Genesis bid farewell last night (March 26) with their final gig together as a group – see footage below.
The band – comprised of Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks, along with touring musicians Daryl Stuermer, Nic Collins, Daniel Pearce and Patrick Smyth – bowed out with a sold-out show at London’s O2 Arena.
Formed at Charterhouse School, Godalming, Surrey, in 1967, last night’s show marks the end of an illustrious 55-year career that sees them remembered as one of music’s most successful acts, selling over 100million albums worldwide.
The 1970s line-up featuring Collins on drums, singer Peter Gabriel and guitarist Steve Hackett is regarded one of progressive rock’s most pioneering groups.
Playing 23 tracks in total, Genesis ran through a long list of their biggest hits including ‘I Can’t Dance’, ‘Mama’, ‘Turn It On Again’, ‘No Son Of Mine’ and ‘Invisible Touch’.
Before playing ‘Land Of Confusion’, Collins addressed the crowd and announced that it would be Genesis’ final show. As the crowd applauded the band, Collins sat looking pensive, seemingly taking in the fact that it was the last hoorah. He then quipped: “After tonight we’ve all gotta get real jobs.”
Among the notable guests in attendance, the band’s original frontman, Peter Gabriel stopped by to see his former band’s final show. Gabriel famously departed Genesis in 1975, and hadn’t played with the band since a one-off reunion in 1982.
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During the set, Collins acknowledged Gabriel’s presence in the crowd by joking that he was the one shouting that he wanted to hear ‘Supper’s Ready’.
Gabriel and Collins shared a photograph with one another after the show alongside the band’s longtime friend and tour manager, Richard McPhail. You can see the picture, along with footage from the show below.
From tonight’s final #Genesis show in London (from left): #PeterGabriel, #PhilCollins, and Richard McPhail (long time friend and tour manager in the ‘70s). If you’ve not read Richard’s book on Genesis, you should. @genesis_band @itspetergabriel @PhilCollinsFeed pic.twitter.com/Zsmo0WMGr1
— World of Genesis (@WorldofGenesis) March 27, 2022
Genesis played:
‘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:
‘That’s All’
‘The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway’
‘Follow You Follow Me’
‘Duchess’
‘No Son Of Mine’
‘Firth Of Fifth’
‘I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)’ (with ‘Stagnation’ snippet)
‘Domino’
‘Throwing It All Away’
‘Tonight, Tonight, Tonight’
‘Invisible Touch’
ENCORE:
‘I Can’t Dance’
‘Dancing With The Moonlit Knight’
‘The Carpet Crawlers’
Collins and drummer Tony Thompson both played live with the reunited Led Zep – Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones – at the legendary 1985 concert, as did session musician Paul Martinez.
Speaking in a recent interview with The Sunday Times, Page admitted it was “not very clever” to reform the band, who had split in 1980 following the death of their drummer John Bonham.