I had an early-week concert experience a few days ago as the Steve Hackett Acoustic Trio stopped in at Milwaukee's Shank Hall. If you have no idea who Steve Hackett is, then let me introduce you. Hackett was the lead guitarist of Genesis from 1970-1977. As I wrote earlier this week, he kept the bucolic acoustic guitar stylings of his predecessor, Anthony Phillips, but also added a heavier electric side which really added some balls to the band's sound. (And he was tapping on the fretboard years before Eddie Van Halen.) Although he released his first solo album, Voyage of the Acolyte, in 1975 as the band was trying to figure out who was going to replace Peter Gabriel, his solo career started proper in 1978 with the release of Please Don't Touch. Hackett felt that most of his best musical ideas were being rejected by the band and so he struck out on his own. (E.g. – The song "Please Don't Touch" was composed during the sessions for the last Genesis album Hackett appeared on, Wind and Wuthering, but the rest of the band took a pass on it.) His first half-dozen solo efforts were rock & progressive rock and then in 1983, he released Bay of Kings which was an all-acoustic affair that allowed him to indulge the side of him which adored J.S. Bach and Andrés Segovia, two of his biggest influences. He would go on to record several more albums highlighting the classical guitar and his appearance in Milwaukee earlier this week was in support of his latest, Metamorpheus.
While I've been a Genesis fan for nearly a quarter of a century and had seen Genesis, Phil Collins, and Peter Gabriel live, I'd never seen Steve Hackett perform until now. Driving to Milwaukee after work, I felt a bit giddy as a literally decades-old dream would finally come true. Lots of memories came flooding back as his music both with Genesis and solo were major parts of the soundtrack to my teenage years. While in high school, I endlessly air-guitared to the solos from "The Musical Box" & "Firth of Fifth" by Genesis as well as solo gems like "Everyday", "Ace of Wands", and "Spectral Mornings". When the show started as he walked onto the stage alone, the crowd clapped and cheered loudly. There he was – just an ordinary guy – with extraordinary talent. He powdered his hand and began. Shank Hall is not a large place and I was very close to the front of the stage. The sound was kind of washy at the beginning but cleared up quickly. I can't play the guitar so it was neat to be able to see his fingerpicking and just watch how adroit his hands are. I think he began with a song called "Starlight" but he also threw in a bit of the Genesis classic, "Blood on the Rooftops", which drew loud cheers. I'd listened to that songs countless times over the past 20 or so years and here he was playing it before my eyes – marvelous! He played the first half of the night solo and then the trio emerged after a 20-minute or so intermission. While I don't have the complete setlist, here's most of it:
The Journey
Kim
Second Chance
Horizons
Skye Boat Song
Tales Of the Riverbank (Andante in C)
Various Satie pieces
Imagining (GTR tune)
All Is Mended
Bacchus
Tribute to Segovia
The Red Flower of Tai Chi Blooms Everywhere/Hands of The Priestess
After the Ordeal/Hairless Heart
Jacuzzi
M3
Jazz On A Summer's Night
Ace of Wands
Walking Away From Rainbows (encore)
It was a blast to hear the familiar songs from the days of Genesis and his early solo career. But I also really loved the Satie pieces. And "Kim" is a favorite of mine. There was a fair amount of banter between songs. He introduced "After the Ordeal", an old Genesis tune, as coming from a bad time in his life. He also admonished any aspiring musicians in the audience to forget the idea of having a hit single and to just play music for themselves. Plus he praised the audience for listening to the music so intently. And he thanked us. Steve said that, normally when he plays a venue with a bar, there's always someone who gets drunk and starts yelling for the Genesis classic "Supper's Ready" but no one did so ergo he was thankful. The show was light-hearted and fun despite the "neo-classical" guitar. Steve came across as a really mellow guy who just loves music with his heart & soul. I thought it was great that he could be so serious and so intense while playing and then so funny between songs.
I also want to say that I absolutely loved John Hackett's flute playing! There were a lot of lovely melodic parts and also some faster, more aggressive bits as well. And, finally, Roger King on keys. He had the jack-of-all-trades role. Piano, chimes, Mellotron - all over the map really.
Overall, it was a fantastic show. Great music and I got to see a player whose guitar work I've enjoyed for many years ply his trade in person.
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