Review by Shawn Perry
You can’t count on Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford, or Tony Banks to keep the Genesis name alive. It’s all fallen to Steve Hackett, the guitarist who was with the band in the 70s during their most adventurous and innovative period. Since “revisiting” Genesis music in the 90s, the guitarist has consistently mixed his own songs with classic Genesis songs in concert. Not an easy thing to do when you consider the breadth of material to draw from — six albums with Genesis and over 20 of his own.
For the 2019 Genesis Revisited tour, the show comprises one set dedicated to Hackett’s prolific solo output, with a special emphasis on 1979’s Spectral Mornings to celebrate its 40th anniversary. The second set is pure Genesis, including 1973’s Selling England By The Pound in its entirety. The Orpheum was the destination for Los Angeles fans to see it all unfold. The grizzled proggers were out in full force, as your share of Genesis, King Crimson, and the like graced virtually every male’s t-shirt. Well, pretty much every male over 50.
Hackett returns to the Orpheum year after year because it provides the perfect atmosphere for his brand of sonic intensity. Tonight, the guitarist and his band — Roger King (keyboards), Craig Blundell (drums / percussion), Rob Townsend (saxes / flutes), Jonas Reingold (bass / twelve string), and Nad Sylvan (vocals) — started up with “Every Day,” the first of many from Spectral Mornings. Afterwards, Hackett detailed the evening’s program, even mentioning that John Lennon was apparently a fan of Selling England By The Pound, before adding that he would first be rolling out a few numbers from his 2019 studio release, At The Edge of Night.
“Under The Eye Of The Sun,” released as the album’s initial single and video, is a spirited track with a wild streak and a harrowing middle section that highlights the exotic, Middle-Eastern flavorings Hackett has been tendering for the last few years. Two more from At The Edge Of Night — the instrumental “Fallen Walls And Pedestals” and the episodic “Beasts In Our Time” — followed, putting to rest any doubts that Steve Hackett’s new music is as challenging and effervescent as the back catalog. As promised, a large chunk of Spectral Mornings was sliced off — five songs in all including the alluring title track and the elegant “The Red Flower Of Tachai Blooms Everywhere.” Between songs, Hackett proudly told the crowd that his goldtop Fernandes Sustainer guitar once belonged to Gary Moore.
As with Genesis, a great deal of the visual spectacle of Steve Hackett’s stage show has to do with the lighting. Colorful shafts of illumination danced and showered the band members as Selling England By The Pound spilled out and transfixed the audience. Close your eyes and imagine you’re seeing Genesis in the 70s. Sylvan doesn’t go as far as Peter Gabriel when it comes to the theatrics, but he nails the vocals with precise, impish flair in his own regal way. At one point, sporting a red frock coat and muted black bicorn atop his head, the Swedish singer cut a fitting figure on the Orpheum stage. During the long instrumental passages though, he quietly exited the stage and left the spotlight to the musicians.
Sylvan’s presence, of course, was vital to capturing the magic of Selling England By The Pound. The same can be said of King and Townsend, who faithfully reproduced the keyboard parts and embellishments created by Tony Banks. You certainly can’t ignore how integral Hackett’s guitar is to the mix. Overshadowed by the stronger personalities in Genesis, the leader of tonight’s band breezed through each and every stanza, his touch on the acoustic or electric guiding the music. After running through the main album, which culminated with “The Cinema Show,” Hackett revealed “Déjà Vu,” an unreleased leftover from Selling England By The Pound the guitarist finished with Peter Gabriel’s blessing. An uproarious take on “Dance On A Volcano” from Trick Of The Tail finished off the set. For the encore, Hackett blended his own “Myopia” and “Slogans” with Genesis’ “Los Endos.” It was a selfless, seamless marriage that had the graybeards dancing in the aisles until the house lights came up.
