Former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett just launched his Genesis Revisited: Foxtrot at Fifty + Hackett Highlights tour in North America, which sees him playing Genesis' 1972 classic album, Foxtrot, in its entirety, as well as some of his solo material.
The album is a big favorite among Genesis fans, and Hackett believes it's because of one particular song, though he says some "call it indulgent": the over 20-minute classic "Supper's Ready."
“Somebody I was talking to earlier said it was like a suite of pieces all put together and more classical music in that sense," he tells ABC Audio. "It's a little bit like a mini musical."
When performing the tune, Hackett says he doesn't get too creative although he does like to “branch away and go off" at times, which can be an issue.
He jokes, “Sometimes that 23 minute song can end up being 25 minutes long and the band are all hoping that the guitarist, i.e. me, is going to finish his guitar solo soon so that they can all go home for supper themselves."
In the end, Hackett says he does his best to perform authentic versions of both Genesis songs and his own solo material so fans will be able to recognize the tracks they love. He compared his approach to the Queen stage musical, We Will Rock You.
He explains, “We know on stage it's not the same people, but the power of the music and the fact that it's authentically done, that's important.”
Hackett's Genesis Revisited: Foxtrot at Fifty + Hackett Highlights tour hits Toronto, Canada, on October 5, with the first U.S. show happening October 6 in Ithaca, New York. A complete list of dates can be found at hackettsongs.com.