Steve Hackett on June 15, 2005 at St. Jakobi Church

Quite a bit of luck was involved so that Steve Hackett played Braunschweig [Brunswiek, Germany] again after his performance in 2003. The days leading up to the show had been hectic, too, because the gig was almost on the point of being cancelled. In the end, it turned out to be a memorable event.

The very choice of venue, a church, made the concert special. A serene and pleasantly cool atmosphere enveloped us when we entered St Jakobi’s church to listen to the soundcheck at 5pm. The stage was set up right in front of the altar, and Steve, his brother John Hackett and Roger King were already busy at work. Four sails had been put up behind the stage. A couple of spots threw their light up against them, which made for a minimalistic but fine effect. The three of them rehearsed a couple of passages on their instruments before the whole crew of seven (including the band) withdrew to relax in the adjacent kitchen.
Come 7 o’clock, the church began to fill rapidly, and when the show began, all of the 250 seats were taken. At 8 o’clock sharp Steve Hackett entered the stage and began to play the first part of the concert on his own. This part of the set consisted mainly of classical music, just Steve and his acoustic guitar. The fans in the first row could experience Steve from really close up (some 2 metres). What they would hear, was, according to Steve’s set list, this:

Beethoven

Lily

Riverbank

Segovia

Bay

Classical Gas

Elisabethan

Brand New /Mecixan (Mexico City)

Black Light

Skye Boat (Skye Boat Song)

Horizons

Steve would chat with his audience between songs, and he proved a talented entertainer.

After a break, Steve returned to the stage accompanied by John Hackett and keyboarder Roger King so that the Acoustic Trio was complete. During this second part of the evening fans would enjoy all those songs from Steve’s solo career that they had been waiting for. The excellent acoustics of the church heightened the musical experience, particularly when John Hackett played the flute.

Both of Steve’s fellow musicians were given the opportunity to present a song of their own. Roger King played m3, while John Hackett had brought Next Time Around, a number from his very successful album Checking Out Of London.

The second part of the evening consisted of these songs:

pass Jaccuzi

Bacchus

Chinise/Tai Chi/Priestess

Ordeal/Hairless

m3 (RogerKing)

Imagining/2nd Chance

Jazz On Summer’s Day

Next Time Around (John Hackett)

Kim

3 Saties

The Journey

Ace Of Wands

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Rainbows

Gnossiennes No.3

The audience was enraptured, and there were only contented faces that left the church after the encores. Steve Hackett playing an acoustic concert in Germany is certainly a rare event and it will probably remain rare. Fans can count themselves lucky to have seen him with this show. Let us hope that he tours Germany again soon.

by Peter Schütz

translated by Martin Klinkhardt