Although all Genesis touring plans are currently up in their air, including the November date at the 3Arena, they maintain that there’s no feasible way they could reunite with its classic early-1970’s lineup.
Despite the fact that Peter Gabriel bailed from the band in 1975 and Steve Hackett split only two years after that, many die-hard Genesis fans long to see the legendary “prog” version of the band together again.
During a chat with Mojo, Phil Collins admitted, “I think a reunion with Steve and Pete would be uphill. Playing with Mike and Tony is the easy option.” Regarding his comfort with Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks, with whom the band celebrated its greatest success, he said: “There are no hatchets to be buried. We actually sort of like each other.”
Mike Rutherford touched upon the notion of a five-man reunion — an idea that was actually briefly tossed around over a dozen years ago: “I know people love the idea that the five of us will all get together again. But the songs most people know and love are from the last 40 years. Peter left so long ago. I really don’t know what we could do with him now. As much as I love those early albums, it would be weird to just do songs from that period.”
The upcoming dates — which will feature longtime sideman Daryl Stuermer alternating on guitar and bass with Rutherford and Collins’ son Nic on drums — promise a bit of a change for the first time, with Rutherford revealing: “There’s going to be an acoustic bit in the show, I’ll tell you that. Something we’ve not done before.”
When pressed as to whether he, Banks and Collins are gearing up for their first studio album since 1991’s We Can’t Dance, Mike Rutherford admitted: “It’s not on our radar, no. This tour is a big undertaking in itself.”
We recently caught up with Mike Rutherford and asked him if he considered Peter Gabriel’s defection from Genesis as a rejection of him and Tony Banks, who were the other dominate musical forces in the band: “I never really thought if it — it’s not a rejection as much as sort of wants to move on. I think Peter. . . y’know, what I mean? You have to want it. He’s happy where he is. Y’know what I mean? Phil then came in and wrote some great songs, y’know? It’s a shame he can’t just do a project — y’know what I mean? A standalone project; but there’s no plans.”
Genesis European tour dates (subject to change):
- November 16 – Dublin, Ireland – 3 Arena
- November 19 – Belfast, Northern Ireland – SSE Arena
- November 23 – Liverpool, England – M&S Bank Arena
- November 26 – Newcastle, England – Utilita Arena
- November 29, 30 – London, England – The O2
- December 2 – Leeds, England – First Direct Arena
- December 5 – Birmingham, England – Utilita Arena
- December 8 – Manchester, England – Manchester Arena
