LIVE: Steve Hackett (Genesis Revisited) @ The Egg, 04/10/2022

I first saw Steve Hackett live on stage in January of 1977 in Birmingham, England. He was still a member of Genesis, and they were touring in support of their “Wind and Wuthering” album. The Punk rock revolution was in full swing and many of their contemporaries, like King Crimson, Yes and ELP, were starting to splinter and wane in popularity.

Not Genesis though, they were firmly perched at the top of the art rock (“progressive” was not really a term in use at the time) tree. Few in the audience could have suspected that Hackett, the self-effacing guitarist of the group, was planning to leave. Apparently upset over the short shrift his song writing efforts were being treated with compared to the other three core members, the final straw was reportedly the sound mix of the live double album “Seconds Out” that same year. Hackett felt his contributions were being buried, and famously quit the band before the mixing sessions were finished. It was a decision that dramatically altered both his and the band’s trajectory.

So this tour, which arrived at The Egg Sunday night, can almost be seen as “Hackett’s revenge.” For he and his band play the entire “Seconds Out” front to back, track by track, and Hackett is most certainly out front and center stage, literally and figuratively.

Hackett starts by explaining the format; a short set of solo material, a break, and then the whole of “Seconds”, an album he jokes that he did when he was in a “boyband.” 

“Paper late!” cried a voice in the crowd. Er, no, actually it was “They retired!”

“As you say madam” Hackett smilingly responds, “but these musicians (gesturing to the band) did not.”

The first set comprises of just five songs from his solo career, showcasing his versatility, from the heavy prog riffage of “Clocks,” to the lighter melodic stylings of “Every Day.”

After the break, the medium paced rocker “Squonk” heralds the start of “Seconds Out”, the entire band playing with confidence and panache.

Hackett has a pleasant but lightweight singing voice, so he wisely leaves the heavy lifting of the Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins lead vocal aerobatics to Nad Sylvan, who handles them splendidly.

Roger King essays the tricksy keyboard runs of Tony Banks effortlessly, whilst bassist Jonas Reingold (ex Flower Kings, the superb Swedish band) and drummer Craig Blundell are a tireless rhythm section. The group is rounded out by Rob Townshend on saxes and flute.

But there’s no mistaking Hackett is the star of the show.

He has a unique sound. Able to shred with the best of them, and adept at two handed tapping and sweep picking long before Eddie Van Halen erupted, he is above all an emotional player. His ability to wring crying notes from his guitar, bending and sustaining them so that they whirl around the theater like lost seagulls is unparalleled. As he plays the intricate instrumental passages of “The Cinema Show” and the epic “Supper’s Ready”, he seems truly at one with the music. And if there is a more beautiful guitar solo in all of rock than “Firth of Fifth” I have yet to hear it.

One moment perfectly encapsulates the shared joy between band and audience. As Blundell launches into an iconic Phil Collins drum fill that cues one of the final segments of “Supper’s Ready”, Reingold, beaming widely, actually stops playing and air drums along with his bandmate.

Prog nerds will get it.

Quite magnificent.

Setlist

Set 1:

• Clocks (The Angel of Mons)
• Held in the Shadows
• Every Day
• The Devil’s Cathedral
• Shadow of the Hierophant

(All Set 1 songs Steve Hackett)

Set 2: “Seconds Out”

• Squonk
• The Carpet Crawlers
• Robbery, Assault and Battery
• Afterglow
• Firth of Fifth
• I know what I like (in your Wardrobe)
• The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
• The Musical Box (closing section)
• Supper’s Ready
• The Cinema Show
• Aisle of Plenty

Encores:

• Dance on a Volcano
• Drum solo
• Los Endos
• (All Set 2 songs Genesis)

Photo Gallery by Joe Putrock