The ‘Refueled!’ tour
Mike Rutherford (guitars, backing vocals) / Andrew Roachford (vocals, keyboards) / Tim Howar (vocals) / Anthony Drennan (guitars, bass) / Luke Juby (vocals, keyboards, bass) / Nic Collins (drums, percussion)
The last time that I had seen Mike Rutherford was 25th April 1975 at Newcastle City Hall when Genesis were touring ‘The Lamb…’ – an absence of 48 years and it’s fair to say that both he and I have aged somewhat in the interim! Whilst Rutherford’s “main” band might have now bitten the dust for good, M+TM continue to tour and entertain decent sized audiences, and this gig was no different. Part of a mammoth 34-date UK tour which then extended into Germany the band’s popularity clearly remains undiminished. Sadly, regular drummer Gary Wallis was unable to partake of this tour and, whilst he remains a key member of the recording band, his place on the tour was taken by Nic Collins, son of Genesis drummer/singer Phil – another link to the past.
The band were a little late on stage and Mrs P was nervously awaiting a PA message suggesting a problematical issue, but 7:40 saw the band kick off with the up-tempo ‘Get Up’. Now, let’s get this out of the way right here – the band was very slick and professional. All the singers hit their notes, the musicians (seemed to) play all of the correct notes, and I simply could not fault the performance in any technical way, it’s just that… well… by the end of the night I had come to the conclusion that this really isn’t the kind of gig that I want to go to any more. The band is now unashamedly pop, with the two singers encouraging audience participation in rhythmic clapping in every song (yes, every song) and joining in with the singing at every opportunity, especially with the memorable choruses, of which there were many.
It was all very smooth, and there was a host of “women of a certain age” up, dancing, singing, and swaying their arms with little or no encouragement. All around me was the talk of, “oh, yes, I saw him in The Last Domino tour and they were amazing” and its ilk. These people had come to see/hear all the greatest hits and whatever Genesis material they might play. In truth, I can’t really moan, because I had seen the setlist and knew exactly what to expect so I shouldn’t complain. I just came away feeling that, however professional they were – and make no mistake, they went down a storm – it’s really not for me.
The material was, as mentioned earlier, basically a run through their greatest hits. If I’m honest, there definitely were highlights. Without doubt ‘The Living Years’ is a very well crafted tear-jerker and not the bouncy, bubble-gum of the majority of stuff on offer here. ‘Over My Shoulder’ is a good one too, with Rutherford and Drennan on acoustic guitars, Juby supplying the bass. And, whisper it quietly, but I really enjoyed the two Genesis later hits ‘Jesus He Knows Me’ and ‘I Can’t Dance’, mainly because both feature very witty lyrics, although they are certainly best served with Phil Collins’ lovable rogue delivery.
Sadly, there also seems to be a growing trend among bands/artists to play acoustic versions, which is something that I am not particularly fond of. The opening of the second set featured a medley of four such songs followed by two more full length acoustic versions. And it’s best not to dwell on the godawful ‘Cuddly Toy’ by singer Andrew Roachford, or the interminable soloing at the end of the final number, ‘Word of Mouth’.
In conclusion then, a very well-crafted gig which certainly had the audience eating out of their hand, but one which left me very much feeling that I had perhaps wandered into the wrong venue. I still have vinyl copies of the first album and also ‘Living Years’ and I will continue to play – and enjoy – them, but I won’t be rushing to book tickets for any more of their gigs.
Setlist: Set 1: Get Up; A Beggar on a Beach of Gold; Another Cup of Coffee; Are You Ready; Try to Save Me; Jesus He Knows Me (Genesis cover); Let Me Fly; The Best is Yet to Come; Silent Running; Set 2: Wonder/Invisible Touch (Genesis cover)/Don’t Know What Came Over Me/Nobody’s Perfect (acoustic medley); Everybody Gets a Second Chance (acoustic); Follow You, Follow Me (Genesis cover) (acoustic); I Can’t Dance (Genesis cover); Cuddly Toy (Roachford cover); The Living Years; All I Need is a Miracle; Over My Shoulder; Encore: Word of Mouth
Gigs'n'Stuff 