Steve Hackett live at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
Words and photos by John Scott
Steve Hackett kicked off his Seconds Out Revisited tour in September last year and has barely paused for breath since, having played in Europe, America, New Zealand, Australia, and Japan. Back in the UK again, this tour sees Hackett celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of Genesis’ Foxtrot album along with a handful of solo highlights which form the first half of the show.
The show kicks off with Ace Of Wands from Steve’s 1975 solo album Voyage Of The Acolyte, recorded while he was still a member of Genesis, and it’s immediately obvious that a year of touring has honed what was already an incredibly impressive group of musicians into an even tighter collective. Roger King’s brooding church organ provides a powerful introduction to The Devil’s Cathedral from last year’s Surrender Of Silence album. Hackett has cherry-picked gems from throughout his solo carrier for this first set and next up is a pair of songs from his Spectral Mornings albums, the title track giving Hackett the opportunity to show that at 72 he has lost none of his dexterity and may, in fact, be playing better than ever. A Tower Struck Down incorporates a good-humoured bass solo from Jonas Reingold before the first half closes with Camino Royale and then we are back to 1975 again with an instrumental version of Shadow Of The Heirophant whose spiraling guitar and gut-churning (in a good way) bass pedal coda builds to a thundering climax. 
I doubt that there is anyone in the packed-to-capacity auditorium who is unfamiliar with the Foxtrot album which will be played in its entirety and so when the lights dim there is a tangible thrill in the air. As the familiar mellotron chords of Watcher Of The Skies wash across the room and are joined by Craig Blundell’s staccato drums, it’s like being reunited with an old familiar friend. These are far from copycat replicas of the original tracks though, Rob Townsend on flute, saxes percussion, and keyboards brings new textures to the songs that can surprise but never seem out of place. Vocalist Nad Sylvan appears to have reined in his more dramatic impulses bringing more of himself to his vocals even if the spectre of Peter Gabriel still watches from the wings.
A muscular Get ‘em Out By Friday hits the spot and It’s good to hear rarities Time Table and Can-utility And The Coastliners in a live setting, the latter should certainly be let out more often, but as the ringing harmonics of Hackett’s acoustic set piece Horizons fades, it is the epic Supper’s Ready that is, as ever, the star of the show. Led out by Hackett and Reingold’s chiming guitars it is truly a tour de force. An extended finale featuring Hackett’s soaring guitar sees several of the audience members visibly moved and results, as the final notes fade away, in a standing ovation.
How do you follow that? Encore Firth Of Fifth does the job admirably with its instantly recognisable piano intro from Roger King, a soprano sax solo from Rob Townsend, and what might be Steve Hackett’s most eloquent guitar solo at its heart. A medley of Myopia/Slogans/Los Endos delivers some outstanding ensemble playing led by Blundell’s precision drumming.
This is a band at the peak of their powers; if you get the chance to catch them on any of the renaming tour dates, don’t miss it. When this tour is over, they deserve a rest.
