Genesis Live - Turn It on Again: The Tour

Turn It on Again (12/5/07-13/10/07); The Last Domino?

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As always, see anything you like, email me. All boots are listed in chronological order, and all are on Audio CD-R unless I say otherwise. All dates are written in the European style, as in day/month/year. Click on the text links below to scroll directly to the entry you're interested in.

Tour Summary and Menu

(Keep in mind that I will not trade official releases, i.e., soundboard shows that can be purchased from theMusic.com.)

Twickenham '07, 8/7/07 (Twickenham Stadium, London)

Cleveland '07, 29/9/07 (Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland OH)

Encore Series

Paris '07, 30/6/07 (Parc des Princes, Paris France)

Amsterdam '07, 1/7/07 (Arena, Amsterdam Netherlands)

Manchester '07, 7/7/07 (Old Trafford Football Stadium, UK)

Munich '07, 10/7/07 (Olympiastadion, Munich Germany)

Rome '07, 14/7/07 (Circo Massimo, Rome Italy)

Toronto '07, 7/9/07 (BMO Field, Toronto Ontario)

Albany '07, 12/9/07 (Times Union Center, Albany NY)

Montreal '07, 14/9/07 (Olympic Stadium, Montreal Quebec)

Philadelphia '07 (first night), 18/9/07 (Wachovia Center)

East Rutherford '07, 27/9/07 (Giants Stadium, NJ)

Cleveland '07, 29/9/07 (Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland OH)

San Jose '07, 9/10/07 (HP Pavilion, San Jose CA)

Los Angeles '07 (first night), 12/10/07 (Hollywood Bowl, CA)

Los Angeles '07 (second night), 13/10/07 (Hollywood Bowl, CA)

The Last Domino? Placeholder

Twickenham '07

8/7/07

01 Intro (0:50)
02 Behind the Lines/Duke's End (3:39)
03 Turn It on Again (4:48)
04 No Son of Mine (6:53)
05 Home by the Sea (5:25)
06 Second Home by the Sea (6:29)
07 I Know What I Like (in Your Wardrobe) (6:40)
08 Mama (6:41)
09 Los Endos (6:29)
10 Tonight, Tonight, Tonight (3:35)
11 Invisible Touch (5:07)
12 Outro (0:23)

Type/Quality: Radio/Excellent-Very Good

Comments: At Twickenham Stadium in London, this comes from an hour-long radio broadcast of one of the band's very few UK dates on their European reunion tour. There are multiple versions of this broadcast to be had from many sources; the performance portion of this version was taken from a Virgin Media Cable FM broadcast, then combined with the BBC DJ intro and outro from the Sky TV satellite broadcast. I heard a bit of digital distortion on the DJ sections but the music sounds fantastic--really excellent, a great mix and a powerful performance. There is one intro to be heard from Phil, in which he says they will be playing songs that were last heard "when some of you had hair." His use of the F word in IT has been blanked out.

Cleveland '07

29/9/07

1-01 Behind the Lines/Duke's End (4:41)
1-02 Turn It on Again (6:20)
1-03 No Son of Mine (7:02)
1-04 Land of Confusion (6:12)
1-05 In the Cage/The Cinema Show/Duke's Travels (13:09)
1-06 Afterglow (5:07)
1-07 Hold on My Heart (8:00)
1-08 Home by the Sea/Second Home by the Sea (12:16)
1-09 Follow You Follow Me (4:17)
1-10 Firth of Fifth (instrumental)(4:25)
1-11 I Know What I Like (in Your Wardrobe) (8:05)

2-01 Mama (7:53)
2-02 Ripples (7:48)
2-03 Throwing It All Away (8:52)
2-04 Domino (11:53)
2-05 Drum Duet (6:21)
2-06 Los Endos (6:31)
2-07 Tonight, Tonight, Tonight (3:36)
2-08 Invisible Touch (7:05)
2-09 I Can't Dance (8:11)
2-10 The Carpet Crawlers (6:23)

Type/Quality: Audience/Good

Comments: (I also have the Encore Series version of this show.) At the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. This gig comes toward the second half of the band's North American tour. It was recorded on a digital stereo voice recorder using "ultra high quality" mode, by the same person who recorded the Cleveland '92 show. This one sounds better--the sound is quite clear and Phil is always easy to make out. The recording begins early enough that you can hear the opening sound bytes from the introductory screen animation, including JFK's famous quote about what you can do for your country. As Phil takes pictures of the audience throughout the show (his normal behavior on this tour), he talks about how he's going to have to find a way to send them to everyone.

The performance sounded good to me--the band seemed to have their stuff down by the US leg and just crank the songs out. The only (unavoidable) problem with the show is the audience. Chatter and audience noise are distractions. The frequency of chatter is much reduced after the first quarter of the show, but still pops up from time to time. There is talking all the way through "No Son of Mine." There is some angry yelling from various audience members in "I Know What I Like," the typical argument about sitting down.

The taper has done a little bit of digital massaging to alleviate the audience noise: some cuts were made in between-song sections to reduce the number of loud "WOOOO!"s coming from the fan behind him. Further notes from the taper: "I couldn't eliminate his noises from the songs, though I did cut out a tiny (split-second) section of "Ripples" where the second half of the song starts: the rhythmic piano intro is cut from 8 bars to 7 (an almost imperceptible cut, and much preferable to hearing the ear-splitting whistle that was present). I also tinkered with a section of "Los Endos" that had a scream in it -- but it is nearly seamless (I patched a part of the song onto itself -- again, preferable to what was there)."

I will say that as I listened to this the first time I was unaware that cuts had been made and didn't notice them at all. For those of you in search of the audience sound from the Turn It on Again tour, rather than the Encore Series sound--here it is!

The Encore Series

The 2007 Turn It on Again tour was unique for Genesis in several ways: it was not a tour in support of a new album, it was the first time that Phil and the boys were touring since 1992, it was very short on gigs, and it was the first time that the band teamed with theMusic.com to sell professional recordings of every single show. As official releases, these items are not tradeable, but because I feel they constitute part of my live recording collection, I have to catalogue them here.

As some with better ears than mine have pointed out, the sound quality on these is not consistent with a real, multi-track soundboard recording. It sounds much more like a backstage mic was used to pick up the ambient hall sound. (The only exceptions to this seem to be the recordings of the last two North American gigs at the Hollywood Bowl--these sound like real soundboard recordings.) This is not ideal, but nothing to sneeze at either! There are probably still those who will prefer the grittier, possibly more realistic, energetic sound of an audience recording, but the Encores are a great way to sample what this very special "selection of shows" has to offer.

Normally with any show I like to list tracks and track times, but the set list for every single gig (excepting one of the last shows) is identical, and theMusic very sensibly tracked all of their shows identically. So I will list the tracks once and just provide separate comments entries for each show that I chose to collect.

Encore Series Track Order

1-1 Duke's Intro (Behind the Lines)
1-2 Turn It on Again
1-3 No Son of Mine
1-4 Land of Confusion
1-5 In the Cage/The Cinema Show/Duke's Travels/Afterglow
1-6 Hold on My Heart
1-7 Home by the Sea/Second Home by the Sea
1-8 Follow You Follow Me
1-9 Firth of Fifth/I Know What I Like (in Your Wardrobe)

2-01 Mama
2-02 Ripples
2-03 Throwing It All Away
2-04 Domino
2-05 Drum Duet
2-06 Los Endos
2-07 Tonight, Tonight, Tonight
2-08 Invisible Touch
2-09 I Can't Dance
2-10 The Carpet Crawlers

Encore Series: Europe 2007

Paris '07

30/6/07 (Parc des Princes, Paris France)

Comments: In choosing the European shows to purchase, I consulted some knowledgeable fans, who mentioned the Paris gig as being one of the better performances. Obviously as the gigs progressed the playing got less rusty, so I stuck with shows from the second half of the tour. As with all of the subsequent Encore shows, I felt that the drums seemed very up-front in the mix, especially cymbals and tinny sounds of that sort, whereas the guitars tended to drop to the bottom. Phil's French when he speaks to the audience is very good, much better than on Genesis shows of the past--it probably has something to do with where he was living during the fifteen-year interim!

Amsterdam '07

1/7/07 (Arena, Amsterdam Netherlands)

Comments: This was the gig directly after Paris, which I'd also heard was a great gig. Here, Phil opts for mostly English in his intros to the crowd. I thought that perhaps the guitars were slightly more powerful on this show than for Paris, but that could have been my imagination. The crowd do some good singing along during the "Stagnation" bit in IKWIL.

In "Throwing It All Away," Phil does some very tentative vocals, and afterwards says "Excuse me," and then "Some nights are like that!" to the crowd. (If anyone who was there can provide an explanation for this, let me know!) I thought there might have been some technical issue during FYFM as well.

Manchester '07

7/7/07 (Old Trafford Football Stadium, Manchester UK)

Comments: Played on the same day as the band's short appearance at Live Earth. This gig, I heard, was mentioned by Nick Davis as being the best of all the European shows. It differs from the previous Encore recordings I have in that there is more audience noise on the beginning before the opening notes of the Duke intro come in--this extra ambience at the start is present on the subsequent European recordings I have.

I do think this is probably the most solid performance of all the shows I have from Europe--the only thing I noticed was that Phil's voice started sounding a bit tired by "I Can't Dance."

Munich '07

10/7/07 (Olympiastadion, Munich Germany)

Comments: I decided that five was a good number of gigs to purchase from the European leg, and though I had gotten no recommendation for this show, Genesis has had good gigs in Germany in the past and it filled in a chronological gap in my other selections.

Phil uses a bit more German here, I think, than he did with the audience at the Dusseldorf gig of 27/6 (though he probably purposefully stayed away from the German at the first gig for the benefit of the English-speaking cinema audiences watching the show from the UK). It sounds as if there might have been some bad weather at this gig, but it doesn't stop the performance and doesn't get mentioned after the first intro.

I liked Phil's singing at the end of "Mama," he does some nice little flourishes. After that song, one optimistic member of the audience is heard to call for "Supper's Ready"! I thought it took a long time for the band to start the encores on this one.

Rome '07

14/7/07 (Circo Massimo, Rome Italy)

Comments: The free concert in Rome to end the European leg of the tour was an obvious choice for an Encore series purchase. Genesis has always had a special tie with Italy, and the band made clear that this was an important gig. Of course, this doesn't stop them from messing up! The band nearly falls apart at the beginning of "Firth of Fifth." Someone is off the beat, but they manage to recover before having to stop entirely. Unlike earlier recordings, you can actually hear the firework explosions that mark the end of "Invisible Touch."

The die hard Genesis freak section of the audience sing an impromptu version of the "Stagnation" theme to get the band to come back on for the encores! That was a special moment, I thought. Phil also does a very nice thank you to the audience before "Carpet Crawlers."

Encore Series: North America 2007

Toronto '07

7/9/07 (BMO Field, Toronto ON)

Comments: The first show in North America. "Throwing It All Away" is shaping up to be quite a nice version, with Phil getting into the vocals on the ending. But then someone (presumably Phil) forgets to turn off the drum machine beat, and it runs on into the conclusion of the song before abruptly cutting off. There is also a distinct buzzing noise to be heard for a short second in the beginning section of "Domino." At the end of the show, Phil reminisces about the band's old gigs in Toronto, including their famous gig at Massey Hall supporting Lou Reed, which they had to play without their light show when the lighting truck did not arrive! (I have this show.)

Albany '07

12/9/07 (Times Union Center, Albany NY)

Comments: This is a perfectly fine performance in a fairly small venue, and the audience are really into it: Phil seems pleasantly surprised at the greeting he gets from the crowd after the first bunch of songs is over. The typical sound quality from this Encore series is heard here, with individual audience members audible in certain parts (the beginning of the "Cage" medley, for instance). In some places this can be a little distracting, but it's great to hear the audience really singing along to "Throwing It All Away," so much so that Phil lets them take over entirely once or twice during the chorus. The fireworks explosions at the end of the regular show are clearly audible on the soundtrack.

Montreal '07

14/9/07 (Olympic Stadium, Montreal Quebec)

Comments: I thought Phil's voice was sounding a bit strained near the beginning of this Canadian gig, but he gets through the performance okay. I was surprised to hear a big cheer of recognition for, of all songs, "Hold on My Heart." "Mama," a more typical favorite, gets a lot of cheering after it's over.

Philadelphia '07 (first night)

18/9/07 (Wachovia Center, Philadelphia PA)

Comments: The first of three consecutive nights in Philly, which has for a long time been a good city to Genesis, this show also happens to be the first Genesis gig I ever attended in person! So obviously a very special one for me. For a detailed review, go here. One thing I noticed during the live show that I was able to confirm by listening to this recording: unlike other performances on this tour, Phil cannot be heard yelling along at the end of the drum duet. I don't know why he doesn't do it on this show--I thought it was a great duet, but maybe he just wasn't feeling it that night, and didn't think it was yell-worthy.

East Rutherford '07

27/9/07 (Giants Stadium, East Rutherford NJ)

Comments: My second Genesis gig, I really enjoyed this performance, and that's about all I have to say. This is just a good, strong show. For a more detailed review, go here.

Cleveland '07

29/9/07 (Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland OH)

Comments: This is the Encore version of the Cleveland gig, which I also have in an audience-recorded version above. See my comments there for some meager details on this gig. I also have a bunch of photos from this gig, taken by an audience member with very good seats--ask me about them if interested!

San Jose '07

9/10/07 (HP Pavilion, San Jose CA)

Comments: Here is the San Jose gig, which came near the end of the US leg, when presumably the band knew what they were doing. Phil thanks the audience for choosing to come to the Genesis show: "We know you had a choice." I'm not sure what the alternative was--The Police, perhaps?

The unique thing I noticed about this show was that during "I Know What I Like" Phil goes up to three tamborine hits at a time. Usually two was as many as he did together.

Los Angeles '07 (first night)

12/10/07 (Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles CA)

Comments: The first night at the Hollywood Bowl was the penultimate gig of the Turn It on Again tour. The common theory is that both Hollywood Bowl Encore recordings are actual soundboard shows, rather than the other Encore shows, which sound more like open-air microphone recordings. This makes for a slightly better quality sound than the other shows on the tour.

This show is also unique for a more unfortunate reason--it is the only regular gig on the tour which features no encores. Heavy rain forced the band to cut their set a bit short. The band's equipment was beginning to fail: you can hear Tony cut out near the end of "Invisible Touch."

The experienced audience clap the beat for "In the Cage" before the song even begins! There is what may be a recording error at the beginning of the "Cinema Show" portion of the "Cage" medley. It sounds as if Mike and one drummer drop out of the mix altogether for a while. I'm not sure if this would have been something the live audience would have heard, or whether it is a problem unique to the recording. Phil mentions the rain before beginning "Hold on My Heart," so the crowd must have been pretty wet by the time the show ended!

Here are some memories from Genesis fan Frank Schnyder, who was at the show and kindly offered these comments:

"I was at the Hollywood Bowl the first night and I remember hearing Mike and whoever else drop out of the mix during the show. I literally did not feel a drop of rain until Phil sang the "Raindrops keep fallin' on my..." line. It was like he invoked it. Then this happens during Cinema show. They didn't do ITC when I saw them in '92, so I've been waiting, like, 20 years to hear it live. I was bummed, but the sound was back in a minute. I thought for sure the show was over at that point, but they carried on through the end, fireworks and everything. At one point, they even brought out these clear plastic stands to cover Tony's keyboards. He had to slide his hand under them to play. During Invisible touch, I saw him throw his hands up in frustration when the equipment cut out. My co-worker saw them the night after and Monday was gloating about seeing Carpet Crawlers while I missed it!

"I'll always remember the vari-lites and their pattern they made against the rain - a pretty unique concert experience, wouldn't you say? I don't think the other shows had those lights set up in the audience that way. Of course, we didn't have the webbed 'claw,' but then using the Hollywood Bowl's lights to make concentric green and orange circles during Invisible Touch had to be something no other show had before that."

Los Angeles '07 (second night)

13/10/07 (Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles CA)

Comments: This second night at the Hollywood Bowl was the last North American show and the last show of the 2007 Turn It on Again tour. This obviously makes it a very special gig. Another factor that makes it special is that the Hollywood Bowl shows, unlike other Encore recordings from this tour, seem to be true soundboard recordings. The audience is very low in the mix and the band doesn't have that hall ambience reverb that can be heard in the other shows. This makes for a better-sounding recording, though not as much better as one might hope.

One might also hope that, this being the last show and the band having had 40-some previous gigs to warm up, the performance would be among the best the tour has to offer. It is a good show, but there are a few minor screw-ups to be heard, and I wouldn't choose this as my favorite Encore.

In introducing his bandmates, Phil humorously calls Daryl "little Daryl" and follows that up with "tiny Chester." You can hear a count-in at the beginning of the drum duet. There is a very special moment at the end of the show where Phil does thank-yous to everyone involved in the stage show and then says some very nice things about Tony and Mike. "As we stand here, there is nothing else planned." The last Genesis show ever?

The Last Domino? Tour (20/9/21-26/3/22)

Comments: This is just a placeholder link - sorry if I faked anyone out. Of course most people coming here will know that Genesis reformed AGAIN in 2021 to have another reunion tour. It fell in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic so there were quite a few cancellations. The lineup was as follows:

Tony: keyboards
Phil: vocals
Mike: guitars
Daryl: guitars
Nic Collins: drums
Daniel Pearce, Patrick Smyth: backing vocals

And yes I admit I got the lineup information from Wikipedia. I didn't have much contact with this tour, which may sound surprising after all the effusive comments I have about the Turn It on Again tour of fourteen years earlier. I considered going to see the band, but I was still shy of public gatherings and I really felt just sad looking at clips of Phil on stage. It would have been maybe OK if his vocals had still been strong, but from what I've heard he was sounding very tired, and the fact that he had two backing vocalists (something the band has basically never done in its whole history) seems a bad sign. I also had pretty much given up on collecting recordings for many years by this point - 2008 basically marked the end of my career as a major collector.

Having, however, come back in 2023 to spruce up a few parts of the site, I felt it only fair to insert a placeholder here, in case I ever do happen to acquire any recordings from this tour. I do like to be accurate about the band as well, and not mentioning a whole tour felt very...incomplete. So here we are.