Maybe to the larger world, Steve Hackett isn't the most well known name in the Genesis ranks. However, real fans of the British prog icons are well aware of his worth. The man is a wonderful guitarist, a charismatic band leader, and he clearly cherishes the work of his old band while also wanting to keep moving forward.
And so it was that at the Orpheum in Los Angeles, and indeed on every date of the tour, Hackett has been playing a first set filled with his solo work, then a second of Genesis gems with the bulk taken from 1974's The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway double opus.
Those at the show simply to hear the old songs may not have been thrilled at the notion of nine solo tracks first (or, technically, eight and a bass solo). They needn't have worried though; when Hackett isn't going down the classical route, as he sometimes does, his solo material is proggy, melodic and ultimately comfortable ground for Genesis-heads.
Hackett's occasional singer Nad Sylvan is an interesting cat. The guy presents as somewhere between glam rock titan and opera tenor, and that makes for an interesting juxtaposition alongside Hackett's visually understated demeanor.
Those Genesis songs are a proper treat though, from the title track of Lamb... through "Carpet Crawl" and more besides. Best of all was a full rendition of the 23-minute "Supper's Ready" from the '72 Foxtrot album.
Magnificent!
