Tag: Live album

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The End of the Invisible Touch Tour – Wembley, July 4, 1987

On July 4, 1987, Genesis wrapped up their massive Invisible Touch tour with the fourth consecutive sold-out show at Wembley Stadium. It marked the end of a historic run for the band and a high point in their live career.

Invisible Touch: The Album

Released in 1986, Invisible Touch became Genesis’ most commercially successful album, reaching #1 in the UK and #3 in the US. It produced five major hit singles: ‘Invisible Touch’, ‘Tonight Tonight Tonight’, ‘Land of Confusion’, ‘In Too Deep’ and ‘Throwing It All Away’. Tracks like the title song, the moody Tonight, Tonight, Tonight, and Land of Confusion with its iconic Spitting Image video dominated radio, MTV, and the charts throughout 1986 and 1987. Genesis had never been more visible – or more popular.

Naturally, the band embarked on a massive world tour, playing across North America, Australia, Japan, Europe, and finally closing with four sold-out nights at Wembley, playing to nearly 300,000 people.

The Invisible Touch Tour

The tour kicked off in September 1986 in the US and included 112 shows, selling close to two million tickets. The band was joined, as usual, by drummer Chester Thompson and guitarist/bassist Daryl Stuermer.

In Australia and New Zealand, Genesis added a local four-piece string section for In Too Deep and Your Own Special Way, due to union regulations requiring them to employ local musicians.

By this point, Genesis weren’t just a hit-making machine, they were a finely-tuned live band, backed by a state-of-the-art Vari-Lite lighting system and a tight, polished setlist. While they had a vast catalogue to choose from, the shows leaned heavily on songs from Invisible Touch and recent albums.

The Setlist and Show Highlights

Every show opened with Mama, though its eerie atmosphere did not always translate well in daylight stadium settings. The closer was the now-iconic Turn It On Again medley, which featured a whirlwind of rock classics: Everybody Needs Somebody to Love, Satisfaction, Twist and Shout, Pinball Wizard, All Day and All of the Night and Karma Chameleon.

Older fan favorites included: Los Endos, Home By The Sea (with its now-standard ghost-story intro) and the In The Cage medley.

At the beginning of the tour, the In the Cage medley included In That Quiet Earth and the second half of Supper’s Ready. But as the tour progressed, Phil Collins began having trouble hitting some of the higher notes in Supper’s Ready, and the band eventually returned to the familiar In That Quiet Earth / Afterglow ending.

New material from Invisible Touch featured heavily, with standout performances of: Domino (with Phil’s now-legendary audience interaction), Tonight, Tonight, Tonight, Throwing It All Away (where the crowd singalong grew with each night) and Invisible Touch.

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 arrived at Wembley, the band had performed the set so often it had become a masterclass in musicianship and stagecraft. Initially, only two nights at Wembley were planned, but due to overwhelming demand, two more were added, making Genesis the first band to play four sold-out shows at Wembley Stadium. They entered the Guinness Book of Records, a record later broken by Michael Jackson during his Bad tour in 1988.

The Wembley concerts were filmed and later released on VHS and DVD (2003). Unfortunately, the epic In the Cage medley did not make it into the final release, (allegedly) due to bad luck with tape changes during that very song on each night.

Even so, the performance captured at Wembley is phenomenal, showcasing Genesis at their live peak. With Invisible Touch, the band had reached global superstardom and Wembley was the victory lap.

After this triumph, fans would have to wait four more years for the next Genesis studio album.

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).

  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 final show of their Wind & Wuthering tour, unaware that it would also be Steve Hackett’s last performance with the band.

Wind & Wuthering and Growing Tensions

Released in December 1976, Wind & Wuthering was Genesis’s second album following Peter Gabriel’s departure. With Phil Collins now stepping confidently into the role of lead vocalist, the band had successfully reinvented itself as a four-piece. Collins had already proven he could carry the frontman role with A Trick of the Tail and the subsequent 1976 tour.

By this point, songwriting duties were largely shared between Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford, while Phil focused more on arrangements and performance. Steve Hackett, however, was growing increasingly frustrated. He felt that his musical ideas were often overlooked, and after the 1977 tour, he made the decision to leave Genesis.

The Wind & Wuthering Tour

The 1977 tour was one of Genesis’s biggest yet, taking them across Europe, the US, and for the first time, South America. They were joined by American drummer Chester Thompson, who would become a fixture in the live lineup for decades.

That year, the band reached new heights in live performance and was even voted “Best Live Group” in 1977. Much of that era’s power was captured on the double live album Seconds Out.

The Final Show: July 3, 1977, Munich

Genesis closed out the tour with a concert at Munich’s Olympiahalle. They opened with Squonk, followed by One for the Vine, a Tony Banks epic from the new album. The rare track Inside and Out from the Spot the Pigeon EP was also included, having appeared on select European dates.

Highlights of the show included The Carpet Crawlers, I Know What I Like, and Supper’s Ready, songs that had evolved significantly since Gabriel’s departure. The band had also begun experimenting with medleys, a trend that continued on this tour: Dance on a Volcano merged seamlessly into Los Endos, while The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway was paired with the climactic ending of The Musical Box.

And of course, Firth of Fifth made the setlist, featuring Hackett’s iconic guitar solo. None of the fans, or even the band members, knew it would be the last time they’d see Steve Hackett perform it live with Genesis.

Steve Hackett’s Departure

Steve had already released a solo album by this point, showcasing ideas that had not made it onto Genesis records. During the four-piece era, he had pushed for a guaranteed portion of writing credits on each album, a request the others declined, committed as they were to being a fully democratic group.

In July 1977, while mixing Seconds Out, Hackett found himself exhausted by the constant repetition of songs like I Know What I Like. After months on the road and in front of crowds of 20,000 people, he began to feel creatively stifled. The challenge was gone.

So one day, he picked up the phone and called Mike Rutherford to say he was leaving. Mike, aware of Steve’s growing dissatisfaction, did not try to change his mind.

Shortly afterward, Phil Collins happened to drive past Steve near Trident Studios, where they were mixing the album. Phil invited him into the car, but Steve acted strangely, saying only, “Talk to Mike, he’ll explain,” before walking away. When Phil arrived at the studio, Mike and Tony told him Steve had officially left the band.

The Band Carries On

Genesis continued mixing Seconds Out as a trio, then returned to the studio to begin work on their next album. From this point forward, Genesis would remain a three-piece studio band, while Steve Hackett would embark on a successful solo career.

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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Genesis Archive 1967–1975: Opening the Vaults of the Gabriel Era

In June 1998, Genesis released the first of their two Archive box sets. Covering the years from 1967 to 1975, Genesis Archive 1967–1975 offered fans an unprecedented look into the band’s formative years and the entire Peter Gabriel era.

A Project Years in the Making

The idea of an extensive Genesis archive release had actually been around since 1994. Originally, the band planned to issue three separate box sets: one covering the Gabriel years, another spanning the late 1970s and early 1980s, and a third focusing on the band’s most commercially successful period from the mid-1980s onwards.

As so often happens with archival projects, plans changed. After several delays, the material was eventually condensed into two releases. The first, Genesis Archive 1967–1975, arrived in 1998. The second, Genesis Archive 2: 1976–1992, followed in 2000 and focused on the Phil Collins era.

Together, the two collections unearthed a wealth of previously unreleased live recordings, demos, B-sides and studio rarities.

The Complete Lamb Lies Down on Broadway Live Performance

The first two discs of Archive 1967–1975 are devoted to a complete performance of Genesis’s masterpiece, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.

During the band’s 1974–75 tour, the entire double album was performed live each night. Shortly after the tour ended, Peter Gabriel left Genesis, making these recordings particularly significant.

The performance featured on the box set was recorded at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. While it finally gave fans an official release of the complete Lamb show, one element was largely missing: many of Gabriel’s famous storytelling interludes between songs were edited out.

Revisiting the Past

The recording is not entirely untouched. In 1995, Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett returned to add new vocal and guitar parts where the original tapes required restoration.

Gabriel recorded his contributions at his Real World Studios, and attentive listeners can often hear the difference between his 1970s voice and the one heard on the archive release. Another unavoidable limitation was the ending of “It,” which fades out because the original tape ran out before the song had finished.

Despite these alterations, the performance remains remarkable. The band sounds powerful and confident, while the audience’s enthusiasm is palpable throughout.

For the most part, the songs closely follow their studio counterparts. The major exception is “The Waiting Room,” the album’s experimental instrumental section, which was improvised differently each night. Highlights include the title track, “Fly on a Windshield,” and an especially moving version of “The Carpet Crawlers.”

Selling England Live at the Rainbow

Disc three shifts focus to the Selling England by the Pound tour of 1973, drawing primarily from performances recorded at London’s Rainbow Theatre.

For many fans, this was one of the most exciting aspects of the release. At last, official live versions of classics such as “Dancing with the Moonlit Knight” and “Supper’s Ready” became available with Peter Gabriel on lead vocals.

Unlike the Lamb recordings, Gabriel’s stage introductions and stories were preserved here, offering a valuable glimpse into Genesis’s legendary live performances of the early 1970s.

The disc also includes the band’s 1971 BBC recording of “Stagnation,” alongside non-album gems such as “Twilight Alehouse” and “Happy the Man.”

The Hidden Treasure: Disc Four

For many longtime fans, the fourth disc is the true jewel of the collection.

Dedicated to Genesis’s earliest years with guitarist Anthony Phillips, it features BBC sessions, demos and rare recordings from a period when the band’s identity was still taking shape.

Listening to these recordings feels like hearing Genesis becoming Genesis.

Among the highlights are early versions of songs that would later evolve into familiar classics, alongside lesser-known tracks such as “Hey!” that reveal a gentler, more pastoral side of the band’s music.

There is a distinctive atmosphere running through these recordings, one that many listeners associate with Anthony Phillips’s influence and which largely disappeared after his departure in 1970.

Some casual listeners may find this disc the most challenging, but for dedicated fans it is arguably the most rewarding.

A Comprehensive Package

Beyond the music itself, the box set included an impressive 82-page booklet featuring an extensive band history, rare photographs and interviews with members of Genesis and their associates.

The collection finally provided official live recordings of many Gabriel-era favourites. Prior to its release, the only official live album featuring Gabriel had been Genesis Live (1973), which covered material primarily from Trespass, Nursery Cryme and Foxtrot.

The inclusion of B-sides and previously unreleased songs such as “Twilight Alehouse” added even more value. Although some known demos and rarities remained absent from the final selection, Archive 1967–1975 was widely regarded as an extraordinary release.

Fans clearly agreed: the box set reached No. 35 on the UK Albums Chart.

A Rare Reunion at Heathrow

To promote the release, Genesis staged a remarkable reunion photo session at Heathrow Airport in May 1998.

Present were Tony Banks, Peter Gabriel, Mike Rutherford, Phil Collins, Steve Hackett, Anthony Phillips and original drummer John Silver. Even the band’s very first drummer, Chris Stewart, attended the dinner that followed the photo shoot.

Only Trespass-era drummer John Mayhew was absent.

For fans, the images were almost as exciting as the music itself: a rare gathering of nearly every significant figure from Genesis’s history.

Looking Ahead

The success of Archive 1967–1975 paved the way for a second collection. Released in 2000, Genesis Archive 2: 1976–1992 explored the Phil Collins era and completed the band’s ambitious effort to open its vaults.

More than twenty-five years later, Archive 1967–1975 remains an important release in the Genesis catalogue: a fascinating journey through the band’s early years and an essential document of the Peter Gabriel era.

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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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