Ahh, the Genesis reunion news is in. Looks like the states will be getting 20 dates after a 20 date "large stadium" tour of Europe. The European tour will conclude with a free concert at THE COLOSSEUM in Italy! How cool is that!? The press conference was pretty enlightening, and other interesting tidbits have been filtering in from band members as the day went on. So far it has been confirmed that Darryl and Chester will tour with the band as in the past (from 77-78 on). Also, there are currently NO plans for new material. While this may change after the tour, it isn't in the cards as of now. Tony stated that this tour will not be all about the Genesis hits, but rather to point out that the band had another very complex side to it. They plan to play music from 1973 to 1992 era and most likely will be heavy on songs that weren't radio favorites - making this tour all the more appealing to true fans. (2 songs I've heard thrown around as on the set list are Squonk and Domino - Darryl said he was given a list of 22-24) It seems that all indications are this is a 40 date encounter, and may very well be the final chapter in the band's very storied and successful history. 130 million albums sold can't be wrong. I'd love to see any of the new bands even think of attaining that goal. The numbers are staggering. The press conference also noted that over 14 MILLION tickets were sold to Genesis shows over the years. Truly incredible.
Rumors are still persisting that Peter Gabriel may very well be involved in the end of the tour (US leg), or in a separate 2008 tour, although this was not clearly defined at the press conference today. Either way, it proves to be a very amazing show, and I'm sure tickets will be nearly impossible to come by if you miss the day of the sale. There seems to be a presale component available to forum members, so I'm seriously looking into that avenue. Otherwise it's sell the house time for sure!
One final nugget: ALL of the previous albums will be re-released in 2007 in the surround 5.1 mode, with a double disc DVD including video from the time period (concert footage?) and all B-sides and extra material. It seems as though they are really going to throw out the kitchen sink. And I guess sadly, with good reason. Although many older bands are starting to have regular comebacks, I don't think Genesis plans to be a dinosaur band and stick around until the members can barely walk on the stage, let alone perform at the high level they are accustomed to. They are all 55-56 now, and realistically this is probably their swan song. I'm pulling for them to come out on top and ride off with all business finished...triumphant. Sweet closure for the fans, as well...
s42
