Genesis: Prague, 20th June 2007

I do not like stadium venues and though I was delighted to hear that Genesis was re-emerging to do a short tour, I was disappointed that the band decided to do another series of stadium shows. However, I had to see Genesis again, at least one more time, so I decided to travel abroad and see them as part of a city break. If the gig was disappointing, at least the holiday would make up for it.

I had originally booked tickets for Budapest but the venue was changed to Prague (and then changed from a stadium in Prague to a smaller temporary open air construction in the parking area next to Sazka indoor arena and called, prosaically, Parking Lot.) The temporary arena was limited to 18,000 fans so, by chance, I ended up seeing Genesis on probably the smallest show of the European leg of the tour.

I was hoping for a gig which re-unified the different eras of the band's music. However, after the awful Invisible Touch era (when, for me, the band seemed to have lost the plot completely) and disappointing shows at Knebworth in 1992 and at the NEC on the execrable Calling all Stations tour (my last two experiences of seeing Genesis live), I was not at all hopeful.

On our way into the arena, the security guards took everyone's water bottles off them, despite the 80 degree temperature and blazing sunlight, so we had to buy another load of water inside the venue at three times the price. Beer was very cheap though, and good, and the food was excellent.

There was a suggestion by the weather forecasters of possible thunderstorms during the evening, and, for a while, the sky became ominously dark. However, by 7.30 the sun was shining again and it stayed dry and very warm throughout the gig.

Our seats were stage right and quite high in the stands, close enough to the stage to get a good view of the band and far enough away to get an impression of the whole stage show. From where we were sitting, we could see pasrt of the area behind the stage and, just before 8pm, an MPV with black tinted windows pulled into view. Phil, Mike, Tony, Daryl and Chester got out of the car and began walking towards backstage. A few of us saw them and waved and they waved back. I never thought I would see Genesis play live again and to see the boys in the flesh walking towards the stage area brought tears to my eyes. It was just great to see them again.

Ten minutes later and the band took to the stage and launched into Behind the Lines / Duke's End. Within 30 seconds of the start, the sound man had sorted the audio out and, from then on, the sound was loud and very clear for the whole show, one of the best live sounds I've experienced. This is not what I was expecting as my memory of large-scale shows has been of a very compromised sound. The drums in particular sounded huge but very natural. Aside from some occasional low-frequency feedback (possibly from the drums), a bit of echo from the Sazka arena which loomed over the parking lot and some minor quibbles with the mix, the sound was very good and dynamic throughout.

The other surprise for me was how far the screen technology had improved since the early 90's. The picture quality was excellent and there was no lag between the audio from the stage and the video. We could see the band very clearly indeed, Phil with greying stubble and the cut on his head from the 'tambourine incident' earlier in the tour, Mike with straggly hair, looking like an academic, Tony looking pretty solid (obviously works out a bit), Chester who is beginning to remind me of Ritchie Havens and Daryl who looked very calm and in control.

The instrumental opening was, for me, perfect, allowing the band to loosen up and setting the scene for an evening which featured some terrific ensemble playing. Duke's End segued into Turn it on Again, and this time it was a proper version, with no silly medley bolted on the end , just a straight down the line performance.

Turn it on Again was followed by No Son of Mine, again a superb version with Mike playing some fluid lines (both Daryl and Mike's guitar tones were perfectly judged throughout.) Land of Confusion was next up, sounding a bit dated (some of their 80's music seems locked in that decade to me) but getting a big cheer from the crowd. As expected, most of the audience seemed more familiar with the Invisible Touch / We Can't Dance material, but they listened attentively throughout and there were a fair number of hard core progressive rock fans who became very exciteable at certain points of the show, the next track being one of them.

As Mike donned his rather stunning looking new double-neck (such an iconic sight) Phil gave a lovely introduction ("you may hear some notes that you've never heard before, and some of them may be intentional") to a selection of older material (alright, a medley.) The medley commenced with In the Cage which sounded simply magnificent. It was slightly slower than some live versions I've heard, but if anything, that made it more powerful. Banks had a good organ sound for the keyboard riffs, although the lead sound wasn't the best choice, sounding a bit too staccato. Collins provided a tremendous vocal performance, singing with real conviction. In fact, throughout the whole gig, Collins' vocals were exceptional. I don't think I have ever heard him sing as well. He was in the zone from start to finish, imbuing every lyric with meaning and feeling. I have always been a huge fan of Phil's drumming but I have never before appreciated what an outstanding live singer and front man he is.

In the Cage segued in familiar fashion into the 7/8 bit from Cinema Show (with the Slipperman section) and then came part of Duke's Travels. By this stage, the band were really flying and clearly enjoying themselves, although on first listen the changes between different sections sounded a bit clumsy at times. It will be interesting to see how the medley develops during the tour and whether any structural problems are ironed out. Afterglow, which closed the medley, was a suitably anthemic finale and one Italian progressive fan at the back of the stands was moved so much that he pulled his wife to her feet and danced cheek to cheek with her.

One romantic moment followed another, as Hold on my Heart followed on. It was a huge change from the instrumental fireworks of a few minutes earlier, but it was beautifully sung and played and sounded very strong. Genesis have such a lengthy history that there are now many contrasting styles from the different eras. The challenge within this set was to make a cohesive live show incorporating those different styles and I was beginning to think that they had nailed it.

Home by the Sea was next. It was a huge performance of this more recent progressive rock song and it was great to hear the crowd burst into spontaneous applause at the end of the instrumental section before the vocal reprise. By now, the sun was setting behind the arena and a crescent moon was high in the sky along with numerous aircraft vapour trails. It was a perfect evening for an open-air concert, and Genesis were providing a show of astonishing quality. They were flitting between complex progressive rock workouts, ballads and anthems with ease and there was an attention to the detail, quality and the legacy of the band's music that was profoundly moving.

Follow You, Follow Me, which followed Home by the Sea was nothing short of a triumph. Phil sang it from behind his kit in front of a backdrop of characters (for example, Albert and Cynthia) from the band's albums on the large screen. Again, this was a proper version, laid back and unhurried like the original. There was something about Phil singing it whilst playing drums that just worked perfectly. It's hard to explain why that is, unless you love the band and know their history.

Then came Firth of Fifth, starting with a drum passage and cutting straight to the fast keyboard part before the guitar solo. This time, Banks got the keyboard solo sound just right. Daryl's take on the guitar solo which follows on has always divided fans. Many think he plays too many notes for a part where melody and feel are all important. I agree with that view, but must say that this is the best Stuermer version I've heard, still fiery and fast but with excellent tone and control. Firth of Fifth segued directly into an outstanding performance of I Know What I like. Once again, this was a lovingly executed version, complete with Phil's tarantella (with his younger self from 1976 performing the same tricks on the screen behind him) and an anthemic rendition of the Stagnation theme.

On previous tours, Mama has not always been a good live song. It's tough to sing and, let's face it, whilst it was a hit single it's not exactly a huge amount of fun. It's a dark and eerie song, a distant relative to Musical Box in its intensity. But tonight, it was simply magnificent, far and away the best live version I've heard.

Probably the most surprising and welcome inclusion in the new set has been Ripples. This version which followed Mama was different from the 1980 performance, performed by Mike on electric 12-string and by Daryl using an acoustic guitar patch on his guitar processor. It was a beautifully sung and performed version (Tony's piano sounded wonderful) showing off the full dynamic range of the song. It was another few minutes of high emotion for longstanding fans.

Not being a fan of the Invisible Touch album, Throwing it all Away was one of the songs I had been dreading. Whilst it will never one of my favourites, I have to say that it sounded rather good. It also featured some clever use of the stage lights and camera to show the audience on the screen behind the band as steam rose up the aluminium-effect back-drop into the sky, as if from a just-landed spaceship.

By now, Phil was effortlessly working the crowd with his between song banter, some of which was familiar from previous tours but not in a way that sounded second-hand or lazy. His links between songs were clever and funny and his attempts to speak Czech were greatly appreciated. His Domino-effect introduction was also pitched just right; good fun, and not too long. Which is more than I can say for the song itself which I have always found to be too long and not much fun. However, the band clearly enjoy playing it and Mike who appeared to be focused and concentrating very hard all night became quite animated, moving close to Tony with Daryl in tow whilst Phil looked on. The close bond between the band members became very clear.

The drum duet was next, starting on bar stools before moving to drum kits. Stunningly played, brilliantly crafted and, again, showing great warmth between band members. Mike then made a re-appearance with his mighty double-neck and Genesis launched into one of the highlights of the set, Los Endos. As the first jazz-rock section came to a close and the track seemed to pause for breath with that huge chord before the 12-string riff, the lights once again shone out onto the audience. It looked and sounded astonishing.

After Los Endos came Tonight, Tonight, Tonight, played only up to the instrumental section before linking into Invisible Touch. Tonight, Tonight, Tonight is another song like Mama which shows that Genesis made some very serious and interesting music in the later stages of the their recording career. The progressive / pop era split is nowhere near as clear as many fans make out.

As for Invisible Touch, well, I suppose they had to play it, even though it is a throwaway number compared to Los Endos or Tonight, Tonight, Tonight. But it got the audience dancing in the aisles, and the fireworks exploding off the top of the stage brought things to a monumental close.

I Can't Dance was the first encore, another necessary song in a stadium show, but again, the band looked like they were enjoying it and Tony played some nifty electric piano. The final song was announced as a song which is very special to the band and Genesis then went on to play an enchanting rendition of Carpet Crawl. Finishing the set with a stately and relatively obscure song from the Lamb was an almost perverse choice, but I loved them for it. Far from making things appear anti-climactic, it provided an almost spiritual note on which to end the evening. Once again it was lovingly and carefully played and once again it was a song of high-emotion for longstanding fans.

For us up in the stands under the crescent moon and stars, the evening ended with a view of the band leaving the stage making their way back to their car, this time by torchlight.

This was a gig of stunning quality. Genesis are back as a serious band playing beautiful music. They would argue that this has always been the case. However, for me, the band made so many wrong moves in the 80's and 90's with their recordings, live shows and attitudes to their earlier music that there was a danger of damaging their legacy.

For the hard-core fan, it's it's all about balance. If you feel the band's heart lies more with the crowd-pleasing songs than with their artistic side, then the balance doesn't feel right. After a long period of spending so much time and energy on chasing hits and commercial success in the 80's and 90's, the band seemed to have spent too long on the wrong side of that equation to make a comeback as an artistic force. However, I left that stadium last Wednesday feeling that the appropriate balance had finally been restored.

To the casual fan, this must all seem impossibly arcane. However, to longstanding fans, the new tour has meant an opportunity for a kind of rapprochement with a group of people that have been an important part of their lives.