Classic Rock (Phil Collins lives, run for the hills)

[Mancitydoogle]

Ok. If nobody else is going to mention them/him.
Ellis

Any excuse to play this;

Used to be a fan back in the day ,especially the band he fronted in the 70s
Widowmaker ,good first album he’d left before the second

 

[OB1]

Likewise Blackmore is my favourite all time guitarists. I was lucky I saw MK3 Purple in 1974 at Preston Guildhall, and then in 1985 on the MK 2 reunion tour at the NEC Birmingham. Again I managed to get to the Dio Rainbow in 1977 at Empire Theatre Liverpool. Happy days.

Envious that you saw MKIII Purple.

I saw Dio with Rainbow 3 times (FTH & Apollo).

 

[bavarian blue]

Used to be a fan back in the day ,especially the band he fronted in the 70s
Widowmaker ,good first album he’d left before the second

Went to see them at Hardrock in Stretford with Status Quo ,unfortunately the ice and snow caused them to cancel. Status Quo played a longer set and really got the crowd behind them ,six months later they had hit the big time .

 

[chesterbells]

You did ask:

20 September 2021, the NIA in Birmingham is a sea of grey hair and what is this in the air tonight? Ah, this must be love, and you can’t hurry love so we wait and wonder when the house lights will dim, which they do ten minutes later than advertised prompt start; well, it took a while to get all the old timers into the auditorium. But seriously, when the intro tape fades, a huge cheer ensues as three gentlemen appear at the side of the stage, one shuffling into view with the aid of a stick. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone get a standing ovation just for walking on stage.

Recent footage of the newly resurrected Phil Collins had suggested that the former popstar and one time actor wouldn’t get a walk-on part in The Walking Dead but here he is taking centre stage, although maybe not quite the starring role: the scene stealer is the unseen Patrick Woodroffe and his blinding light show, which kicks into gear as the five suspended flying domino rigs of sixteen vari-lites tilt and lower, cascading bright beams of white light down on the stage where Phil sits and swivels to take in everything whilst gently tapping a tambourine during a muscular instrumental of music from Duke. And then there were three displayed at the back of the stage on huge HD screens as the band Turn it on Again and Phil sings under the full glare of those white lights – we got colour later.

So how does Phil sing? Well, better than might have been expected. Of course, like many 70 year-old singers, he has lost power and range so his vocals are flatter and thinner than of old and he has had to adapt his delivery in addition to getting sympathetic help from a couple of backing singers but ultimately this is a triumph not a disaster.

The band play superbly - not much of a surprise there; although there is a new musician in the ranks, replacing two old favourites, one of whom introduces him as “my son” before the band play No Son of Mine. Nicholas Collins is a chip off the old block and batters the shit out of his kit to bring a youthful energy to proceedings.

The set list, reproduced below, is more Genesis pop than Genesis prog. Some of the prog is little more than snippets but the audience laps it all up.

Home by the Sea is one of the longs and features some of the most mesmeric lighting I have ever seen (and I have seen a lot) – this is Rush on steroids.

The band do tone the show down and gather together for a mini “acoustic set”, featuring reworked versions of old favourites, that finishes with a Follow You Follow Me that is simply such a thing of beauty that I was moved to tears.

Firth of Fifth segues into I Know What I like and is truly joyous – the crowd responds with another proper standing ovation.

Everyone is up on their feet again for the final number of Invisible Touch.

As the band troop off stage, roadies erect a black screen for Phil to hide inside as he awaits the inevitable encore.

I Can’t Dance features a lovely moment as Phil, looking much like and old tramp in a swivel chair, sings the line: “A perfect body with a perfect face” and points at himself with a very wry smile.

You can’t turn back the years, that’s just the way it is, but if you hang in long enough, you become survivors and Genesis are.

Set 1
Behind the Lines / Duke's End
Turn It On Again
Mama
Land of Confusion
Home by the Sea
Second Home by the Sea
Fading Lights / The Cinema Show / Afterglow

Acoustic Set
That's All
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
Follow You Follow Me

Set 2
Duchess
No Son of Mine
Firth of Fifth / I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)
Domino
Throwing It All Away
Tonight, Tonight, Tonight
Invisible Touch

Encore:
I Can't Dance
Dancing With the Moonlit Knight / The Carpet Crawlers

Thanks very much for that; thoughtful and lyrical. And for including/remembering the full set
list too - looks like they played over 2 hours there.

That set list isn’t quite as bad as I’d feared. Was Cinema Show truncated or did we get the full keyboard-led instrumental work out? I am curious about the single drummer for songs like that; I note ‘In the bloody cage!’ didn’t make it.
Was Dancing with the Moonlight Knight just a short snippet too?

Overall I’m both glad to read they put on an enjoyable show that you and many other enjoyed, and also still not regretting not going.
I’d also rather see them out there on the road than not.
Thanks again.

 

[OB1]

Thanks very much for that; thoughtful and lyrical. And for including/remembering the full set
list too - looks like they played over 2 hours there.

That set list isn’t quite as bad as I’d feared. Was Cinema Show truncated or did we get the full keyboard-led instrumental work out? I am curious about the single drummer for songs like that; I note ‘In the bloody cage!’ didn’t make it.
Was Dancing with the Moonlight Knight just a short snippet too?

Overall I’m both glad to read they put on an enjoyable show that you and many other enjoyed, and also still not regretting not going.
I’d also rather see them out there on the road than not.
Thanks again.

I can't take credit for remembering the set list but that's what setlist.fm is for. Cinema show was indeed truncated.
Moonlight Knight was just the first verse.

The set was around two and a half hours.

One of the backing vocalists did play some percussion occasionally.

The show is getting good reviews so far from the critics.

 

[Mancitydoogle]

Went to see them at Hardrock in Stretford with Status Quo ,unfortunately the ice and snow caused them to cancel. Status Quo played a longer set and really got the crowd behind them ,six months later they had hit the big time .

I saw them support Nazareth at the Free trade hall, we left before Nazareth came on , not a fan.

 

[OB1]

Used to be a fan back in the day ,especially the band he fronted in the 70s
Widowmaker ,good first album he’d left before the second

Quite like Widowmaker; never saw them.

Like Nazareth; did see them live (c. 1979) and that was a good gig.

 

[Mr Ed (The Stables)]

Well I'm turning back the years booked tickets to see Saxon/Girlschool/Diamond Head/Krokus at Manchester Apollo in January 2022, and a new band for me who've been around for ages Sabaton booked tickets in Leeds in March next year.

 

[chesterbells]

Well I'm turning back the years booked tickets to see Saxon/Girlschool/Diamond Head/Krokus at Manchester Apollo in January 2022, and a new band for me who've been around for ages Sabaton booked tickets in Leeds in March next year.

She was a Princess of the Night, I saw the writing on the waaa-ll!
Fabulous band.
Hot off the Friday Rock Show …

 

[Saddleworth2]

You did ask:

20 September 2021, the NIA in Birmingham is a sea of grey hair and what is this in the air tonight? Ah, this must be love, and you can’t hurry love so we wait and wonder when the house lights will dim, which they do ten minutes later than advertised prompt start; well, it took a while to get all the old timers into the auditorium. But seriously, when the intro tape fades, a huge cheer ensues as three gentlemen appear at the side of the stage, one shuffling into view with the aid of a stick. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone get a standing ovation just for walking on stage.

Recent footage of the newly resurrected Phil Collins had suggested that the former popstar and one time actor wouldn’t get a walk-on part in The Walking Dead but here he is taking centre stage, although maybe not quite the starring role: the scene stealer is the unseen Patrick Woodroffe and his blinding light show, which kicks into gear as the five suspended flying domino rigs of sixteen vari-lites tilt and lower, cascading bright beams of white light down on the stage where Phil sits and swivels to take in everything whilst gently tapping a tambourine during a muscular instrumental of music from Duke. And then there were three displayed at the back of the stage on huge HD screens as the band Turn it on Again and Phil sings under the full glare of those white lights – we got colour later.

So how does Phil sing? Well, better than might have been expected. Of course, like many 70 year-old singers, he has lost power and range so his vocals are flatter and thinner than of old and he has had to adapt his delivery in addition to getting sympathetic help from a couple of backing singers but ultimately this is a triumph not a disaster.

The band play superbly - not much of a surprise there; although there is a new musician in the ranks, replacing two old favourites, one of whom introduces him as “my son” before the band play No Son of Mine. Nicholas Collins is a chip off the old block and batters the shit out of his kit to bring a youthful energy to proceedings.

The set list, reproduced below, is more Genesis pop than Genesis prog. Some of the prog is little more than snippets but the audience laps it all up.

Home by the Sea is one of the longs and features some of the most mesmeric lighting I have ever seen (and I have seen a lot) – this is Rush on steroids.

The band do tone the show down and gather together for a mini “acoustic set”, featuring reworked versions of old favourites, that finishes with a Follow You Follow Me that is simply such a thing of beauty that I was moved to tears.

Firth of Fifth segues into I Know What I like and is truly joyous – the crowd responds with another proper standing ovation.

Everyone is up on their feet again for the final number of Invisible Touch.

As the band troop off stage, roadies erect a black screen for Phil to hide inside as he awaits the inevitable encore.

I Can’t Dance features a lovely moment as Phil, looking much like and old tramp in a swivel chair, sings the line: “A perfect body with a perfect face” and points at himself with a very wry smile.

You can’t turn back the years, that’s just the way it is, but if you hang in long enough, you become survivors and Genesis are.

Set 1
Behind the Lines / Duke's End
Turn It On Again
Mama
Land of Confusion
Home by the Sea
Second Home by the Sea
Fading Lights / The Cinema Show / Afterglow

Acoustic Set
That's All
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
Follow You Follow Me

Set 2
Duchess
No Son of Mine
Firth of Fifth / I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)
Domino
Throwing It All Away
Tonight, Tonight, Tonight
Invisible Touch

Encore:
I Can't Dance
Dancing With the Moonlit Knight / The Carpet Crawlers

Lovely review mate. The love pours out. I watched the doc on the last domino and was touched at how Collins deals with it all.