Tag: Live album

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The end of the Invisible Touch Tour at Wembley 1987

On July 4, 1987, Genesis finished their gigantic Invisible Touch tour at Wembley Stadium. It was the fourth sold out night in a row at Wembley.

Invisible Touch

In 1986, Genesis released the album Invisible Touch. It became their most successful album, peaking at #1 in the U.K. and #3 in the U.S. It produced five hit singles: ‘Invisible Touch’, ‘Tonight Tonight Tonight’, ‘Land of Confusion’, ‘In Too Deep’ and ‘Throwing It All Away’. Songs like the title track, ‘Tonight, Tonight, Tonight’ and ‘Land Of Confusion’ with its famous spitting image video would dominate the radio and music TV stations and the international charts of 1986/1987. Genesis were everywhere and bigger than ever. So of course, the band went on a massive tour through North America, Australia, Japan and Europe before finishing in Britain with four sold-out nights at Wembley Stadium in front of 300,000 people.

Purchase Invisible Touch here on Amazon!*

The Invisible Touch tour

The tour began in the U.S. in September 1986 and included 112 dates and sold close to two million tickets. It ended in July 1987. In Australia and New Zealand, the five-man line-up was accompanied by a four-piece string section on ‘In Too Deep’ and ‘Your Own Special Way’. They had to invite the quartet because of local regulations that required them to employ local musicians.

At this time, the band was not only a hit-machine, but a working and brilliant live act. The Vari Lite light show was impressive as always. The band had much material to rely on, but chose mainly new songs from their hit album and the albums before.

The shows were always opened with ‘Mama’ (which sometimes lacked a bit of atmosphere in daylight) and ended with the ‘Turn It On Again’ hit medley that the band had established on the previous tour. The medley included ‘Everybody Needs Somebody to Love’, ‘Satisfaction’, ‘Twist and Shout’, ‘Pinball Wizard’, ‘All Day and All of the Night’ and ‘Karma Chameleon’.

Older songs in the set included ‘Los Endos’, ‘Home By The Sea’ (including it’s meanwhile standard ghost-story introduction) and another ‘In The Cage’ medley. When the tour began, they had played ‘In That Quiet Earth’ and the second half of the epic ‘Supper’s Ready’ after ‘In The Cage’. However, during the tour Phil had difficulties reaching the higher notes in ‘Supper’s Ready’, so by the middle of the tour they had gone back to the usual ending of ‘In That Quiet Earth’ and ‘Afterglow’.

New songs included ‘Domino’ (with another – soon to be famous – introduction by Phil), ‘Tonight, Tonight, Tonight’, ‘Throwing It All Away’, where the call-and-response singing developed throughout the tour, and ‘Invisible Touch’ itself.

Live at Wembley Stadium

‘Nearly 300,000 people at Wembley. OK, there might have been a few repeats in there, but I thought at the time, and I still think now, that moment was the peak of our career’1 – Tony Banks.

By the time Genesis got to Wembley, they had performed the set so often that it had become a true piece of fine art and musicianship. Interestingly, only two shows were scheduled at Wembley, but the demand for tickets was so high, that a third and then a record-breaking fourth night were added. Genesis ended in Guinness World Records until Michael Jackson sold out Wembley Stadiums on seven nights on his Bad World Tour one year later.

The Wembley shows were filmed and released as video and as DVD in 2003. Unfortunately the famous ‘In The Cage’ medley was left out of the release because on every night, the tapes had to be changed during that song.

Apart from that, the results and the performance are astonishing. The band truly ended the tour on a high note there. Looking back at the videos and listening to the songs and performances, we can say that Genesis were at their peak at this very point at Wembley Stadium. Afterwards, the fans had to wait four more years for a new Genesis record.

Title photo: Genesis Nancy 1987. Phil Collins, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, Daryl Stuermer, Chester Thompson. Genesis en concert à Nancy le 14 juin 1987 au stade Marcel-Picot de Nancy-Tomblaine Source: Wikimedia Commons, Fredamas / CC-BY-SA-2.5 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0).

Listen to songs recorded at Wembley in 1987 on “Genesis – BBC Broadcasts” – Get it here!*

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Purchase Live at Wembley here on Amazon!*

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  1. in Banks, Tony; Collins, Phil; Gabriel, Peter; Hackett, Steve; Rutherford, Mike; Dodd, Philip, Genesis. Chapter & verse. (New York: Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Griffin, 2007), p. 287. ↩︎
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Steve Hackett’s last show with Genesis

On July 3, 1977, Genesis played the last show of their Wind And Wuthering tour and (unbeknown to them at that point) also the last show with lead guitarist Steve Hackett.

Wind And Wuthering

In December 1976, Genesis had released Wind and Wuthering, their second album since Peter Gabriel’s departure. The band had become a foursome the year before, drummer Phil Collins had taken over the vocal duties. He had proved that he could fill this role easily on the previous album A Trick of the Tail and the following tour in 1976.

By this point, keyboardist Tony Banks and guitarist/bassist Mike Rutherford were the main songwriters with Phil Collins being more of a player and arranger. Guitarist Steve Hackett felt that not enough of his material was used. He was frustrated about his role in the group and decided to leave Genesis after the 1977 tour.

The Wind & Wuthering tour

The band set out for a huge tour in 1977 that would lead them to South America for the first time and through Europe and the US. On drums, they were accompanied by American drummer Chester Thompson. It was his first tour with them and he would remain with the band as a live drummer until 2007 (with a short interruption in the 1990s).

Genesis reached a new peak in live performances and was voted ‘Best live group’ in 1977. This was captured in the double live album Seconds Out.

The last show

The last show of the tour (and also Steve Hackett’s last show as a member of Genesis) took place in the Olympiahalle, Munich, on July 3, 1977. They opened the set with ‘Squonk’ as they had done throughout most of the tour, then they played ‘One For The Vine’, a Banks composition from the new album. ‘Inside And Out’ from the recent EP Spot The Pigeon was added on some European dates and was also played in Munich. Among the highlights of the show were songs like ‘The Carpet Crawlers’, ‘I Know What I Like’ and ‘Supper’s Ready’, some of which had changed a lot since the days when Peter Gabriel sang them. Also, the band had started to play medleys on the tour before and continued to do so on the Wind & Wuthering tour. ‘Dance On A Volcano’ and ‘Los Endos’ were combined as well as ‘The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway’ and the closing section of ‘The Musical Box’. The band also played ‘Firth Of Fifth’ that night in which Steve plays the famous guitar solo. Neither the fans nor the band knew that they had witnessed him playing it live for the last time.

Steve leaves the band

Steve Hackett had been the first Genesis member to record a solo album. There, he included some of the music that was not used on Genesis albums. During the period as a four-piece-band, he wanted to have a certain percentage on each album for his own songs. The others disagreed; they were a democratic band. So he started recording solo albums and felt that his input on Genesis albums became less and less.

Also, when the band mixed the live album Seconds Out in July 1977, he could not stand listening to tracks like ‘I Know What I Like’ anymore after having played them for months at this point. Also, he felt that after playing shows with audiences of 20.000 people, there was nothing new to strive for. So one day he phoned Mike Rutherford and told him he wanted to leave. Mike knew that Steve had been unhappy in Genesis for some time, so he did not try to talk him out of it. Later that day or the following day, Phil Collins drove from West London to Trident Studios, where they mixed the live album. He passed Steve on the street and told him to jump into the car. Steve acted a bit oddly, said ‘Speak to Mike, he’ll explain’ and went off. When Phil arrived at the studio, Tony and Mike informed him that Steve had left the band.

The three remaining members then went on mixing Seconds Out and afterwards went into the studio to record their next album. They would remain a three-piece-band in the studio for the rest of their career and Steve Hackett would continue his career as a solo artist.

Title photo: Genesis Steve Hackett. Source: Wikimedia Commons, Jean-Luc / CC-BY-SA-2.5 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0). Originally posted to Flickr as Genesis.

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Archive I 1967 – 1975 (1998) – Genesis

In June 1998, Genesis released their first of two ‘Archive’ box sets: Archive 1967 – 1975 covers the era with Peter Gabriel as lead vocalist.

The plans to release ‘Archive’ box sets dated back to 1994

After the release of their last studio album Calling All Stations* in 1997, Genesis began putting together unreleased material from their history. The idea dated back to 1994. Originally there were plans to release three box sets. The first would have featured the Gabriel years, the second the period from the mid 1970’s to the early 80’s and the last the period from the mid 80’s to the early 90’s.

But over the years, there were delays and plans were changed. The recordings were released on two box sets, the first one being Archive 1967-75* , released in 1998, the second one being Genesis Archive 2 1976-1992*, released in 2000, which covers the era with Phil Collins on lead vocals. Both sets feature unreleased live performances, studio tracks and demo songs.

A complete live performance of The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway

Archive 1967 – 1975 is a box set that includes four discs. The mixing was done by Genesis producer Nick Davis. The first two discs feature a complete live performance of Genesis’ magnum opus The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway*. When the band toured the concept album in 1974/75, they played the whole double album. After this tour, Peter Gabriel left the band. The live performance in the box set is from The Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles. Unfortunately, most of Peter Gabriel’s stories about the adventures of Rael between the songs were left out.

Peter Gabriel re-recorded his vocals at Real World Studios in 1995

Also, it is not a completely live recording. Peter Gabriel and former lead guitarist Steve Hackett re-recorded some of their parts in 1995. You can hear the difference in Gabriel’s voice if you compare the studio versions from 1974 to the live version on Archive I. Gabriel recorded his vocals at his Real World Studios. Also, the last song ‘It’, fades out because the tape machine at the Shrine ran out halfway through the song.

The live performance in general sounds more powerful than the studio version and the crowd seems to be enthusiastic. Apart from that, the songs are almost identical to the studio versions. The only exception is ‘The Waiting Room (Evil Jam)’, which was an instrumental with lots of space for improvisation that was therefore played differently every night. Apart from that, especially the title track, ‘Fly On A Windshield’ and ‘Carpet Crawlers’ stand out.

A live performance of ‘Supper’s Ready’ from 1973

Disc 3 includes live performances from the Rainbow Theatre in London, recorded on the Selling England By the Pound* tour in 1973. We finally get to hear songs like ‘Dancing With The Moonlight Knight’ and ‘Supper’s Ready’ live with Peter on vocals on an official release. Here, the stories are included. It also features a 1971 BBC recording of ‘Stagnation’ and b-sides and studio tracks from that era like ‘Twilight Alehouse’ and ‘Happy The Man.’

The last disc is the most interesting one, at least for the fans. It features songs from the band’s earliest period, still with Anthony Phillips on guitar. There are BBC sessions and many demo songs. You can hear the band becoming Genesis on this disc. Some of the tracks are real gems, from the early version of ‘Dusk’ to the appealing ‘Hey!’. There is an atmosphere in these early recordings that went missing after Ant Phillips left the band.

Apart from the four discs, there is a 82-page booklet which contains the band’s history and interviews with band members and associates.

So Archive 1967 – 1975 is a quite interesting box set. We finally get to hear official live versions of Gabriel-era songs sung by him. The only official live release with him had been Live* from 1973, which only covers songs from Trespass*, Nursery Cryme* and Foxtrot*. The inclusion of b-sides and unreleased studio tracks like ‘Twilight Alehouse’ make this box set special. Some would argue that disc 4 is only for the hardcore fans, but it also is the most surprising and most interesting of the four discs. Unfortunately some rare tracks and demos that are known to exist did not make it onto the box set. But all in all, Archive 1967-75 is an extraordinary release. Fans seemed to agree with that: It reached no. 35 in the UK charts in 1998.

The band met at Heathrow Airport to promote the release

To promote the release of Archive I, Genesis members past and present reunited for a photo shoot (and a following dinner) at Heathrow Airport in May 1998. There were Tony Banks, Peter Gabriel, Anthony Phillips, former drummer John Silver, Phil Collins, Steve Hackett and Mike Rutherford. The band’s first drummer Chris Stewart only made it to the dinner. Trespass-era drummer John Mayhew did not attend the event.

Genesis’ next ‘Archive’ release would be in 2000. It would be entitled Archive II 1976 – 1992 and feature the period with Phil Collins as lead vocalist.

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We Can’t Dance in Tampa – The Story of the 1992 Tour

Tampa, Florida, 17 May 1992. It was only the fourth night of Genesis’ massive We Can’t Dance tour when the band had to leave the stage early after just two songs. Phil Collins was suffering from throat problems, and the show was cancelled after Land of Confusion and No Son of Mine, leaving a restless crowd behind. Thankfully, it was a one-off incident. The We Can’t Dance tour would go on to become one of the band’s biggest productions ever, both in scale and ambition.

Let’s take a closer look at this monumental tour.

A Blockbuster Album: We Can’t Dance

Released in 1991, We Can’t Dance was Genesis’ 14th studio album and it became another global smash. Even after nearly 25 years in the business, the band were still topping charts around the world. The album spawned four hit singles: No Son of Mine, I Can’t Dance, Hold On My Heart, and Jesus He Knows Me. Each of them came with its own high-budget music video. I Can’t Dance and Jesus He Knows Me, in particular, stood out for their sharp humour and clever production.

Stadiums, Screens, and Scale: The We Can’t Dance Tour

Naturally, such a successful album deserved a tour to match. More than 60 shows were scheduled across North America and Europe in 1992. While Genesis weren’t entirely comfortable with stadium gigs, they ultimately preferred three months of large-scale shows over a ten-month arena tour. The goal was clear: keep the tour tight and efficient.

The production went up a notch: three massive Sony Jumbotron video screens were installed behind the stage, ensuring that fans even in the furthest rows could see the band up close. Rehearsals took place inside the enormous Goodyear Blimp hangar in Houston, one of the few places big enough to house the full setup.

The Setlist and the Line-Up

Tony Banks, Phil Collins, and Mike Rutherford were joined once again by their trusted touring musicians Chester Thompson (drums) and Daryl Stuermer (guitar and bass). After weeks of rehearsals, the setlist came together: mostly material from We Can’t Dance, along with select tracks from Invisible Touch and Genesis, and of course the classic encore Turn It On Again.

A 20-minute medley brought back highlights from the band’s 1970s output. It was a refreshing change from the long-standing In the Cage medley, which had featured in live shows for years.

Trouble in Tampa

The tour kicked off on 8 May 1992 in Texas. But disaster struck on night four in Tampa. Phil Collins’ voice simply gave out. He had always taken care of his voice while on tour, using various treatments when needed and he knew the crowd could sing along if he had to take it easy. But this time, he just couldn’t go on. After Land of Confusion and No Son of Mine, the band had no choice but to walk off stage.

Fortunately, Phil recovered quickly, and the rest of the tour went ahead as planned. The first leg concluded in August with a massive open-air concert at Knebworth Park, which was broadcast on Premiere. The second leg kicked off in the autumn, taking the band across the UK, a region they hadn’t toured extensively during the 1980s. They made up for it with multiple dates at London’s Earl’s Court, which were filmed and later released as The Way We Walk: Live in Concert.

The Way We Walk – Capturing the Tour

The tour also resulted in a live double album: Live – The Way We Walk, split into two volumes — The Shorts and The Longs. Rather than presenting an entire show in sequence, the band divided the material into their hit singles and their longer, progressive epics. Some fans didn’t love this format, but it made sense at the time: casual listeners knew the hits, while long-time fans appreciated the deeper cuts. Later editions of the album would restore the original running order.

The Last Dance (For a While)

Unbeknownst to fans and band members alike, the We Can’t Dance tour would be the last Genesis tour with Phil Collins until the 2007 reunion. It was also the final tour for Chester Thompson and Daryl Stuermer, at least for the next 15 years.

No one knew it at the time, but this was the end of an era. For many fans, 1992 was the last chance to see this iconic lineup live. But, as Genesis fans now know, there was more to come — eventually.

But that’s another story.

Title photo: Genesis Live- Land Of Confusion. Photo taken during the performance by Genesis of “Land of Confusion” in Knebworth, England (August 2nd, 1992). Source: Wikimedia Commons, Manny Hernandez/ CC-BY-SA-2.5 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0).

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Genesis Kicks Off the Wind & Wuthering Tour at the Rainbow Theatre on 1 January 1977

On January 1, 1977, Genesis began their highly anticipated Wind & Wuthering tour with a series of three sold-out performances at London’s iconic Rainbow Theatre. These shows marked the beginning of a new chapter for the band, being the first with Chester Thompson as their touring drummer and the last with guitarist Steve Hackett. The stakes were high, and the performances lived up to every expectation, setting the tone for what would become one of the band’s most ambitious tours.

A New Era for Genesis

By the time Genesis took to the stage at the Rainbow, they were riding the wave of their recently released album, Wind & Wuthering. This was their second studio effort since Peter Gabriel’s departure and demonstrated the band’s evolving sound, shaped primarily by Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford. While Phil Collins had already proven himself a formidable frontman on A Trick of the Tail and its subsequent tour, Wind & Wuthering solidified the band’s status as a dominant force in progressive rock.

The Rainbow shows also introduced fans to a new dynamic on stage. Chester Thompson, who had played with Frank Zappa and Weather Report, stepped into the role of live drummer. Despite having just ten days of rehearsals to learn an extensive and complex setlist, Thompson impressed with his technical prowess and adaptability. Though initial reviews were mixed—with some critics finding his style less “exciting” than Bill Bruford’s—his chemistry with Collins and the band grew stronger as the tour progressed.

The Opening Night: 1 January 1977

Genesis opened their first show with “Eleventh Earl of Mar” from the new album, setting the stage with energy and precision. Fans were also treated to other Wind & Wuthering tracks, including the jazzy instrumental “…In That Quiet Earth” and the poignant ballad “Afterglow,” where Collins and Thompson recreated a stunning drum fill inspired by Zappa’s Roxy & Elsewhere. The setlist also revisited classic fan favorites like “Supper’s Ready” and “The Musical Box,” which now had a fresh groove thanks to Thompson’s jazz-rock sensibilities.

The performances weren’t just about the music. Genesis debuted a state-of-the-art stage setup, featuring computer-controlled laser lights and Boeing 747 landing lights, creating a mesmerizing visual spectacle. Despite the rise of punk rock, which critics claimed was overshadowing progressive rock, the demand for Genesis was undeniable—80,000 fans applied for just 8,000 tickets to the Rainbow shows.

Reflections on the Show

Peter Gabriel, who attended the Rainbow performances, reportedly sympathized with Thompson’s challenge of adapting to Genesis’ intricate material on short notice. However, the drummer’s confidence and skill became evident as he added his own flair to the band’s repertoire. Even tracks like “Squonk,” which some felt fell short compared to its studio version, showcased Thompson’s steady hand and growing familiarity with the material.

The new lineup’s energy was palpable. Tony Banks’ epic “One for the Vine” stood shoulder to shoulder with Genesis’ older masterpieces, while lighter moments like “All in a Mouse’s Night” brought humor to the set. The extended version of “I Know What I Like” had the audience grooving, proving that Genesis was still evolving their sound even in live performances.

A Turning Point for Genesis

The three nights at the Rainbow Theatre were a triumphant start to a journey that would take the band across Europe, North America, and South America. It was during this tour that Genesis cemented their reputation as one of the best live acts of the era, a feat recognized when they were voted “Best Live Group” in 1977.

Yet, this tour also marked an ending. Steve Hackett, whose frustrations over his role in the band had been simmering for some time, left after the tour. His departure would transform Genesis into a trio for their subsequent album, …And Then There Were Three…, signaling the end of their progressive rock era and the start of a new phase in their sound.

“Best Live Band” in 1977

The recordings from this tour were later featured on the live album Seconds Out. These concerts captured Genesis at a pivotal moment, balancing the old and the new while navigating internal changes and external pressures. For the fans lucky enough to be there, the Rainbow shows remain legendary—a testament to Genesis’ ability to innovate, adapt, and deliver unforgettable live experiences.

As Chester Thompson would later recall the Rainbow shows: “I remember there was an energy, a buzz unlike anything I felt. It wasn’t a huge venue, but the crowd was really into it. The music for me was again a challenge, because it was just so unfamiliar to me.”1

Indeed, the Rainbow shows of January 1977 were more than just concerts—they were a defining moment in the history of Genesis.

Title photo: Genesis_(the_band). Source: Wikimedia Commons, Jean-Luc / CC-BY-SA-2.5 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0).

Sources

Bowler, Dave; Dray, Bryan (1992): Genesis. A biography. London: Sidgwick & Jackson.

CHESTER THOMPSON FULL INTERVIEW : HOW HE WENT FROM ZAPPA TO DRUMMING WITH GENESIS & PHIL COLLINS.

Frischvers, Richard, ‘Wind & Wuthering’. Circus (31 March 1977), pp. 58–60, https://thegenesisarchive.co.uk/circus-magazine-wind-and-wuthering-feature-31st-march/, archived from the original on 11 October 2015.

Platts, Robin (2007): Genesis. Behind the lines, 1967-2007. Burlington, Ont., Canada: Collectors Guide Pub.

Thompson, Dave (2005): Turn it on again. Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins & Genesis. San Francisco: Backbeat Books.

  1. CHESTER THOMPSON FULL INTERVIEW : HOW HE WENT FROM ZAPPA TO DRUMMING WITH GENESIS & PHIL COLLINS. ↩︎
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The Longs (1993) – Genesis

Released in January 1993, Live – The Way We Walk, Volume Two: The Longs marked the end of an era for Genesis. Not only was it the band’s last release with Phil Collins before his departure, but it also became their final UK number-one album. As the second volume of the The Way We Walk live series, The Longs captured the epic and progressive side of Genesis, contrasting with Volume One: The Shorts, which focused on the band’s chart-topping hits.

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