19 November 2021 | Genesis live in RALEIGH | reports **SPOILERS**

I was fortunate enough to attend both the Raleigh and Charlotte shows. I've posted these ramblings elsewhere, but I thought...why not post here as well?

My first concert was seeing Genesis in 2007 in Cleveland. My dad brought me along when I was 11. I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say Genesis was the band that got me into music. Since then, I’ve seen over 60 shows, so I arrived at the Raleigh show excited, but also with some trepidation: could this show live up to 14 years of expectations, over half of a lifetime? Obviously I’m biased, but I thought Genesis was excellent.

A lot has been said about Phil’s limitations, the lack of him drumming and the lowered keys. All things considered, I thought he sounded better than expected (certainly not amazing, but nowhere near the worst older singer I’ve seen). He did make some mistakes, but the timbre of his voice was closer to 2007 than expected, and his grip on the crowd is as strong as ever. Also worth mentioning that I thought the backing vocalists were used tastefully and blended well into his leads.

The band was in excellent form. Mike especially looked like he was having a blast. It’s interesting…watching videos from 1976 it seems like he was going out of his way to move around, engage with the rest of the band, and otherwise add some visual movement to the show to make up for Peter’s absence. It almost feels like the same thing is going on again now that Phil is more limited.

Tony and “old boy wonder” Daryl also impressed, although they are both more reserved. Having seen Steve Hackett live a few times, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Daryl’s playing in Firth of Fifth. It’s harder for me to pick out highlights for Tony, although I will say I really enjoyed his playing throughout. He did make a big mistake in the middle of Second Home By The Sea in Raleigh (going into the wrong section before dropping out and picking up in the right place). He’s only human, I suppose

Still…the star of the show for me was Nic. That kid is going places. His drums sounded crisp, and it’s incredible how HEAVY and powerful some of the songs sounded due to his contribution. Duchess stands out in this regard for me, but his playing elevated every single song. Not unnecessarily flashy, mind you, but really driving things along. One minor highlight was how fluidly he transitioned straight from No Son of Mine to Firth of Fifth.

What else to say? The stage show is super impressive, although I wish they had moved the "dominos" a little more in the second half. The sound was great overall for arenas. It was better for me in Charlotte in the back of the lower ring vs. Raleigh on the floor. I thought the setlist was a good mix. I was thrilled to get Duchess in particular, and loved the acoustic Lamb. It’s interesting that the transitions from Duke’s Intro > TIOA and FoF > IKWIL have changed a bit since 2007. Maybe this is to make the lower keys sound more natural.

The audience on the floor in Raleigh especially seemed really into it. They knew the old songs better than I would have expected! The audience in Charlotte was also good...although I think the area I was in had more casual fans. Phil also had to tell one side of the arena to "wake up" while explaining the Domino principle.

I don't want to give the impression that the show was flawless. It's flaws are well documented here and elsewhere, and it's up to you whether it's worth it or not at the prices they're charging. In the moment, though--for this young fan--those flaws were easily forgiven. There were a lot of emotions seeing the band that got me into music in middle school, and a lot of emotions realizing this is probably it. In Raleigh, I was there with my dad (although this time I was taking him) and my girlfriend (who only knows Genesis through me). All three of us had a blast!

Quote from Christian

A great performance obviously

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That's really great! I saw other videos of Dancing ... and Carpet Crawlers, which were eally good!