Still the Same

I went to see Genesis tonight. The last time I said that was in October of 1986. Tonight Phil Collins at one point said "Is anyone here old?" Not just him it turns out.

In 1986 I saw the band at the Rosemont Horizon. I think the Horizon is now the Allstate Arena. I went with Cami; my dad drove. It's not that it was so long ago that I didn't have a license, but rather that the concert was in Chicago and I was in Pittsburgh. My next door neighbor in Schlag, Dave from Buffalo drove me to the airport. We got stuck in tunnel traffic and then an accident on Green Tree Hill. I missed my plane. I did manage to get on the next flight, but that got me to Chicago maybe 10 minutes before the show started. My dad had Cami and was picking me up at the airport on the way to the show. At some point he had to decide to wait for me or take her to the show - so he took her to the show. In what can only be described some serious father/son telepathy upon arriving at the airport I called my grandparents and asked to be picked up and taken to their house. Not more than five minutes after we got there my Dad showed up - and all without cell phones. He took me to the show, I got there in the middle of the first song. Finding my seat is one of the most memorable images in my life, walking up to Cami when she wasn't expecting me to show up. She had this huge smile and was wearing this multi-colored striped sweater - an image I'm not likely to forget. For that show we were in the balcony, behind the stage, but it was still cool. Genesis was the hugest thing ever that year. That show was one of like seven they had sold out in Chicago - my mom had actually stood in line to get me seats.

Things have changed a little. I got these seats online, last week. The band only has the one date in Pittsburgh. The room looked sold out, but if there were seats available a week ago it couldn't be that hot a ticket. Maybe the price had something to do with it. I think this show was more expensive than last time, and last time included a round trip plane ticket. The seats were on the floor, right on center in row AA. I've gotten used to closer through the MLE Fanclub, and even though I am sure the people 20 rows forward saw a totally different show, for spur of the moment I wound up with really good seats.

The show started real late. It was supposed to go at 7:30, but went at like 8:05. I'm to a point now where that's a little bit professionally embarrassing. No call to have a Sunday show go off late. I think they played until after 10:30. I was expecting a fairly tight 90 minute set. There were a couple of times I thought the show was over that it turned out not to be. Finally when it was, the fireworks were a little bit of a giveaway.

I could have done without No Son of Mine and I Can't Dance. I missed Duchess and Misunderstanding. But getting to hear In the Cage/Afterglow live made it worth it - I could even forgive the people behind me who talked through the entire show. I was hoping they would have complained to me after the show about standing so much, then I could have told them that I only waited for this show 21 years and then got to listen to them talk through it. Somehow I don't think they would have cared much. They played Ripples, which I wasn't expecting and closed with The Carpet Crawlers which was just like getting to go to hear the recording of Seconds Out. I remember Tonight, Tonight, Tonight, In the Glow of the Night/Domino, Land of Confusion, Mama, Home by the Sea/Second Home by the Sea, Throwing it all Away, Follow you Follow Me. There were definitely parts of Supper's Ready, Slippermen, Squonk, and Cinema Show. The drum duet started on a stool this time before wondering back to dueling kits.

Really the only downside was that its been so long since I have had this band in my regular rotation that I needed maybe half the show to remember what they were like. If you're going to another show, this will sound stupid, but warm up - listen to an album or two first. In the Cage was like the third tune they played. I wasn't really ready to appreciate it.

The production was nice. The sound was good, although there were things missing from the mix to my ear. The video was decent and not obtrusive - Mrs TANBI would have like the screens to have hung higher. The lights were what you would expect from Genesis, not a single conventional fixture - made me remember why I'd sent all those letters to Vari-Lite in the 80's.

The people were a lot older. There wasn't any smoking, and in stead of holding up lighters people were snapping pics with camera phones. Mine came out mostly blobs, but a guy in front of me had a better camera and I gave him a card, so maybe I'll have some better pics later.

Wish you'd been there? They're selling recordings of individual shows now. Doesn't even cost all that much. Check it out.