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July 2, 2012
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Genesis – The Invisible Tour 1986 / 1987 – Tour report

Genesis went on their most successful tour to date in 1986, presenting their most successful album to date, Invisible Touch. We look back at it.

Since the completition of the Mama tour in February 1984, Phil, Mike and Tony had gone their separate ways with various solo projects. Inevitably, press reports suggested the split of the band following Phil’s solo success and continued session and production work. However the fans need not have worried as studio work began in the autumn of 1985, with premiers of the new material first on the B.B.C. TV’s Old Grey Whistle Test programme on 17.12.85. As well as the first single Invisible Touch, parts of another track were played under the title of Monkey Zulu, subsequently being titled Tonight, Tonight, Tonight.

Undoubtly the most commercial album to date Invisible Touch produced an incredible 5 singles, which all charted in North America although not reaching similar success in Europe. Assisted by the video promos by Jim Yukich’s team, the band’s popularity in the states reached an all time high, and inevitably the subsequent tour was scheduled to begin in the USA in September 1986. There were various attempts to take the tour further around the world than previously, with suggestions of concerts in communist China and the USSR. In the event however these plans failed to materialize, but Genesis did at last achieve the long promised trip to Australia and New Zealand, and in addition made the trip across the crumbling iron curtain to Hungary.

Tour rehearsels took place in Dallas and several reports credit rehearsels of old favourites like Carpet Crawlers which unfortunatelly never made the tour set. Apparently the non album track Do The Neurotic was rehearsed as a possible set closing number but eventually the old favourite Los Endos was retained. Backed by the refined light show, the tour began as scheduled in Detroit under the official title Invisible Tour. Due to huge ticket demand, only stadiums and outdoor arenas were considered, and this as well as mixed feelings over some of the shorter singles from the latest album continued the errosion of some of the bands older fan base, being more than replaced, in numbers at least, by many new fans. At least the introduction of near perfect video sreens assisted the view at some of the larger venues. As well as live prospects of the band on stage, the video promos were played on these screens with the Benny Hill appearance on Anything She Doesgreeting the audience prior to the opening number of the set.

In a radio interview, towards the end of the tour, Mike Rutherford gave the total of shows played as 112 in 59 cities, frequently with 3-4 concerts per town.

With such a tightly organized schedule it was perhaps inevitable that the set should remain largly standardized. Three variations were played, as follows:

North America, September – October:

Mama, Abacab, Land Of Confusion, That’s All, Domino, In To Deep, The Brazilian, Follow You Follow Me, Tonight Tonight Tonight, Home By The Sea/ Second Home By The Sea, Throwing It All Away, medley: In The Cage/ In That Quiet Earth/ Apocalypse in 9/8/ As Sure As Eggs Is Eggs, Invisible Touch, Los Endos, Turn It On Again-medley

Australia / New Zealand, November – December

Mama, Abacab, Domino, Your Own Special Way, In Too Deep, The Brazilian, That’s All, Home By The Sea/ Second Home By The Sea, Throwing It All Away, medley: In The Cage/ In That Quiet Earth/ Apocalypse in 9/8/ As Sure As Eggs Is Eggs, Invisible Touch, Los Endos, Turn It On Again-medley

Remainder of tour:

Mama, Abacab, Domino, That’s All, The Brazilian, medley: In The Cage/ In That Quiet Earth/ Afterglow, Land Of Confusion, Tonight Tonight Tonight, Throwing It All Away, Home By The Sea/ Second Home By The Sea, Invisible Touch, Los Endos, Turn It On Again-medley

During the Australian tour the medley changed with the return of In That Quiet Earth and Afterglow in the place of Unquiet Slumbersand Supper’s Ready sections.

Other set changes were fairly minor. Due to fighting in the crowd at Rotterdam, the Turn It On Again-medley was cut short for safety reasons. The main alternation was the occasional obmission of Tonight Tonight Tonight, particulary at indoor stadium gigs, due to problems with Phil’s voice caused mainly by the amount of smoke build up from the audience. These problems would return during the next tour in 1992 as we shall see later. Close examination shows that in some of these problem venues, slight variations were made in other numbers of the set to assist in high note sections.

Of particular note in the Australian tour dates was the return of Your Own Special Way for the first time since 1977. Australian regulations apparently insist on involvement of local musicians in all live concerts and an eight piece string section was therefore added for this track and In Too Deep. Apparently the same musicians had assisted Phil’s solo band during his 1985/86 tour dates which no doubt resulted in their selection here.

Other sections of the sets were subject to slight changes. Phil’s audience participation time before Home By The Sea was retained, but with the climax amended to the levitation of the arena during the contact with the other world. Audience participation was also sought during the introduction to Domino, and the closing introductions of the Turn It On Again-medley. The composition of this medley also standardized after the 1983/84 tour experimentations.

In retrospect therefore, what were the most memorable moments of the tour? Working screens and expertly handled lightning compensated the problems of massive venues to a great extent, and the official tour video and Visible Touch promo documentary gave a good moment of the tour itself (both have been combined on one release on the DVD Live At Wembley Stadium in 2003, which is also part of the Movie Box, released in 2009). The reduction of classic tracks in the set caused some illfeeling amongst older fans and in retrospect it might have been better to remain the original medley for the European dates. Overall however the tour was a complete success, for both old and new fans.

Unusually, Genesis re-formed twice for single events over the next three years, and as the make up for the sets were obviously influenced by the Invisible Touch tour sets it is worth mentioning them here.

Firstly, the band appeared at the Atlantic Records birthday party at Madison Square Gardens on 14th May 1988. A condensed set included portions of solo members material:

Turn It On Again, That’s All, Tonight Tonight Tonight, Land Of Confusion, Mama, Invisible Touch, All I Need Is A Miracle, You Can’t Hurry Love, Shortcut To Somewhere, Turn It On Again – reprise

Finally the band regrouped at Knebworth on 30th June 1990 for a charity concert and played Mama, Throwing It All Away and the Turn It On Again-medley together with Phil’s solo band which had played an earlier set.

by Mike Jackson
Photos by Guido Truffer, scans by Peter Schütz

Tour dates of the Invisible Tour

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18.09.86	Detroit – Joe Louis Arena	USA
19.09.86	Detroit – Joe Louis Arena	USA
20.09.86	Detroit – Joe Louis Arena	USA
22.09.86	Toronto – CNE Grandstand	Canada
24.09.86	Philadelphia – Spectrum	USA
25.09.86	Philadelphia – Spectrum	USA
26.09.86	Philadelphia – Spectrum	USA
27.09.86	Philadelphia – Spectrum	USA
29.09.86	New York – Madison Square Garden	USA
30.09.86	New York – Madison Square Garden	USA
01.10.86	New York – Madison Square Garden	USA
02.10.86	New York – Madison Square Garden	USA
03.10.86	New York – Madison Square Garden	USA
05.10.86	Chicago – Rosemont Horizon	USA
06.10.86	Chicago – Rosemont Horizon	USA
07.10.86	Chicago – Rosemont Horizon	USA
08.10.86	Chicago – Rosemont Horizon	USA
10.10.86	Chicago – Rosemont Horizon	USA
13.10.86	Los Angeles – Forum	USA
14.10.86	Los Angeles – Forum	USA
15.10.86	Los Angeles – Forum	USA
16.10.86	Los Angeles – Forum	USA
17.10.86	Los Angeles – Forum	USA
19.10.86	Oakland – Forum	USA
20.10.86	Oakland – Forum	USA
21.10.86	Oakland – Forum	USA
22.10.86	Oakland – Forum	USA
23.10.86	Oakland – Forum	USA
24.10.86	Oakland – Forum	USA
23.11.86	Auckland – Weston Springs	New Zealand
25.11.86	Sydney – Entertainment Centre	Australia
26.11.86	Sydney – Entertainment Centre	Australia
27.11.86	Sydney – Entertainment Centre	Australia
29.11.86	Brisbane – Boondall Centre	Australia
30.11.86	Brisbane – Boondall Centre	Australia
02.12.85	Adelaide – Westlakes Oval	Australia
05.12.86	Perth – Entertainment Centre	Australia
06.12.86	Perth – Entertainment Centre	Australia
09.12.86	Melbourne – National Tennis Centre	Australia
10.12.86	Melbourne – National Tennis Centre	Australia
11.12.86	Melbourne – National Tennis Centre	Australia
13.12.86	Melbourne – Olympic Park	Australia
15.12.86	Sydney – Entertainment Centre	Australia
16.12.86	Sydney – Entertainment Centre	Australia
17.12.86	Sydney – Entertainment Centre	Australia
18.12.86	Sydney – Entertainment Centre	Australia
19.12.86	Sydney – Entertainment Centre	Australia
20.12.86	Sydney – Entertainment Centre	Australia
15.01.87	Houston – The Summit	USA
16.01.87	Houston – The Summit	USA
18.01.87	Dallas – Reunion Center	USA
19.01.87	Dallas – Reunion Center	USA
21.01.87	Kansas City – Kemper Arena	USA
22.01.87	Kansas City – Kemper Arena	USA
23.01.87	Chapel Hill – Dean Smith Center	USA
24.01.87	Indianapolis – Hoosier Dome	USA
25.01.87	Richfield – Coliseum	USA
26.01.87	Richfield – Coliseum	USA
27.01.87	Richfield – Coliseum	USA
29.01.87	Landover – Capitol Center	USA
31.01.87	Chapel Hill – Dean Smith Arena	USA
01.02.87	Lexington – Rupp Arena	USA
15.02.87	Hartford – Civic Center	USA
16.02.87	Worcester – Centrum	USA
17.02.87	Worcester – Centrum	USA
18.02.87	Worcester – Centrum	USA
20.02.87	Hampton – Coliseum	USA
21.02.87	Hampton – Coliseum	USA
22.02.87	Chapel Hill – Dean Smith Arena	USA
23.02.87	Greensboro – Coliseum	USA
25.02.87	Atlanta – The Omni	USA
26.02.87	Atlanta – The Omni	USA
28.02.87	Orlando – Orange Bowl	USA
01.03.87	Miami – Citrus Bowl	USA
13.03.87	Tokio – Budokan Hall	Japan
14.03.87	Tokio – Budokan Hall	Japan
15.03.87	Tokio – Budokan Hall	Japan
16.03.87	Tokio – Budokan Hall	Japan
18.03.87	Osaka – Caste Hall	Japan
19.03.87	Osaka – Caste Hall	Japan
10.05.87	Malaga – Edstadio La Rosaleda	Spain
13.05.87	Madrid – Estadio Vic. Calderon	Spain
15.05.87	Mailand – Stadio San Siro	Italy
16.05.87	Montreux – Casino Barrière	Switzerland
17.05.87	Rom – Stadio Flaminio	Italy
19.05.87	Toulouse – Stade Sept Deniers	France
22.05.87	Los Angeles – Dodger Stadium	USA
24.05.87	Pittsburgh – Three Rivers Stadium	USA
26.05.87	Washington DC – RFK Stadium	USA
28.05.87	Philadelphia – Veterans Stadium	USA
29.05.87	Philadelphia – Veterans Stadium	USA
30.05.87	East Rutherford – Giants Stadium	USA
31.05.87	East Rutherford – Giants Stadium	USA
02.06.87	Paris – Palais Omnisports Bercy	France
03.06.87	Paris – L’Hippodrome de Vinc.	France
05.06.87	Kopenhagen – Gentofte Stadium	Denmark
07.06.87	Hannover – Niedersachsenstadion	Germany
08.06.87	Berlin – Reichstagsgelände	Germany
10.06.87	Dortmund – Westfalenhalle	Germany
11.06.87	Rotterdam – Feyenoord Stadium	Netherlands
13.06.87	Basel – St. Jakob Stadion	Switzerland
14.06.87	Nancy – Stade Marcel Picot	France
16.06.87	Wien – Praterstadion	Austria
18.06.87	Budapest – Nepstadion	Hungary
20.06.87	Mannheim – Maimarktgelände	Germany
21.06.87	München – Olympiastadion	Germany
23.06.87	Lyon – Stade de la Beaujoire	France
26.06.87	Glasgow – Hampden Park	UK
28.06.87	Leeds – Roundhay Park	UK
01.07.87	London – Wembley Stadium	UK
02.07.87	London – Wembley Stadium	UK
03.07.87	London – Wembley Stadium	UK
04.07.87	London – Wembley Stadium	UK