“Forgotten Memories” - G2 in concert at the Pacific Road Arts Centre Birkenhead on Saturday 25th June 2011. Review and photographs by Alan Hewitt.

An evening in the company of G2 is always one well spent. Over the last few years I have been delighted to see the band bring to life the mid-period material from the band’s repertoire which contains most of my favourite tracks by Genesis. Tonight was to be no exception to that rule although there were to be some real surprises throughout!

Opening the evening with Watcher of The Skies was traditional enough. Piers emulated Mr Banks in fine style and Terry pulled off a Gabriel act second to none. Dancing With The Moonlit Knight too, kept the spirit of vintage Genesis very much alive, and was relished by the crowd.
For me personally, the first surprise of the evening came next with Burning Rope - an underrated classic and one which the band threw themselves into. Terry’s delivery was flawless while Piers and Chris brought the song home in typical style.

Four songs in and already we were revisiting (pun intended) bits of the band’s catalogue long since overlooked. Inside And Out drew gasps from the crowd. Not surprising really, this has long since been one of those songs which demands fireworks from any band playing it which is probably why Genesis themselves didn’t do it that often. No such problems tonight, as Chris’ acoustic guitar and Piers’ keyboards set the scene up nicely for Terry to relate this tale of a miscarriage of justice to perfection. The rhythm section of David and Jeff got their time to shine too as the song reached its dramatic extended climax. This in turn, segued nicely into the closing section of Musical Box which kept the drama factor at 100%.

After all of that, the audience were certainly ready for a breather but I don’t think anyone was expecting what came next; For Absent Friends, a real gem and one in which the kudos must go to both Terry and Chris, who delivered a real treat - a performance I will remember for a LONG time, I assure you!
Ripples and Cinema Show followed, and for sheer magnificence it is a pairing that is hard to beat. Each and every band member had their chances to shine during these two classics and that is exactly what they did - I doubt if Genesis themselves could have played the former any better than I heard tonight!

The Return Of The Giant Hogweed too, brought about some serious audience participation which was only to be expected at what was rapidly turning into a celebration of the glories of Genesis. Another highlight for me with the awesome Blood On The Rooftops and cue yours truly blubbing like a baby - again! Yet more drama next with a full-blooded Unquiet Slumbers For The Sleepers/In That Quiet Earth/Afterglow and what can I say? Not a lot really - bloody fantastic!

Time for another underrated song from the song book. Your Own Special Way, often overlooked but truly delightful in the hands of real musicians which is why we had a truly stunning performance of it here tonight. Not much rest for the wicked though, as Fountain Of Salmacis brought back vivid memories of Phil’s retelling of the “story of the very first Hermaphrodite” at a certain event in 1978 - Christ, was it really THAT long ago?!

I was not the only one thinking that the band were perhaps going to commit the unthinkable and not perform Supper’s Ready but we needn’t have worried. It was delivered all present and correct but after another surprise for us all. Mad Man Moon, another one of those tracks I wish Genesis had performed but never did. Here we had a truly remarkable performance which had the crowd cheering for more. And we got it, as the aforementioned Supper’s Ready brought the show to its climactic finale. Always a thrill to hear this one performed but I don’t think I have ever seen (or heard) it done better than tonight. The band truly scaled the heights here and I wondered how they could possibly better this one?

Well, the answer was by pulling out another surprise; It’s Yourself leading, of course into Los Endos - absolutely fantastic. David and Jeff really brought things home here and the rhythm section, accompanied by the cheers from the crowd threatened to bring down the roof.
And that was it, another magical night was over. I don’t know how many performances by tribute bands I have seen over the last fourteen or so years but one thing is for certain - it will be a LONG while before I see another show to match this one for musical excellence, excitement and sheer enjoyment - thanks a million, guys!