The ‘Turn It On Again’ reunion tour

On 11 June 2007, Genesis started their ‘Turn It On Again’ reunion tour in Helsinki. It saw the return of Phil Collins on vocals.

Genesis announced their reunion in 2006

On 7 November 2006, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins announced that they were reuniting as Genesis to play a series of shows in Europe in the summer of 2007 and in North America in autumn. Phil Collins had left Genesis in 1996. Although he had appeared with his former band members in the past, this was his official return. The reunion also included Genesis’ long-time live members Chester Thompson on drums and Daryl Stuermer on guitar. Both had not played with the band since 1992.

The first proper gig was planned for 11 June 2007 in Helsinki. With no new album to promote, the band had enough time to go through their material and dust off the old songs. Having not played together for 15 years, rehearsals were a bit more difficult than they all had expected.

Rehearsals for the ‘Turn It On Again’ tour

Tony Banks (keyboards) and Mike Rutherford (guitars, bass) not only had to relearn the songs. They also had to change keys so that Phil Collins, whose voice had dropped over the years, could sing the songs.

He had some trouble relearning some of lyrics. But once he did, he struggled less with them than he had in the past. Songs like ‘Domino’ and ‘Home By The Sea’ with lyrics by Tony Banks were always a challenge for him to sing. (For example lines like ‘Sheets of double glazing’ or ‘Nylon sheets and blankets’). He also listened to live recordings from the past and realized that he had often added some little extras. On this tour he went back to singing the songs the way they were written.

He also had not played Genesis songs on drums for years. On his solo tours, he had done the drum duet with Chester Thompson and played on ‘In The Air Tonight’. But now he had to get himself back in shape and play things like ‘Second Home By The Sea’. Luckily enough, Chester Thompson and Daryl Stuermer were there to back them up and help them out. Daryl had to show them how to play their own songs because he knew and had learned them so well.

But the five of them had played for so long that even after a break of 15 years, the chemistry was still there. Also, they got along much better than ever before. Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford had become looser with age whereas Phil Collins had become a bit more serious. They could talk about things they never dared say to each other 15 years before.

The setlist

And what would Genesis play on this reunion tour? They had plenty of material to choose from. Of course, there some inevitable hits that the fans wanted to hear like ‘Follow You Follow Me’, ‘Invisible Touch’, ‘Mama’ and ‘I Can’t Dance’.

They also played their hit ‘Land Of Confusion’ a bit heavier than usual. It sounded more modern, which was a nod into the direction of the band Disturbed. They had done a metal cover version of the song.

A trip down memory lane on the Genesis reunion tour

Apart from the hits, they also played more ambitious songs from their later period like the already mentioned ‘Home By The Sea’ and ‘Domino’, two of Tony Banks’s favourites. As opener, they decided to do the instrumental intro of ‘Behind The Lines’ from Duke. They added a piece of ‘Duke’s End’ and called the show opener ‘Duke’s Intro’. It was a very strong and powerful opening for the reunion shows and would always make the crowd go wild.

Overall, Phil Collins played much more drums throughout the show than he had in the past. And for ‘I Know What I Like’ he looked at the tambourine dance from 1976 and after a bit of training, was able to do it also on this tour.

Also, they dug out ‘Ripples’ from A Trick Of The Tail (the first album with Phil Collins as lead vocalist from 1976), which they had not played for years. It was a real surprise in the setlist. The same goes for a bit of ‘Duke’s Travels’ that was incorporated into a medley. The setlist was a great mixture of material from all of their history. They played songs from almost every album since 1973. The last song of the set was the Lamb-classic ‘Carpet Crawlers’ from 1974. It was always a very emotional ending for the band and the audiences.

Behind the scenes

The stage set-up for the tour came from acclaimed stage designer Mark Fisher, the lighting design came from Patrick Woodroffe. Behind the band was a huge screen which created a different look and a different setting for each song.

Producer Nick Davis supervised the sound of the band. Also, the band decided to release sound board recordings of each show through an Encore Series.

The first concert in Helsinki

And finally the first gig was played in Helsinki on a warm summer night. The band played flawlessly, the screens showed the right visuals at the right time and the audiences were happy to see Genesis again.

Phil Collins later said that some people expected them to release a new album during this period. But for him, the tour was not only a Genesis reunion tour but also a Genesis farewell tour.

The tour went on until autumn 2007 when the band played North America. After that, it seemed that Genesis had closed the final chapter. When asked what they enjoyed most about the reunion tour, they all agreed that the greatest thing was to be back with old friends and laugh together.

Photo: Genesis, ofwel: Phil Collins, Michael Rutherford, Tony Banks, Chester Thompson en Daryl Stuermer.}} |Source=Maikel Koek, via Wikiportrait |Date= |Author=Maikel Koek |Permission={{Wikiportrait|2008041010026495}} (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0).

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).