Steve Hackett Performs Genesis & Solo Greats at Taft Theatre
Renowned guitarist, Steve Hackett performed at the beautiful Taft Theatre in Cincinnati this past weekend at a packed audience. The concert featured a selection of Steve’s solo works and the remaining of the evening featured songs from his time with esteemed prog band, Genesis. Nick D’Virgilio joined the band on this tour and added a fresh flavor to the already dynamic band.
The first set began with three tracks from Steve’s most recent album, The Circus and the Nightwhale. “People of the Smoke” served as a great opener blending orchestral elements with progressive music. After taking the audience on a circus journey, the band transitioned to “The Devils Cathedral” which featured a Bach-inspired organ introduction from Roger King. Nat Sylvan’s vocal performance added to the drama of the song. Steve then introduced his diverse band, referring to them as his "United Nations," and provided a brief historical overview of progressive music that traced back to the early 1900s. To tie everything together,, the band jumped into the song, “Every Day,” which got the audience very upbeat. "A Tower Struck Down" allowed Jonas Reingold to showcase his exceptional bass skills, even incorporating the Genesis track "Horizons." The solo culminated with a dynamic interplay between Jonas and Nick, highlighting their musical abilities and chemistry. When it was time for the song "Camino Royale,"Rob Townsend showed off his saxophone skills which made the audience erupt with applause. Steve’s extended solo during the song was remarkably tasteful, producing otherworldly sounds. The first set concluded with “Shadow of the Hierophant” which sounded just as great to when it was first released fifty years ago.
Following a twenty minute intermission, the band took the audience back to 1974 as Roger King played the iconic piano introduction to “The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway.” Steve made his guitar soar during his solo on “Fly On A Windshield” which left the audience in awe. The remainder of the set included other songs from “The Lamb,” with each song flowing seamlessly to the next. This was evident with the instrumental piece “Hairless Heart” going into the classic song, “Carpet Crawlers.” What made this rendition more special is that Genesis played this song in the same key during their farewell tour. Nat Sylvan’s vocal performance during “The Chamber of 32 Doors” was incredibly powerful and the single spotlight added to the effect. Just like the original album, Hackett and his band ended “The Lamb” portion of the evening with the song, “It.” The song was very energetic and it had the crowd to clap along.
After performing selections from “The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway”, Steve and his band performed the twenty plus minute epic, “Supper’s Ready.” It is one thing to hear the studio recordings but it is an entirely different journey watching this song live. “The Willow Farm” section of the song was very fun with the addition of Rob Townsend’s voice changing microphone to mimic the original dialogue lines from the original recording. The famous “Apocalypse in 9/8” section was executed flawlessly and Nick D’Virgilio’s impeccable drumming added so much. The “New Jerusalem” section brought many audience members to raise their hands and stand up in excitement. Steve’s closing solo was outstanding and was a true highlight of the night.
If all that music wasn’t enough, the band returned to the stage and launched in to "Firth of Fifth.” Steve’s guitar solo in this piece is considered one of the best solos in progressive rock and hearing the solo in a live capacity was a privilege to everyone in the audience. As Roger King played the final notes to “Firth of Fifth”, a spotlight illuminated over Nick D'Virgilio who gave the audience a masterclass in drum solos. Nick ended his solo seamlessly transitioning to the epic instrumental piece, “Los Endos.” The song served as a perfect grand finale to an epic night of progressive rock.
