Genesis Turns It On Again
Reunited Rock Group Entertains Toronto September 7th, 2007
After a decade apart the three members of Genesis' most successful incarnation reunite and decide on Toronto as the city to start their North American leg of tour
It was 15 years ago that Genesis last performed with Phil Collins as their lead singer. Flash forward to 2007 when Collins would reunite with original Genesis members Mike Rutherford (guitar) and Tony Banks (keyboards) for the "Turn It On Again" tour. On Friday, September 7th they visited Toronto, Ontario's BMO Field to start the North American segment of the tour that will see them visit 20 different cities in just over a month. Before landing in North America, they had already played in twelve countries across Europe since June. This tour is an impressive feat for these seasoned musicians who are all in their 50s and have performed as Genesis in five different decades.
A Brief History of the Band
Genesis formed in England in 1967 and featured Peter Gabriel as their original lead singer, with Rutherford and Banks also members. The band went through three different drummers over their first two albums before Collins auditioned and won the job as the fourth drummer for the progressive rock group in 1970. Collins would remain behind the drums for the next five years until Gabriel left the group in 1975 to pursue a solo career. That is when, after a futile search to find a new lead singer, Collins would become the new voice of Genesis.
Genesis, with Collins as their new lead singer, would release three albums before 1978's "...And Then There Were Three..." This album featured Collins, Rutherford, and Banks as the only remaining members of the band and introduced their first hit US single "Follow You, Follow Me." The band would continue to churn out successful albums through the '80s while Collins also built a successful solo career beginning with his 1981 album "Face Value." In 1991, Genesis released "We Can't Dance," their last album with Collins as their lead singer and drummer. The band hit the road in 1992 for the successful "We Can't Dance" tour to promote the album and four years later Collins decided to leave Genesis to focus on solo projects.
Together Again
Recently, there had been some speculation that Genesis might reunite for a tour. But it wasn't until November 7th, 2006 that it became a reality. Originally, Collins wanted Gabriel to tour with them as the lead singer and he would take the helm behind the drums. Gabriel could not commit and Genesis decided to hit the road on June 11th, 2007 in Helsinki, Finland, with the support of musicians Chester Thompson on drums and Daryl Stuermer on guitar.
Performance in Toronto One for the Record Books
Genesis made history when they played in Toronto last Friday. It marked the first time a concert had taken place at BMO Field, the newly-constructed home of Toronto's Major League Soccer team. They didn't disappoint as they played a spirited three-hour set to about 25,000 fans while the threat of a pending rainfall loomed overhead.
Before Genesis appeared the audience was entertained by an engaging visual playing on the massive screen behind the stage. Then Genesis arrived and began their set with the instrumentals "Behind the Lines" and "Duke's End" before greeting the eager fans with "Turn It On Again." They continued to play a few of their recognizable hits interlaced with instrumental tracks that demonstrated the polished sound of the band.
Collins Brings the Energy
During the performance of "I Know What I Like" halfway through the set, the screen broadcast a montage of old images of the band and footage of Collins banging the tambourine off his elbows, knees, and feet. Collins proceeded to recreate this live in front of the appreciative Toronto fans with great ease and skill. The band then moved onto "Mama," one of their darker tracks which Collins nailed vocally and Banks provided the eerie keyboards to with precision. Genesis belted out a few more tunes before Collins and Thompson performed an amazing drum duet that was too good to not have been rehearsed but raw enough to appear spontaneous.
The band finished their set with the hugely-successful 1986 hit "Invisible Touch" as a fireworks display fired off behind them. As the music ended and the smoke cleared the fans remained cheering and a few minutes later were rewarded with a two-song encore. For the encore Genesis performed "I Can't Dance" and their 1974 song "Carpet Crawlers," a track on which Collins originally shared lead vocals with Gabriel. Genesis fans left satisfied that night and, fortunately, dry too as the rain never did fall.
Genesis makes two other stops in Canada - Montreal on September 14th and Ottawa the next night - and ends their North American tour in Los Angeles on October 13th.
