Steve Hackett brought his “Genesis Greats, Lamb Highlights & Solo” North American tour to The Town Hall on Manhattan’s West 43rd Street on Wednesday, October 22nd, where he and his band performed before a very enthusiastic crowd. Loud cheers and standing ovations were in strong supply at the concert.

In addition to Hackett (guitar, vocals), the band on this tour includes Roger King (keyboards), Nad Sylvan (vocals, tambourine), Jonas Reingold (bass, 12-string guitar, vocals), Rob Townsend (saxophone, alto saxophone, flute, keyboards, percussion) and Nick D’Virgilio (drums).

Hackett and company took the stage right on time at 8 p.m. and launched into a nearly hour-long first set that featured Hackett’s solo work. They kicked off with a rocking version of “People of the Smoke,” which Hackett later told the crowd is about London in the 1950s. They then segued into a heavy version of “Circo Inferno” that featured impressive drumming by D’Virgilio and great work on saxophone by Townsend. Hackett then joked with the crowd a bit about some of his experiences in New York City over the years.

The instrumental “These Passing Clouds” was highlighted by Hackett’s outstanding guitar playing, Townsend’s deft playing on alto saxophone and King’s masterful work on keyboards. The rocking and proggy “The Devil’s Cathedral” had great keys by King in the intro and then stellar guitar work by Hackett and solid playing by the rhythm section of Reingold and D’Virgilio backing Sylvan’s strong lead vocal. The crowd gave it a big hand. Hackett then introduced the band and joked that it’s like a touring United Nations outfit, since the band members hail from several different countries. When Hackett told the crowd that D’Virgilio is from the U.S., it drew a big cheer.

“Every Day” received a tight and spectacular performance that had great vocal work by the band members and terrific instrumental work by all, led by Hackett’s great guitar playing. The audience roared at the end. The instrumental “A Tower Struck Down” had impressive work by Townsend on flute and King on keyboards in the opening. Hackett added some nice rock guitar and Townsend played some jazzy lines on saxophone. The band then left the stage except for Reingold, who proceeded to play an entertaining bass solo that included bits of “(Theme from) New York, New York,” “Love Theme from The Godfather” and “Horizons.”

When the band returned to the stage, they closed out the first set with stellar versions of “Camino Royale” and “Shadow of the Hierophant.” The former featured a bluesy lead vocal and terrific guitar playing by Hackett. Townsend went to center stage at one point to play a saxophone solo that drew big cheers from the crowd. Townsend then surrendered center stage to Hackett, who proceeded to play a rock guitar solo. It drew a loud ovation from the crowd. Hackett’s guitar work in the opening of the latter was outstanding. King played a part on his keyboards that sounded like a child’s toy piano, much to the amusement of the crowd. The song then shifted into heavy prog mode, highlighted by King’s terrific work on keyboards, rocking guitar by Hackett and tight work by Reingold and D’Virgilio. Townsend added some nice work on alto saxophone in the song’s powerful finish. It received a deafening roar and a standing ovation by the crowd. The band then left the stage for a 20-minute break.

When Hackett and the band returned to the stage, they commenced with the section of the show that featured highlights from Genesis’ 1974 album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. It opened with a performance of the title track that featured fantastic keyboard playing by King in the intro. When the full band kicked in, it was explosive and led by Sylvan’s strong lead vocal. “Fly on a Windshield” had some terrific guitar work by Hackett in the intro. When the full band joined in, Hackett began to wail on his guitar. It was simply outstanding. A strong and heavy version of “Broadway Melody of 1974” had Sylvan’s powerful lead vocal at its center. The instrumental “Hairless Heart” featured Townsend on alto saxophone, King on keys and Hackett’s virtuoso guitar playing.

The tour de force performance of “Carpet Crawlers” was one of the highlights of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway section of the show. It received a loud cheer from the endlessly enthusiastic crowd. And their enthusiasm continued as they roared at the end of the outstanding performance of “The Chamber of 32 Doors.” The band fired on all cylinders to deliver a terrific version of “Lilywhite Lilith.” Hackett’s powerful guitar playing and Townsend’s great alto saxophone playing toward the end of “The Lamia” received deafening cheers from the crowd. And the band rocked out on an outstanding version of “it” that received a loud and sustained standing ovation from the crowd.

The second set closed out with a full performance of the 20-minute-plus Genesis song “Supper’s Ready” that was yet another highlight in a concert filled with many. The crowd shouted out “A flower?!?” just prior to the start of the whimsical section of the song. Sylvan left the stage as the band played out the remainder of the song and Hackett wailed on guitar. The crowd gave it another sustained and deafening standing ovation.

The band left the stage briefly and then returned for the encore. “Firth of Fifth” featured Hackett’s great guitar work throughout as well as nice work on keyboards by King and an impressive bit by Townsend on alto saxophone. The band left the stage for a drum solo by D’Virgilio and then returned for the last song of the evening, a stellar and rocking version of “Los Endos.” It was an outstanding conclusion to the show and received a massive cheer from the tireless audience.

At age 75, Hackett remains a supremely talented guitarist. He and his band never disappoint in concert. The current tour is yet another must see by Hackett and company.

Hackett’s full tour dates can be found at https://www.hackettsongs.com/tour.html. The North American tour runs through Saturday, November 22nd.

The setlist was as follows:
SET 1
People of the Smoke
Circo Inferno
These Passing Clouds
The Devil’s Cathedral
Every Day
A Tower Struck Down
Bass Solo
Camino Royale
Shadow of the Hierophant

SET 2
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (Genesis song)
Fly on a Windshield (Genesis song)
Broadway Melody of 1974 (Genesis song)
Hairless Heart (Genesis song)
Carpet Crawlers (Genesis song)
The Chamber of 32 Doors (Genesis song)
Lilywhite Lilith (Genesis song)
The Lamia (Genesis song)
it (Genesis song)
Supper’s Ready (Genesis song)

ENCORE
Firth of Fifth (Genesis song)
Drum Solo
Los Endos (Genesis song)