Amsterdam , 17-4-2013
Can you tell me where my ticket lies ? said my lovely wife to her true love's eyes .... Ooops , it's by the pc at home was my reply .. Well this made an interesting start to the afternoons proceedings , but all was rescued by the lovely , and warm hearted Jo Hackett much to my relief ..
The venue was an atmospheric feast that was once a church in the beautiful ,friendly city of Amsterdam ..
The houselights went down and the mighty chords from Watcher Of The Skies boomed out of the pa , and built to a crescendo before Nad Sylvan uttered the first line of the song when a huge shiver ran down my spine .. This was the start of a very special evening . A small technical hitch meant the band couldn't hear each other , so we were treated to a very lighthearted Blues Improvisation , you could almost feel the fun onstage .
Things were soon sorted , and the band were in full flow , playing such Genesis classics as Dancing With The Moonlit Knight , and a good selection of "Lamb" tracks ... Highlight followed highlight , and by the time Steve played the timeless solo in Firth Of Fifth he had the audience in the palm of his hand ... Gary O'Toole sings Blood On The Rooftops with a vigour missing from the original version , and it goes down fantastically well with the crowd . .Unquiet Slumbers For The Sleepers is next up with it's haunting sound which almost has me in tears it's so good (not good when you're looking through a camera viewfinder though) , before launching headlong into In That Quiet Earth .. Bloody hell , this is a powerhouse of a band who are superb musicians in their own rights , but blow the roof off the old place when in full flow .. Massive credit , and respect to each and every one onstage Gary (Drums) , Lee (Bass) , Roger (Keys) , Rob (extra keys , and all things wind) ........ Harmonies on Entangled were breathtaking , and The Musical Box was played with the same vigour as Genesis played it on the 75 tour (listen to the Shrine bootleg , and you'll see what I mean) ...
The icing on the cake was Suppers Ready , the full 23 minute version had the crowd humming , and singing along to every section of this prog leviathan . .. 11th Earl , and Los Endos wrapped things up and I noticed that the crowd looked almost shellshocked , that was how good the sound/lightshow had been .
Steve is riding the crest of a huge wave at the moment that shows no sign of crashing on the shore , and long may he continue to do so .
Lee Millward
Saw the 1st show of the tour on the Cruise to the Edge. All the audiences have a great treat in store for them! Doug
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