cinema Show - as Don Draper once famously (and erroneously) defined nostalgia as literally in Greek "The pain from an old wound" (that's not really correct...the green analog describes a "painful homesickness), hearing those songs I wore out on vinyl performed live was really a treat.

 

But not for the performance, or the show - it was remembering the role those songs and that season of my life had in pointing me as a young man to become a professional musician. That was just my experience - the sweetness of how much some of that music meant to me, juxtaposed against what I personally found disappointing in that performance.

 

But hey - I'm very glad you enjoyed the show, and got much out of it. Even though we got different things out of it, the fact that live music is alive and well and we get to see performances from artists we love is one of the sweet things in life - always.

 

Cheers and perhaps I'll meet you IRL some day at another prog show. 

 

[AnotherScott]

To some extent, the curious can make up their own mind here...

 

 

[apple]

I saw Hackett's show last month in Cincinnati at Taft Theatre with fabulous acoustics. When the band, during times the sound and lights slowly faded to zero it was an atmosphere that was completely stunning. What struck me was how Hackett's guitar sound is exactly like it was in the 70's, and he seems to hardly age even at 72. I've grown up with the same favorite prog favorites as many on this forum, and the show was what I expected...a solid musical show but it isn't Genesis...no exciting front man, light show way minimized, single drummer, but Seconds Out was pretty faithful recreation with an original (almost) member playing the parts he wrote and recorded. I saw my favorite band, The Who a couple days ago fully realizing we're not going to see the icons in the 70's with the same vigor they had at the top of their game 50 years ago. Any more, seeing this kind of show is a thank you to the performer which has enriched myself and millions with musical enjoyment.

[Adan]

I'm old enough to have listened to Yes, ELP, King Crimson, and Genesis when they were popular.  It was, and is, great music, but it has become evident that greatness didn't permutate through generations.  Not even through one generation.  Prog rock become too, I don't know, inbred?  Culturally isolated?  I can't diagnose the reasons, but just like everyone else I can see the results.

 

When I lived in San Francisco I was deep into the vintage soul revival.  Played in a couple soul cover bands.  Hung out at a Saturday night soul vinyl party where the DJ's were my friends and a group of us would show up early, grab the best seats, and tear up the dance floor.  It was hip because it was mostly obscure cuts that hadn't been on the radio in decades.  But the scene was multi-generational.  The guitarist in my band was over 60, but the bass player was 19.  At these soul vinyl nights kids who probably used fake ID's to get in were getting down to Jackie Wilson.

 

Does it matter?  In one sense, no.  If you grew up with Genesis, then keep listening to Genesis.  It's your life, listen to what you want.  But if we're talking about objective criteria for "great music," appeal to subsequent generations might make the list.

[synthizen2]

15 minutes ago, Adan said:

It was, and is, great music, but it has become evident that greatness didn't permutate through generations.  Not even through one generation.  Prog rock become too, I don't know, inbred?  Culturally isolated?  I can't diagnose the reasons, but just like everyone else I can see the results.

 

IMHO, one of the main reasons was the fact that the Prog scene purposely ignored the "give the people what they want" business ethic. They were trying to "liberate" themselves from that. Foolish I suppose (in the long term), but it did allow for a brief period of time in the music industry where some weird but wonderful music got made and got released (to paraphrase a popular Frank Zappa quote).

[tonybanksfan]

I saw Steve on his Selling England by the Pound tour right before they canceled all shows due to co-vid. 
The venue was the Burton Cummings theatre (formerly the Walker Theatre) in Winnipeg, a 1500 seat historic building built in 1906 with incredible acoustics which even Steve commented lovingly that they don’t make them like this anymore.

 

His first set was the usual run of the mill solo offerings which were done well, but the crowd were really there to hear Genesis.

The show was great and the musicianship was absolutely top notch. Did it give me the same thrill as a Genesis concert? No, but it was special seeing him and hearing his spot on versions of that classic album, even had some goosebumps on my arms during Suppers Ready.

 

One thing I did not and do not like in all his shows is him having Rob Townsend playing English horn or soprano saxophone on a majority of Tony’s nifty synth solos, it is just downright irritating to me. He plays great but I just don’t like that substitution. Why isn’t Roger King playing them? Are they over his head? I doubt it.

Anyway enjoyed the show and was glad to finally see him before he retires, it was worth it especially in that small intimate setting.

 

Genesis, I saw again in Toronto last November and although it was great to see them one more time, I walked away unfulfilled and longing for tunes of yesteryear. It was sad to see Phil frail and a shell of his former self. The band was missing his old and familiar stage presence. His son Nick was good enough on drums, but the whole band package was just kind of a sad departure in my mind.

At least my Keyboard hero was all business and performed flawlessly once again, and you just know he was doing everything in his power to present the best show possible. 
 

 

[AnotherScott]

20 minutes ago, tonybanksfan said:

One thing I did not and do not like in all his shows is him having Rob Townsend playing English horn or soprano saxophone on a majority of Tony’s nifty synth solos, it is just downright irritating to me. He plays great but I just don’t like that substitution. Why isn’t Roger King playing them?

probably to give Rob Townsend enough to do. ;-)

[Bosendorphen]

I've seen Steve Hackett live a few times and have watched Steve's  DVDs of recent Genesis-themed concerts. I LIKE Rob Townsend's playing some of Tony's lines. His sax soloing in "I Know What I Like" gives it a freshness as well. Steve seems to be open to a bit of reorchestration at times which is fine by me. They are still faithful to the music and its vibe. The band has been wonderful and energetic whenever I've seen them and Nad Sylvan really can evoke Peter Gabriel and even Phil at times. 

 

I did see Genesis on the last tour (November 2021) and it was wonderfully done despite Phil's health issues. But a little too much emphasis on their 80s material for my taste (some of which I quite like) but understandable. 

[stevebnorcal]

On 5/17/2022 at 5:13 PM, AnotherScott said:

To some extent, the curious can make up their own mind here...

 

 

 

Hi all,

 

I've taken the liberty to remaster the audio from this excellent video posted on YouTube by "ikwil" with some extensive EQ, mild Compression, mild Stereo Enhancement, and Peak Limiting using WaveLab Elements 11, then Video/Audio re-rendered using Wondershare Filmora.   The results are pretty good IMO to improve upon the point source balcony audio quality and hope that "AnotherScott" doesn't mind if he is indeed "ikwil" on the YouTube.  If not, thank you so much to AnotherScott for sharing this link.

 

 

Regards,

 

Steve

[mcgoo]

On 5/18/2022 at 10:25 AM, tonybanksfan said:

 

One thing I did not and do not like in all his shows is him having Rob Townsend playing English horn or soprano saxophone on a majority of Tony’s nifty synth solos, it is just downright irritating to me. He plays great but I just don’t like that substitution. Why isn’t Roger King playing them? 

 

 

 

I saw his tour about a month ago. That didn't bother me at all. I enjoyed that they took some liberties with the arrangements. Think about it... The Musical Box does note accurate, period accurate recreations of the music. I don't need nor want to see Steve do the same. I'm into the fresh interpretations. If I were to have a complaint about the show, it would be that I felt the drummer was a bit too self indulgent. Dude, even in prog, once in awhile it's cool to just lay down a nasty groove.  Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the show. 

[EricBarker]

On 5/16/2022 at 2:20 PM, Mills Dude said:

I'm sure Yes will continue to work it but all the tunes are 50 years old and Yes was never one to mix up the arrangements.

 

I wouldn't exactly say that. During the late 70s and 80s, Yes and its variations definitely changed up a lot from the studio cuts. One of the reasons I actually like YesShows is how much they deviate from the studio recordings. Ritual, in particular, is absolutely nuts! ABWH, unshackled from the Yes monicker, seemed to switch it up, "An Evening of Yes Plus" definitely makes some epic departures. But the problem is old bands become nostalgia tribute bands. Unlike the creative fire from the past, their only goal is to try and somehow recreate the exact sound that everyone knows from the past 50 years. It's even worse when most of the original members are gone, as the new guys are compelled to prove they sound exactly like the original. The less ownership, the closer they're going to push to sound like the glory days.

The one exception was King Crimson. I saw them at their 50th Anniversary in the Albert Hall, and it was like nothing I've ever seen before. Fripp just won't stop evolving, and he refused to stop experimenting until the day he retired. That show, put on by a bunch of 65+ year-olds, was mesmerizing. That's why KC were one of the greatest bands in the world, they just never lost that youthful creative spirit. Power to Believe was far more crazy, out there, and adrenaline pumping than ITCOTKC!

[AnotherScott]

57 minutes ago, EricBarker said:

One of the reasons I actually like YesShows is how much they deviate from the studio recordings. 

 

I actually like that live version of Close to the Edge better than the original. The original seemed too dense to me. When it was reduced to what 5 people could do live with no overdubs, I think it benefited from being more uncluttered and direct.

[Losendoskeys]

On 5/16/2022 at 11:20 PM, Mills Dude said:

Tim, our musical tastes intersect as I'm sure intersects with a lot of others on this board, 70s prog, fusion, bop and post-bop, etc.  All those great keys centered prog bands from the 70s are in our wheelhouse, but at this point its all just legacy touring and tribute bands.  Can it be delivered with passion and intensity?  Sure, but Hackett's 72 now and he's been disconnected from Genesis for a long time or maybe it was just an off night with suboptimal FOH.

 

Seeing the coverage of that last Genesis tour didn't inspire me to want to venture out and see Phil sitting in his chair and have to weed through the 80s stuff to hear the gems.  Seconds Out still has that special place in my heart.  I'm in NY area and spring is finally springing and its time for my yearly solo drive in the country side blasting Seconds Out as for some reason this time of year connects it to me the most.   I actually prefer the post-Gabriel era, the records up to and including the 'Mama' record.  I think Tony Banks was at his peak right after Gabriel left.

 

ELP is basically gone with Carl doing his legacy act.  I'm sure Yes will continue to work it but all the tunes are 50 years old and Yes was never one to mix up the arrangements.   Kansas is one of my favorites but its just Phil Ehard and Rich Williams carrying on the legacy, although Billy Greer and David Ragsdale have been with them for a long time.  I did catch a show in 2015 just after Ronnie Platt took over on vocals, it was a great show but its still just about hearing those great Livgren tunes (yeah Steve Walsh has a couple of great ones too!).   How many more years do they have left?

 

So we're kinda stuck in this era of Grandpa Rock.  I was having a conversation this weekend with someone about how long will this Classic Rock era be marketable and when it's fully dead, what will replace it.  We were at some small festival with a Journey cover band followed by a Southern Rock tribute.  Stayed for the Journey band (with a female singer no less).  Once the other band started with Ramblin' Man, I was outta there.  

 

I remember when I was a teen in the 80s and the old fogeys were going to doo-wop shows.  I guess prog is our doo-wop.

 

I've been mulling over getting tix for Steely Dan this summer.  I've never seen them and I kinda feel like I need to get it out of my system but I still haven't been able to pull the trigger on it.  Still a bit concerned about Covid and just the general malaise of wanting to avoid the hassle of getting to a live show.  Who knows how much longer Donald Fagen is gonna up for touring?  

 

Anyway, I'm not quite a boomer, just make the cut for Gen X, but how much longer is this boomer rock going to be commercially relevant?

 

Buy the tickets - Donald Fagen has a great band, loved it last time (again)

[Losendoskeys]

On 5/16/2022 at 8:42 PM, timwat said:

Saw this stop in Oakland @ the Fox Theater last night. I'd purchased the tix a while ago, was intending to bring my wife (who is unfamiliar with prog) as sort of an introduction to the music of my youth. Seminal prog (ELP, Yes, Gabriel-era Genesis) served as the bridge from pop music to real imagination for me, and was part of the equation that influenced my lifetime pursuit of music as a player. But my wife is fighting really bad allergies and decided to stay home the night of. So I was a solo act last night. 

 

Demographic was very old, very white-haired, very tie-dye shirt, old ponytail, old concert t shirt crowd. Sort of like an AARP version of lost hippie prog nerds. And even the few women in the crowd all looked like the men. Lots of conversations around me of how many times I've seen Genesis and the real story behind that song, etc.

 

Concert sound was...bleh. Very polite volume (remember the demographic, I suppose), very bass-shy (except for the occasional Taurus pedal), very midrange heavy. Drums mixed too far back, keys very muddy, no bass guitar. I could produce a better mix with one ear tied behind my back.

 

First set was very short of Hackett solo numbers. Clocks, Everyday, a short snippet from Acolyte, a couple new numbers. Then a 20 minute break, and then the entirety of "Seconds Out" album from tip to stern.

 

It becomes obvious that Genesis write stronger songs than Steve. During the second set, it becomes clear that while Steve may be a much nicer person than Banks, there is real songwriting prowess in Genesis that Steve left behind. And it becomes clear when so many of Banks' Pro Soloist lines are swapped over to soprano sax in Hackett's band how much live work Banks has always performed on stage.

 

But the real challenges for me: There's no fire in this band. The best I could say is that the music was delivered respectfully, but passion is not a term found anywhere in the Fox Theater last night. It seemed tired and by the numbers. Maybe it's because over the many decades since I devoured prog vinyl, my tastes and playing have migrated from rock to jazz and funk. But I remember getting so much more from going to see Genesis, Yes, and ELP. And my expectations from live music are so different than what I got last night. And maybe we're just all getting older, and maybe it's been a long tour for Hackett and his band.

 

Next month my wife and I are catching Lizz Wright in a duo setting @ Yoshi's.  I am hoping that it much more to my tastes, and much more fire and passion to enjoy.

 

 

 

I'm surprised the sound wasn't good because I have seen Hackett several times and sound and lights have been great (lighting guy did a dep for us once)
I do like Hackett solo work but being a nerd in a Genesis tribute band I don't like any of the changes he makes to the original material.
It's also a bit weird that a guitarist takes centre stage - whoever it is, the vocalist should be the focal point IMHO.

Normally tne band is very good though Roger does not use original sounds - he has a Mainstage setup which IMHO is too limiting.

Musical Box do a great job and my only issue is that they do labout over the exact detail, which for the vocalist is hard to pull off with a French accent IMHO.

They also do have a few "cheats" to make it work where there are multitracks on the album.

 

My band Los Endos try to do the nearest recreation we can to the original material, possibly melding it with live versions.
See what you think of this

 

[Losendoskeys]

On 5/18/2022 at 1:13 AM, AnotherScott said:

To some extent, the curious can make up their own mind here...

 

 

Can't beat a ProSoloist IMHO 🙂

 

[AnotherScott]

7 hours ago, Losendoskeys said:

It's also a bit weird that a guitarist takes centre stage - whoever it is, the vocalist should be the focal point IMHO.

Yeah... I understand. it is a Steve Hackett concert, after all... but it's weird. Even if you're more of a Steve Hackett fan than a Genesis fan, the singer--when singing--is the natural visual focus. It's been years since I've seen them, and maybe my memory is playing tricks, but I remember Hackett and Sylvan being equally up front, each simply closer to one side of the stage than the other, which I think is a better approach than placing Sylvan further back.

[Tusker]

I've been enjoying the fabulous Steve Hackett videos on YouTube. Grateful thanks to those who provided links. For me, when the music is insanely good, there is a lot of freedom about how to perform it.

 

I am still more likely see the The Musical Box (marking my calendar for Tarrytown NY, June 19. TLLDOB 😀 ) than Steve Hackett, but I put that down to my fanboy curiosity about early Genesis and not to any deficiencies in the remarkable Hackett team. Alan, if I were across the pond, I'd seek you guys out. 👍

 

 

[timwat]

Just some random responses -

 

Yes, to me it is VERY weird not having the vocalist be a primary focal point during songs. It's natural, it's where the audience is going to focus, and having him steps behind the front line and off center seems like a dissonant note, like trying too hard to make a point that doesn't need to be made.

 

Also, while I'm not a proponent of slavish duplication, and open to the idea of sax taking some explorational liberties, this too just struck the wrong note. Noodling in the wrong places, to my ears. I certainly understand, if anyone has the license to do things differently this time, it should be the guy who helped to write the tune in the first place. But it doesn't do it for me, not that it matters to anyone else.

 

I should have looked up Hackett's age before commenting, I suppose. He's doing quite well for 72; and my memory of their salad days is decades in the rear view mirror. 

 

Still, I really do stand by my comments. I've seen enough Genesis shows, and Hackett solo shows, and heard enough Genesis Revisited stuff to have wanted a bit better sound, and bit more animated performance.

 

But at the end of the day, it's wonderful to have him still alive, kicking, and touring. And the best part of the show, hands down, is still the song catalog itself.

[David Emm]

A) If he's 72, I hope he's doing shows for fun/spare cash and not because of alimony or tax debt. 😬

 

B) "Spectral Mornings" still gives me chills, especially that blossoming chord at the end.