Ahhh the memories....
Twan van Eeden's posting to Paperlate #1488 brought back a flood of memories for me of what must surely rate as one of the most extraordinary concerts the band ever performed, at the Groenoordhallen in Leiden, Holland on 4th October 1981.
And as someone who was in attendance on this fateful occasion I can fully concur that, yes, indeed the band *were* almost booed offstage!!!!!! Don't believe me? ....Read on!!
Expectations were high as a group of die hard UK Genesis fans, yours truly included, made our way to the venue which the band had previously played to great acclaim on both the 'Wind and Wuthering' and '...and then there were three' Tours. There was no reason to think for a moment that this show would be anything other than another triumph for the best live band in the world! How wrong we were!
Although many fans felt the new album, Abacab, to be a weaker offering from Genesis it was rumoured that the band were going to perform the all time Genesis classic Firth of Fifth live for the first time since 1977, as a special treat for the fans, amongst other perennial favourites and the assumption was that only the stronger material from the new album would feature in a live environment...
The show began well enough as the band launched into a muscular version of the excellent Behind the Lines, segueing into the delicate beauty of Duchess, the band bathed in flicking green lighting.....a satisfying beginning indeed!
Genesis then took a wonderful trip down memory lane with a blistering rendition of The Lamb Lies down on Broadway, sounding fresher than ever and greeted with rapturous applause....and quite deservedly so, the auditorium verily crackling with the unique joy and excitement that is a Genesis concert....
Amid billowing smoke the dramatic new Genesis classic Dodo/Lurker wove it's magic spell, the newly unveiled Vari-lites thrilling us with their twisting and turning, flooding the stage with beautiful deep blue symmetrical lighting patterns...exhilarating rock theatre....
Next up a solid performance of Abacab which really set the seal on an excellent first part to the evening's proceedings......
What happened next was perhaps the single most extraordinary incident that I have ever witnessed at a rock concert.....and certainly the most amazing turn of events in the dozens of Genesis shows my friends and I have witnessed over the years.
As the band played the gentle Man on the Corner I thought my ears were deceiving me as I believed I could hear booing from sections of the audience... surely I must be mistaken I felt.....but, to my utter astonishment, on looking around I could see fans, dressed in their Genesis adorned denim, openly jeering the band!!!!!
What's more things went from bad to worse for Genesis as the next song was the deliberately discordant, bizzare Whodunnit? featuring Mike on (badly played!) drums, Tony centre stage and Phil on a raised platform between them.....This track went down like a proverbial lead balloon with the increasingly angry fans, whose booing was by now so loud that it was drowning out the band (at least near the front of the stage where I was positioned)....Our Heroes looked decidedly edgy and increasingly annoyed at the fans' reception to their new material.....it will come as no surprise to long time Genesis fans that most angry of all band members was the short,fat bald one in the grey sweat pants who was gradually losing his cool, casting vicious glances at the ungrateful hordes blowing enthusiastic raspberries in his direction!!!!
I presumed that surely the band would play an older track next to relieve the distinctly uncelebratory atmosphere.....errrr wrong again Simon!!!! .....Demonstrating a complete lack of judgement the band played No Reply at All which merely fanned the flames......talk about feeding the fire....Genesis seemed to be deliberately goading their audience with their choice of material but somehow the band completed the song, it's final notes greeted with even louder booing and hissing!!!!
Personally speaking I found this situation exhilarating and surely a unique experience for post Gabriel Genesis........unbelievable and yet it was TRUE, one of the world's biggest rock bands were being booed by their own fans who disliked the material being performed!!!
Something had to be done in order to quell what was becoming an increasingly ugly, though unquestionably exciting, situation...
Sweating profusely and with eyes alight with pure, unadulterated rage and filled with anger at the fact his wage paying audience disliked the fact that many fans felt that Genesis had traded their rich majestic history for the easy lustre of simplistic pop songs, Phil grabbed the microphone stand and addressed the audience,who were still hissing the band for their audacity in performing what they regarded as sub standard, unacceptable material...
Cynics amongst you and perhaps some of our younger subscribers may not believe the words, the language and manner with which Uncle Phil used to reproach the hostile elements in the audience.......but, hey, I was there and the tape never lies!!!....
Phil began, and I quote word for word:
"ANYONE WHO DOESN'T LIKE IT CAN COME AND MEET ME AFTERWARDS AND I'LL KICK THE FUCKING SHIT OUT OF THEM!!!!"
The look in Phil's eyes said that he *really* meant it, Mike, Tony, Daryl and Chester looked pretty sheepish as I recall....you got the distinct impression that the show might be called off there and then if the crowd continued to jeer.......one wonders what would have happened if, say, Misunderstanding had followed?!!
Thankfully the band, seemingly invigorated by their unique situation subsequently took the audience by storm, giving em what they wanted.....a fabulous rendition of Tony's Me and Sarah Jane.......an orgasmic Firth of Fifth.....The famed Cage medley and then into Genesis Overdrive with the beauty of Afterglow, rounded off with a perfect Dance on a Volcano and a titanic Los Endos......For an encore? Let's just say this particular audience certainly knew what it liked!!!!!!
We made the long journey home across a violent, forboding English Channel with incomparable memories that we had attended one of the most historic of all Genesis shows.......when the audience really did boo the new songs......and nearly brought the show to a premature end!!!!!!
So did the band return to Leiden the following year for that wonderful Supper's Ready 10th Anniversary Commemorative Tour?....Well what do *you* think folks?
Simon Pound - simon@pavilion.co.uk