The Glasshouse, Gateshead
Saturday, 19th October 2024
Steve Hackett has been fortunate to have experienced such a long career that seems to have no end in sight. To be approaching his mid 70’s, and yet to this day, still performing in packed, or often, sold-out venues. That’s a pretty damn fine accomplishment, which in the last dozen or so years, has seen him really create a lot of interest within the progressive music scene. Without doubt, primarily because of his live shows, which in recent times have seen the 2nd half performances become exclusively classic 70’s Genesis material. And the fans love it! Steve is having a wonderful time entertaining those Genesis fans, whose heart and souls lie with so much of that music from the 70’s, that they first fell in love with. And good on him for still having a real passion for songs he wrote five decades ago, recognising it was what his long-term fans yearned for, and essentially giving them what they wanted. Everybody wins!
As such, this has been a similar theme for Steve Hackett to integrate into his regular touring plans. Often with him promoting a new solo album of brand new material, incorporating some fan-favourites from his lengthy solo career to accompany the first half of the show … then resurrecting some amazing old Genesis classics for the second section. And for each tour, which sometimes can be an annual Autumn jaunt around the UK, he has chosen a particular era or album to bring particular focus upon. This time around with 2024 marking the 50th anniversary of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway album by Genesis, Steve has chosen to do a ‘highlights’ section of the show, including a large selection of songs from that iconic album. Most of the songs he has played on previous tours, but this is the first time he’s made a conscious effort to include so many of them, in honour of the Lamb‘s coming of age, after existing for half a century.
The Glasshouse in Gateshead, formerly known as The Sage, appears to have become Steve Hackett’s regular haunt now when visiting the Tyneside area. It’s an incredible building, designed to showcase great music ranging from the likes of Dweezil Zappa playing his father’s compositions, through to orchestras & choirs performing classical pieces from centuries ago. The venue is probably a little more arts orientated in its selected content, and perhaps not exactly a stomping ground for popular youth culture. It’s a roundabout way of saying that you’ll likely get a lot more folk there aged 40 and over, than you would do people aged under 40. But of course, Steve’s demographic fan-base are hardly youngsters, not when half the show’s music is aged 50 years old or more. Yet there is a far more important factor that comes into play with The Glasshouse, and that is because it happens to be a fabulous building with a beautiful sounding main auditorium. And I think that is the main reason why Steven Hackett keeps on returning here.
I arrived at the venue with fellow The Progressive Aspect contributor, photographer Chris Simmons. Chris has been taking photos of Steve Hackett live for a good few years now, and through his work he has had closer contact with the inner core of Steve’s team, which has allowed him to get access to taking photos at several venues on this current tour. I was at the show as a fan of the music, but I do hugely appreciate that I did get to spend a few minutes chatting to Steve, who was very kind indeed to allow me some of his time, just prior to performing the show. I tried to hide it, but obviously I couldn’t help being a little starstruck by meeting someone whom I’ve been watching perform for the last 45 years, since I first saw him on the 1979 ‘Spectral Mornings’ tour. So yes, that was a kind of surreal moment, but what a lovely guy, and I hope I didn’t bore him too much. They say you should never meet your heroes, but sometimes they turn out to be diamond geezers. He really is one of the gentleman of rock music.
Steve Hackett’s latest studio release has been The Circus and the Night Whale album and this evening’s show started with the noise of a steam train leaving a station, followed shortly by the keyboard intro to the song People of the Smoke, the opening track from the album. Unfortunately on this occasion there was a issue with Steve’s guitar not coming through at all. But after a minute of frantic action by both the guitar tech and the stage manager, it soon got remedied, all the while Steve continuing to sing, never missing a note. He was joined on stage by his regular touring band of many years, and for this particular tour, now augmented with the inclusion of Amanda Lehmann on 2nd guitar & backing vocals. The fullness of the band’s sound really kicked in with their next number, Circo Inferno. Amanda not only fleshing out the sound with her guitar playing, but way more importantly, adding an extra harmony vocal to the mix, which sounded absolutely amazing. This song sounded massive, and a lot heavier than it’s studio counterpart, as the main guitar riffs were really punching though, as well as the huge pounding sound of Craig Blundell’s drums.
The third & final tune in this batch of new material was These Passing Clouds. This is a gorgeous slower-paced instrumental, with Steve at the forefront playing the main melody line. This live rendition is far superior to the studio version, which is relatively short at around 90 seconds long. Whereas this one is double the length, allowing room for Rob Townsend to also play a clarinet solo over this beautiful tune. Three new songs straight out of the starting blocks, yet I really enjoyed hearing these, and all of them took on a newer dimension when being played live. Up next was a track from Steve’s previous solo album, The Devil’s Cathedral, which was also included on the Foxtrot At Fifty live album too. This is a great sounding tune, with its big church organ introduction, playing some really menacing chords. I love its off-kilter mid-section, which to me sounds reminiscent of the Please Don’t Touch era of Steve’s career.
After this opening 20 minutes of more modern material, the crowd were then rewarded for their patience with Every Day, which still sounds so vibrant & fresh after all this time. The big difference for me was Amanda’s extra harmony vocal, which made the overall harmonies sound wondrous, and far closer to the original studio version. The general sound of all those voices in harmony was quite sublime. Without doubt the experience was hugely enhanced by the absolutely superb sound quality of the band being reproduced in that room. More on that later. Of course this is a song of two halves, with the second section highlighting Steve’s haunting lead guitar melody lines, soaring over a gorgeous dense layer of mellotron keyboard sounds. To this day, this song still gives me goosebumps, and is undoubtedly one of his finest ever compositions. This was followed by another old favourite, A Tower Struck Down, taken from his debut solo album, Voyage of the Acolyte, which is approaching its own 50th anniversary next year. Another great tune, even though it’s main hook lines are so discordant & unsettling, it’s pure Steve Hackett through & through.
This number then faded out leaving Jonas Reingold to play a bass solo. I have to be honest here, and say that I’m not really a fan of solo spots. I can appreciate the musicianship of the performer, and when done within the context of a song intertwined with other melodies, then they can be an incredible part of progressive music. On its own though … mmm, not really for me. But obviously, I am sure there were plenty of others that loved these sections of the show, no doubt including the bladders of some band members too. The second part of his solo saw Jonas accompanied by Craig Blundell on drums, which gave this 4 minute plus bass solo a slightly different spin. After this, the band took to the stage again to play Camino Royale, which is another marvellous song from Steve’s early solo years on the Charisma record label. This included a mid-section with an extended jam between band members. I know that Steve likes to have moments like this in a show where there is some space for improvisation, rather than everything being scripted note for note every night.
Amanda joined the band on stage once again, this time to not only play guitar, but to also perform lead vocals too on this full version of Shadow of the Hierophant. Her voice beautifully fitted in with the front half of this number, which has quite an English pastoral feel to it. However, the second half is a very different animal entirely. Starting with silence, only interspersed with singular notes played by keyboardist Roger King, it slowly builds into this brooding beast of a tune, which becomes louder with each passage of the main melody. I was sitting around 20 feet away from the front of the stage, and directly in line with the flown line-array speakers, and the triple stacked subs on the stage itself. The sound quality through-out this first half of the show, had been outstanding to start with. But as the volume increased constantly, so did the real potential of this awesome PA system. And by the final couple of minutes of the instrumental section of Hierophant, I was in sonic heaven, and this is about as close as I’ve ever come to a near-religious experience while listening to music. I was grinning like a madman, and I could not possibly be happier.
A 30-minute interval broke up the performances, and the second half of this show was to be purely Genesis-orientated, starting off with their Lamb highlights section. The opening song of course was the title track, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. From the piano & buzzing fly intro, through to its majestic chords heralding in the first vocal lines, this is such a great song. And just as how it flows on the original album, this was then followed by the very dynamic Fly On The Windshield, and then on to Broadway Melody of 1974. This section contains cherry-picked songs from the double album opus, with the choices based mainly on Steve Hackett’s song-writing involvement, or his performances on those numbers. I was a little gutted that Cuckoo Cocoon was overlooked, as that is such a great song, and it would have been next up in this running order of tracks, keeping faithful to the album’s content. Instead we now jumped to Side 2 of The Lamb with the instrumental Hairless Heart. A short track, yet such a hauntingly beautiful tune. This was followed by the much-loved Carpet Crawlers, with the audience joining in on the choruses, and lead vocalist Nad Sylvan showing off the fine lower range of his voice.
Next up, and Side 2 album closer, was The Chamber Of 32 Doors. Nad sang this song on Steve’s Genesis Revisited II album back in 2012, and since then he has become a staple part of this touring band. So it was nice to see Nad revisit this song too, as it was essentially the start of this long-lasting musical relationship, that has since blossomed into a sought-after progressive band with an enormous appeal. Lilywhite Lilith is next in line, and this version sounded fantastic, as had all the rest of these Genesis classics. The band really do have an exceptional feel for the material, not only with Steve Hackett featuring on the original recordings, but also how this assembled squad of musicians interpret their parts and do them so very well indeed. Side 3 closer, and absolute fan favourite, The Lamia is the next to be showcased. It’s a magical slow-paced song that is so rich in textures and emotions, featuring some of Tony Banks best writing, and is rounded off with one of Steve’s most celebrated solos. It’s a proper jewel in the crown of the Lamb album, and reproduced here with just as much passion and faithfulness.
The last selection from The Lamb highlights part of the show, is the final track of the album itself, and that is the shortly titled It. I think I’m right in saying that this was probably the only song from the Lamb tracks played this evening, that hadn’t been previously performed by Steve’s band. All the rest had been aired before on previous tours. Yet it was brilliant to see them all assembled here in sequential order, with 9 songs in total being featured. From the outset, when this tour was first announced, I had no delusions about a full performance of the Lamb ever happening. To be fair, there are parts of that album where Steve’s role is fairly minimal or none at all. The Lamb has gone down in the annals of history as being a difficult album to make, and at times frustrating when so many good song-writers wanted to have a strong involvement in it’s creation. 50 years on, it remain a strange anomaly, and quite divisive amongst fans. I personally love it, and enjoy it’s over the top double album concept, just for having the balls to do it.
I was curious as to what songs would be chosen to fill out the rest of the 2nd set, yet delighted that they opted for some of the finest moments from Selling England By The Pound to round off this show with. Dancing With the Moonlit Knight brought in this next part of the show. From the opening solo vocal strains of “Can you tell me where my country lies“, through its epic choruses and galloping instrumental sections, to ending with chimes and sporadic noises, in true experimental music style … this is about as progressive as it can possibly get. And just as you get over the wonder of hearing this song, the band then start off the gentle guitar passages of the magnificent The Cinema Show. Jonas played a blinder on this song, with his busy bass lines cutting through in perfect fashion. This was probably my own personal highlight of the night. I thought that this was the best I’d ever heard them perform it, as well as it sounding truly awesome through this incredible PA system. Taurus bass pedals & mellotron choir keyboards, an instant pathway to my soul. And to hear it in all its glory, finding myself being totally engulfed in this massive cocoon of sound, life doesn’t get much better than this.
That was the official end of the main show, with the band soon returning to do another Selling England classic, Firth of Fifth. I think that this song must have been performed by Steve at every single one of his solo shows over the last dozen years or more since he’s been playing these sets of Genesis tracks. Not just because it is such a fabulous piece of music, but also because over the years it has become the quintessential Steve Hackett guitar solo. Almost as if it’s become the Comfortably Numb of his repertoire (I blatantly stole that quote from a friend), and that the fans would never forgive him if he dared to play a show without its inclusion. Regardless, it’s a timeless piece of music, where the classic Genesis line-up were operating with perfect chemistry, and it’s no wonder that this song remains constantly in the top 10 progressive music polls. And once again, Steve Hackett and his band perform this song to such a high standard, displaying to us all what a marvellously well-written piece this is, and just how loved it is by the fans that have followed him for 50 years and more.
The band disappear from the stage, and just as you begin to think the show may have ended, Craig Blundell returns to his drum kit to engage in a solo. I love Craig’s playing, he truly is a splendidly talented musician, and he’s a delight to listen to in a band contest. But even I can only take so much unaccompanied drumming, and this particular solo lasted for close to 5 minutes. That’s my last little rant about solos, as I was sitting next to a drummer, and I he really enjoyed it, so enough said on that matter. Craig then started the familiar drum rhythm that eventually launched into the instrumental Los Endos. This is another tune that has been a firm fixture on each tour, and with this version once more incorporating one of Steve’s solo tunes, Slogans, to eventually return to the closing section of the Genesis track. The song ends to huge applause, people on their feet, clapping & cheering for a man that has given them so much joy over so many years. He’s not just a prog rock legend … he’s one of our greatest British guitar icons of all time. And we should be very grateful that he is still taking this much-loved music out on the road with him.
I’m not sure what the future hold for Steve Hackett, or how many more of these yearly continent-treking tours he has left in him. All I can say is make the very most of catching him and his band performing, because they truly are a total delight to see. As I wrap up this review, I must give a massive salute of respect to both the sound & lighting teams that have worked on this tour. The lighting design was brilliant, and used so well to enhance the musical content of the entire show. Those visuals are always so important, and appreciated when done to such a high standard. And lastly the sound crew. Seriously, this has to be one of the (if not ‘the’) finest sound mixes I have ever heard in a live setting. Absolutely outstanding. I could not find fault with it. At times I was left with my jaw hanging open, it was that good. And yes, those bass pedals during Shadow Of The Hierophant, … wow, I’ll never forget that experience, ever. What a great show with high production values, which elevated the concert up to that next level. Fabulous stuff.
SETLIST
First Set
People of the Smoke
Circo Inferno
These Passing Clouds
The Devil’s Cathedral
Every Day
A Tower Struck Down
Basic Instincts (bass solo)
Camino Royale
Shadow of the Hierophant (parts 1 & 2)
Second Set
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
Fly on a Windshield
Broadway Melody of 1974
Hairless Heart
Carpet Crawlers
The Chamber of 32 Doors
Lilywhite Lilith
The Lamia
It
Dancing With the Moonlit Knight
The Cinema Show
Aisle Of Plenty
~ Encore:
Firth of Fifth
Drum solo
Los Endos (incorporating Slogans)
MUSICIANS
Steve Hackett – Guitar, Lead & Backing Vocals
Roger King – Keyboards
Rob Townsend – Clarinet, Saxophone, Backing Vocals, Keyboards, Bass Pedals, Percussion
Nad Sylvan – Lead & Backing Vocals, Percussion
Jonas Reingold – Bass, 12-String Guitar, Bass Pedals, Backing Vocals
Craig Blundell – Drums
Amanda Lehmann – Guitar, Lead & Backing Vocals