By Chuck Darrow
By the time guitarist Steve Hackett left Genesis in 1977, the British progressive-rock band had established itself as an internationally acclaimed “cult” act that could easily sell out mid-sized venues. Just a few years later, a pared-down version of Genesis, with Phil Collins having replaced Peter Gabriel as lead singer, emerged as one of the world’s biggest musical acts, selling millions of albums and routinely filling football stadiums.
It was, admitted Hackett during a recent Zoom chat from his home on the outskirts of London, not a particularly fun time in his life.
“At one point in the early ’80s, it was very difficult for me because I managed to get a hit record on my own – a hit single [Cell 151] in the U.K. But Genesis were having hit after hit after hit. It was an absolutely unstoppable machine,” he offered during the discussion occasioned by his performances Oct. 17 and 18 at the Scottish Rite Auditorium in Collingswood, New Jersey and Oct. 24 and 25 at the newly revived Lansdowne Theater in Delaware County.
“So, I would be lying if I said that I didn’t find it difficult.”
But whatever pangs of regret he may have had over jumping off the Genesis bus have apparently receded. For four-plus decades, the 75-year-old axe man has carved out a solid career with a steady stream of well-received collections of original music and regular tours that emphasize his work with Genesis in its pre-pop-stardom era — especially the group’s “Foxtrot,” “Selling England By the Pound” and “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” albums. As a matter of fact, he has dubbed his current program “Genesis Greats; Lamb Highlights & Solo.”
Staying ‘vital’
Of course, it may be that he has been too busy for self-pity: His solo discography boasts 31 studio albums and 11 live discs. Add to that 10 Genesis LPs (studio and live) and a handful of others including the 2012 album, “A Life Within A Day,” by Squackett, his 2012 collaboration with the late Chris Squire, Yes’ revered bassist. With that much music in the vault, it can’t be easy for him to put together a concert set list.
“The challenge is always to come up with new stuff that people like as much as the old stuff,” he reasoned, “although the new stuff may not be instantly recognizable. But it has a chance of joining the pantheon of favorites from years gone by.
“But life onstage can be a case of opening the museum doors for the glorious old exhibits. You dust them off and you put them out there and people love them,” he added, namechecking such “extraordinary” pieces as “Supper’s Ready,” the lyrically and musically dense suite that takes up the overwhelming majority of “Foxtrot’s” second side, and two revered cuts – “Dancing With the Moonlit Knight” and “Cinema Show” — from “Selling England By the Pound.”
While Hackett clearly has no problem giving audiences the nostalgia fix they tend to crave, he aggressively avoids living exclusively in the past. Instead, he uses his concerts to indulge his eclectic musical nature.
“There’s some rock, there’s some blues, there’s some jazz in my past – and in my future, too,” he said. “I like lots of different kinds of things. I just refuse to go out and play nothing but the hits. There’s no point doing that. You’ve got to be vital, do new stuff and bring that to people as well.
“Luckily the new stuff goes down very well because the band I work with is very, very, very good.”
A Philly favorite
It should come as no surprise that Hackett has booked four local dates; the members of Genesis have long acknowledged the crucial role the Delaware Valley’s embrace of the band in the early and mid-‘70s played in its subsequent success. For instance, when the group headlined the Spectrum in South Philly in June 1980, the first words spoken by Phil Collins were, “It’s great to be back in our hometown, Philadelphia!” According to Hackett, that relationship is still thriving.
“I’ve got tons of friends at Philly,” he offered. “Sometimes it’s difficult because I might be having coffee with 20 people in the foyer of a hotel because we have so many [longtime fans here].
“And it’s not like a VIP ‘meet-and-greet’ [with those who have paid for the privilege of face time with him]. They’re all friends.
“So, yeah, Philadelphia is very important to me. I love being there. It’s a great city. And no doubt about it, it’s been very, very kind to me, and I look forward to going back every time.” ••
