“A Hot Night In Hammersmith” - The latest live CD/DVD offering from Steve Hackett reviewed by Alan Hewitt.

It hasn’t been that long since Steve Hackett released a DVD of one of his live shows. 2010’s Fire And Ice offered fans an effective resume of the man’s most recent shows so what makes this new one so special?

Well, for anyone who was at the show in the Hammersmith Odeon back in May the answer to that one will be quite simple: Here we had Steve and his band presenting what for fans is either: A, a dream come true in terms of performing the classic Genesis era material which made Steve’s name and that of the rest of his band mates, or B, a tribute band’s recreation of the band’s golden era. If your opinion is the latter then you probably were not at any of these shows and will almost certainly not be watching the DVD and skipping this review as you read this edition of TWR! If that is the case, then I think you have really missed the point in this entire project.

So, what IS the point of this one? Well, if you are an ageing cynic like me, then this album/tour/DVD is effectively Steve’s riposte to the lack of enthusiasm for this part of the band’s catalogue from the other protagonists who created it, and Steve says as such in the interview which features on the second disc of the DVD.

The entire package has been carefully put together and the results are in my opinion much more satisfying than the DVD which preceded it. The show itself is without doubt Steve’s biggest stage presentation probably since he was in Genesis and no expense has been spared in bringing the majesty and the drama of Genesis’ golden age vividly to life once more while the musicians themselves have more than done their homework and this is indeed a real tribute to the power and majesty of the music from that golden age of the band’s career. It is unlikely that the remaining members of Genesis will ever perform this stuff (or anything else for that matter) again, and so this will probably be the last time you get the chance to see it performed by one of the people responsible in part for its creation - an opportunity not to be missed in my opinion!

The end result is a fascinating and truly enjoyable audio-visual experience which is what we have come to expect from Steve and this one is another item which Hackett and Genesis fans will treasure - well done all round!

Steve Hackett - Genesis Revisited: Live At Hammersmith. Inside Out 0506648. 3 CD and 2 DVD set