TURN IT ON AGAIN

As we all know by now the dreams of thousands of Genesis fans finally came true. Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and their long time collaborators Daryl Stuermer and Chester Thompson got together to hit the road again after 15 years. And it's been nearly 10 years since Mike and Tony toured together with another Genesis outfit, featuring brilliant singer Ray Wilson. And it was during that tour that Genesis visited Poland for the first time. The memories of that outstanding gig were surely still alive and well in the minds of those who witnessed it (including myself) when finally came the 21st of June. Phil Collins was to visit Poland for the first time and it was the 2nd time for Banks and Rutherford.

I WANTED TO BE THERE, I WANTED TO GO...

The morning was sunny and rather hot though forecasts said there was going to be heavy rain in the afternoon through the late evening. We arrived in Chorzow (not Katowice, as it is often billed – the stadium is in Chorzow, very close to Katowice though) around 1PM, with still plenty of time till the opening of the gates, which was to happen at 4.30. My girlfriend Hania was the driver and she really did an excellent job driving my friends TT and Igor 'The Beast' and myself safely to the gig. It was sill sunny and almost steamy at that time though it was quite clear there was a massive weather change ahead. All we could do is keep our place in the line by the entrance and wait.

NO NEED TO LOOK OUTSIDE TO SEE OR FEEL THE RAIN

Around 3.30PM the storm broke and there were some really have showers. Luckily there was a piece of cover by the entrance so we could hide away. The doors finally opened at around 6PM, so the wait outside was really long. Unbelievably, after a desperate run we managed to get places right by the stage, just around the left edge of Tony's keyboards. Still, there was a lot of time left (the gig was to start at 8.30). The rain wouldn't stop, in fact it was getting worse and worse as time went by. Thunders and lightnigs were making the situation even more hopeless, it was clear that there were no chances for a change of weather within the coming hours. The situation was pretty tense. A few minutes after 8 it's been announced that the show would start at 8.45 and that although every effort would be made to make it work, there was a possibility of cancelling the show because of the storm. Seeing the calm, but pretty depressed Tony Smith (Genesis' long time manager) walking around the stage and discussing with roadies didn't make us happy either (although it was great to see the guy). Another friend of mine, Maurycy (who recently wrote a book about Genesis) was in great panic and almost in tears. However, at 20.45, despite the rain, storm and wind, the band got on stage to an enormous applause from the soaked wet audience.

AND THEN THERE WERE... FIVE

It's hard as hell to describe the amount of emotions I felt when they all actually got there and started playing. I had tears in my eyes and I know I wasn't the only one. It was clear that we were witnesses to something magical. They started as always on this tour with a medley of Duke tracks. The combination of the intro to Behind The Lines and Duke's End worked really well as a strong opening. Tony's keys had a nice full sound, Daryl played some amazing, fast but melodic bits on his guitar, Mike's bass provided a solid melodic backing to Phil's and Chester's powerful old-school drumming. This led us to Turn It On Again in which Phil stepped out from behind his kit to sing.

I must admit I was a bit afraid as to whether his voice would still be up for the job but he did very well for the whole gig. Of course, you can't turn back the years, but he still sung well beyond my expectations. Some of the keys have been dropped but that wasn't a problem. Actually, the middle part of Mama sounded much better than on the 1987 version from The Way We Walk (yes, this album is from 1992 but a couple of tracks, including Mama, have been recorded during the previous tour). Also, he really did unite with the audience; he would often step out and walk in the area between the stage and the audience, even though the rain was so heavy. There were moments when he was around 2-3 meters away from us! He really did his best to entertain the audience, including his famous tambourine dance on I Know What I Like and the obligatory "domino principle" introduction to Domino. Phil also did some talking in Polish, including "Fucking deszcz!" [rain]. Besides, there were quite a lot of bits when he was drumming, including Follow You Follow Me, on which he drummed and sung at the same time.

As for the other guys, Tony's playing was still very good, but not as good as it used to be. I haven't noticed any serious mistakes but it just seemed he wasn't as confident with his parts and sometimes played in a more staccato fashion. Seems he hasn't been practising much during the last few years, though he still does an excellent job. His solo on In The Cage was definitely a highlight. Mike also seemed less confident than he used to be. The solo on Second Home By The Sea was a good example. He played it well, no bum notes but he seemed very focused and almost nervous while playing it, whereas 10 years ago he would play it in a very relaxed manner. Again, these are just minor issues, no doubt Tony and Mike know their work very well. Daryl and Chester both were professional in every inch, but that was pretty obvious from the word go. They're primarily musicians while Tony and Mike are songwriters. Anyway, Daryl's solo on Firth Of Fifth was as smooth and emotional as ever, while Chester's powerful drumming provided a solid backbone to the band's sound.

WE'VE GOT EVERYTHING...

The setlist was the same as usual on this tour. The band provided a selection of tracks from most of the albums, though the focus was on the 1980-1991 period. However, we were treated to some old "progressive" stuff. In The Cage from the Lamb was played much slower than on Three Sides Live and sounded more like the studio original but that's not a bad thing. The aforementioned Firth Of Fifth was represented only by it's instrumental section which is a pity. Although that bit it the most powerful section of the song, it works much better within the context of the whole composition. This was segued to a great rendition of the progressive-pop masterpiece I Know What I Like with the obligatory theme from 1970's Stagnation incorporated into the ending. The Lamb's greatest ballad Carpet Crawlers was one of the most beautiful moments, though not the best choice for a concluding track. Ripples from A Trick Of The Tail was an absolute highlight, too bad they don't play more tracks like this. Instead, we got a strong representation of the 80s stuff, which was still great, with a few exceptions. Namely Hold On My Heart (performed perfectly but that doesn't help much as the song is so mundane), Throwing It All Away (just too pop) and I Can't Dance (a crowd pleaser but doesn't do much for me). On the other hand, the more ambitious 80s stuff like Domino, Home By The Sea and the bits of Duke sounded way beyond OK. I must say I even enjoyed the poppy Invisible Touch a lot. There's just so much energy to this track.

CHECKING TO THE LEFT AND THE RIGHT

The stage setting was quite extraordinary. I won't go into much detail as to what the huge stage looked like exactly (you can see that on numerous pictures) but the incredible thing was that the bit with the band was actually very small. So for us, who were standing right by the stage it was an almost intimate evening, whereas the people at the back had the whole massive production to enjoy. Of course, we could also see and admire plenty of the visuals. Besides, the storm provided additional effects with lightnigs striking in the distance from time to time. Actually, thanks to the bad weather it was probably the first gig on this tour to be performed in total darkness from the very start, so all the stage lights and effects were clearly visible. I'm pointing that out as it seemed to be a major issue on the previous gigs, according to the reports.

IT'S AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION TIME!

Last, but not least, I have to praise the audience (including myself :) ) for the very warm welcome that we prepared for the band. Despite the awful rain we were all having a great time, cheering, clapping and singing for the whole show. At the same time, at least in my nearest surrounding, the audience wasn't at all violent, despite being very lively. I suppose it works both ways in an almost feedback fashion. The more we were into it, the more the band enjoyed it and the other way around. Thanks to the positive attitude of all involved, I totally forgot about the rain after just a few songs!

AND IT WILL LIVE INSIDE OF ME...

At the moment they left the stage the rain almost stopped! Luckily we had some dry clothes back in the car so the journey back home to Wroclaw wasn't a hard one at all. I still find it hard to think of this show in a distanced, cool way. I know they made some mistakes, I know they're not as young as they used to be. But that doesn't matter. All I really know is that it was one of the greatest moments of my whole life. And it only leaves me hoping for more. Another tour next year? Maybe even a new album? Who knows... At least I had that evening and it's a memory for a lifetime.

Very special thanks to Tony, Phil, Mike, Daryl and Chester.

Special thanks to Hania, TT, Igor and Mauro.

Also thanks to all the nice people I've met before the gig.

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