POP REVIEW
GENESIS LIVES UP TO ITS POPULARITY

Though it threatened at times to turn into Phil Collins' Flying Circus, the Genesis concert Thursday night at the Inglewood Forum was a perfectly respectable showing by a 15-year-old band that has aged well.

Genesis has not only done well without its former spearhead, singer Peter Gabriel, it has flourished. The last two albums by the Collins-led version of the English progressive-rock band have racked up sales few would have imagined back when the group was a much more experimental outfit. Time and commercial compromise have taken their toll on Genesis' once-special artistry, but give credit to the remaining central members - singer/drummer Collins, bassist Mike Rutherford, and keyboardist Tony Banks (who were augmented by three other musicians at the Forum): They've accomplished more than wide popularity.

Only occasionally at Thursday's show did Collins descend to an overly commercial level - as when he encored with his anonymous soul-pop hit "Misunderstanding." Otherwise, the 2 1/2-hour concert was enjoyable, even if the band's pomp-rock foundations were diluted by a lot of easygoing, AM radio-conscious elements. However, new songs like "Mama" indicate that the group is trying to freshen things up with a new-wavish sensibility.

The main problem with the show was Collins' penchant for long talks with the audience. His music-hall comedian approach is likable for a while, but he does go on. And on. Also, the expensive light show, which looked as if the "Close Encounters" spaceship was hovering above the band and putting on a multicolored extravaganza, became more and more of a distraction as it went through its swirling-beam paces a few times too often.

Still, this is a band that can use a bit of distraction. Collins and crew probably know that since losing Gabriel, they're not the most exciting guys to watch. But at least Genesis' music hasn't become as stale as Collins' jokes.

Transcribed for The Path by Joe Harden

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