Genesis performing in Copenhagen mid November.

They're soon in town!
Now, all European fans - have you bought your tickets? Genesis kicks of their 'Calling All Stations' tour in Hungary's capital Budapest on January 29 - and will play 44 gigs throughout Europe - ending up in Helsinki, Finland, early April. Genesis hasn't been on the road since 1992, so many fans in Europe will now have the opportunity to experience Genesis live in their own country for the first time. I am among them - Genesis hasn't played in Norway since August 1978, the same Summer I first discovered the band. I was 12 and uninformed - but I'm sure the show went perfectly well without me in the audience. BTW - everything went wrong for the band in Oslo three years earlier - resulting in Phil's "You're fired!". Let's hope the band doesn't have to fire too much people this Spring. Anyway - I have some information I want to share with you in the beginning of the new year.

The Copenhagen gig - November 15
Andreas Vollherbst from Germany sent me a copy of the radio broadcast from Genesis' first "plugged" gig after their rehearsing on The Farm in September and October. It was more of a media happening than an ordinary concert - with interviews and some kind of painting contest among the band members.

Ray Wilson seems comfortable in his new setting.

The show was aired at Denmark's P3, and gave radio listeners an opportunity to enjoy the new material as well as some old stuff - all played by the new Genesis line-up, which seems very confident before kicking of their European tour late January.

The program starts with a short introduction by the Danish host, and then we hear the clock and the elephant which we recognize as the beginning of 'No Son of Mine'. The song is very well performed by the band - probably in a lower key than we're used to, which make it even more "nostalgic". The sound is great, and all the band members are playing very good. The song fades out - Ray says "thank you", and Genesis starts the percussive loop for 'Congo' - with Nir Z adding nice drums on top of it. Ray's voice is very dark, and the song seems a bit slower than on the album. I think it should be speeded and lightened up a little bit before Genesis goes on stage in Budapest. Anyway - 'Congo' has a more natural ending live: The intro is repeated at the end, as well as an instrumental version of the chorus together with a nice guitar solo. New chord changes are introduced at the very end. This sounded very promising!

Interview time: Ray talks about finally going on the road to do the real thing - playing the stuff live. Mike is asked about what was important about Ray's voice, and he answers that Ray's voice was very well suited to the new material. Ray points out that his voice is more similar to Peter's, but it is very important that he can do it his own way - and that's the only way he can do it convincing. Then the host will test if Ray is a "true" member of Genesis - by asking him questions about the band's 30 years long history.

"The Jam of Genesis" - by Genesis, 1997.

Ray is not very confident with some of the questions - but he gets help from Tony and Mike, and the "quiz" turns out to be quite entertaining. The interview section ends with some questions about 'Land of Confusion' - and Ray says that this song probably has one of the greatest videos he has ever seen. Then they play the song, and - like on 'No Son of Mine' - I think Ray does a great job on these typical Phil songs, especially on the more "edgier" stuff. But this song has never been among my favourites - so I am not very touched by it.

It's different with the next one - 'Calling All Stations' - the title track from the new album. It has a little "fade-in" before Mike kicks the song off with his guitar. But again - like 'Congo' - it seems a bit slow, and Ray's voice is drowning a bit in the mix. Anyway, CAS has a lot of instrumental energy, and will probably be a live favourite in the upcoming months.

Ray introduces Anthony Drennan and Nir Z - and I must say, after hearing their playing on this program they really seem to be doing their job very well, both technically and soundwise. Anthony's bass moves perfectly through the soundscapes, and Nir's percussive involvement is tight and strong.

Tony writes autographs for present friends.

Now 'Turn It On Again' is introduced - probably another live favourite for many of us. I think it is very important for Genesis to include these happy and powerful songs from the past. The CAS material is quite dark - and I'm sure some of the singles from the eighties will lighten up the audiences between the more serious moments. 'Turn It On' is played quite heavily, and Nir Z will probably have one of his favourite moments with this one.

'Alien Afternoon' is next. We know the song as two pieces put together - with a reggae-inspired first half and a more dreamy and atmospheric second half. These opposites are emphasized even more clearly on the live version, and I really like it. No doubt - Tony still has beautiful sounds in his keys, and he creates some very magical moments on this song.

Then 'Invisible Touch' is kicked off by this fast and catchy drum machine. Together with 'Throwing It All Away', IT has never been more than a show-off for me. In some ways it has been the most typical "we've gone commercial" song for Genesis since 1986, and I wasn't very happy when I understood that this song would be played once again - with Ray behind the microphone. Poor Ray, I thought. But after hearing the Copenhagen show I have to admit that 'Invisible Touch' is an important song in the history of Genesis. And the power of it is well demonstrated through the band's performance. The "climax section" near the end is very powerful - and Nir Z is kicking the hell out of his kit. Tony also adds some very fine keyboard layers at the end. This is an outstanding performance. Then 'Shipwrecked' fades in - and out.

Mike and Tony among eager Danish fans.

Show's over - in Copenhagen. For me - and I'm sure, for many other listeners who heard the show - Genesis live anno 1998 will be as good as Genesis anno 1992, maybe even better. I've always wanted to see and hear Genesis indoor - and now all of us will have the opportunity to experince Genesis in a more intimate setting. I've always meant their music has been more suited for smaller venues - considering the more quiet moments which have always been an important part of the music's dynamics. To be honest - I can't wait for the upcoming tour. And - one month in advance - I really want to say that I would be very grateful if The Path's visitors want to contribute to keep all fans updated on how the tour works out in Europe. I would love to present reviews of every concert - written by you, dear Visitor. There are a lot of curious World citizens wanting to know about the European leg - hoping to see them later this year. I'll make an announcement of a review contest later this month.

The Paris gig - December 13
I didn't hear this show myself, but reports tell us that it was a great show - and longer than the one in Copenhagen one month earlier. Genesis played an acoustic set in the middle of the show - with Anthony, Tony and Mike on guitars and Nir Z on percussion. The songs included in this "unplugged" part of the show were 'Not About Us', the first minutes of both 'Dancing With The Moonlit Knight' and 'Lover's Leap', the latter from 'Supper's Ready' - and 'Follow You Follow Me'. In the "plugged" section they also played an odd version of 'Mama' - and like most of the other songs from the eighties this one was played in a lower key than we're used to. The show will probably be aired sometime in February - and since I didn't hear the show, I'll add Reuters' story from the Paris gig:

PARIS, Dec 17 (Reuters) - After selling 100 million records in 30 years, Genesis have gone for new blood - and the old boys are loving it.

By Paul Majendie

Ray Wilson wasn't even born when the British supergroup was founded by a bunch of guitar-twanging teenage rebels at one of the country's smartest schools.

Their first singer was Peter Gabriel, their second was Phil Collins. Both left Genesis without an atom of acrimony to launch huge solo careers.

Their place as frontman to one of pop music's most durable combos has been taken by a soft-spoken 29-year-old Scotsman who used to buy Genesis albums when he was a star-struck teenager.

Possible set-list on the upcoming tour: Congo Shipwrecked Calling All Stations Alien Afternoon The Dividing Line Small Talk If That's What You Need There Must Be Some Other Way I Can't Dance No Son of Mine Hold On My Heart Invisible Touch Acoustic set: Dancing With The Moonlit Knight Lover's Leap Follow You Follow Me Not About Us - Land of Confusion Domino Throwing It All Away Mama Home By the Sea That's All The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway In the Cage Carpet Crawlers Cinema Show Firth of Fifth I Know What I Like Turn It On Again

Now he is up there strutting his stuff before 200 fans at a Paris studio, the first "softly softly" step for Genesis polishing their act for a gruelling 17-country European tour.

Genesis founder members Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks may be just three years short of their 50th birthdays - but nothing beats the buzz of performing live.

After a six-year gap, they are back in business with dark and rocky tracks from their 20th album "Calling All Stations." For the fickle world of pop needs conquering all over again with a new line-up.

Young blood Wilson gently mocks Rutherford as they move into an acoustic set. "Sorry about this. Mike has to sit down after five songs," he tells the cheering Parisians squeezed in tight for the impromptu "unplugged" session.

Egos are off limits in this most polite and diffident of pop groups. Genesis definitely do not go in for smashing up hotel rooms and trashing guitars on stage.

"When things are going well, it is fairly easy going. Money is not something we argue about," said Rutherford.

Theirs is certainly not the threatening, snarling face of anarchistic rock.

"For three decades, they have been the band you could bring home to your mother, confident they'll never puke on the furniture," said the London Independent of the rock veterans.

Overlooking the age gap

For Messrs Rutherford and Banks, the game is all about craftsmanship and longevity. The age gap with their new young singer matters not one iota.

Ray has soon left the building...

The grey-haired and eloquent Banks says of the new arrival who fought off hundreds of hopefuls: "We liked Ray immediately because of the sort of sound pictures his voice conjures up.

"It has a natural darkness. With Ray we can write in a heavier, more atmospheric way than we did with Phil. We also like the fact he doesn't have much history."

Wilson has been fronting bands since he was 14 and hit the top of the charts with a single made famous in a jeans commercial.

Now he is in a different league but totally unphased by the spotlight.

"It is a great honour to be third in line. But I am a good singer and I do my job well," he tells reporters at a pre-gig press conference.

The banter with the elder statesmen of rock is affectionate. He says indulgently of Banks and Rutherford: "As you get older, you want to get younger."

Phil Collins has sold 60 million albums as a solo artist. Rutherford is amazed he stayed so long with Genesis.

"He gave us a few years more than he might have done out of loyalty," he said. There was no bitter split. "We stay in touch," he added.

Critics accuse Genesis of making meandering, pretentious music. Getting enough air time on radio stations around the world gets tougher with every passing year.

But Banks is fiercely proud of the staying power of a supergroup that took 10 years to have its first hit single.

"The nature of Genesis makes us difficult to some people. I never quite know why there is hostility. Maybe we use too many chords. But I cannot help it. I am a craftsman," he said.

The pale and long-haired Rutherford, his thin face sculpted like the head of some religious martyr from the Middle Ages, is equally unrepentant.

"We have survived because we have never been The Thing ... We are basically by nature a cult band that got lucky."

End of Reuters' article

Yeah, Mike - and I think we got lucky too - bumping into your music sometime in the seventies, eighties or nineties. Many of us didn't say "Hey, great music - what time is it?" - but were rather caught by the original way of presenting sound and music. True fans are eagerly waiting for your European visit this spring. I wish all of you a great new year - a year with a lot of success and happiness!

Some relevant links:
- The European Tour Dates Spring '98 - updated regularly.
- See animated video clip from forthcoming Genesis tour Stage Show.
- Jim Beckwith meets Genesis during the band's rehearsals.