The funny thing is that this all started as a joke last year! When I became aware that Steve was about to embark on his first UK tour in over ten years, I e-mailed Steve's manager, offering my services at "very reasonable rates"! Mad fools… they accepted my offer and off I went… My previous tour diary can be read in an earlier edition of TWR.

Once again, the chance to follow Steve's adventures was to follow a similar pattern. This time however, I was afforded the luxury of a chauffeur! Thanks to Mark Hughes, a fellow Hacketteer and longstanding Genesis fan, the traipse around Britain was much more enjoyable.

Anyway.. the tour opened at the Mick Jagger Centre in Dartford… and after a long but surprisingly uneventful trip, Mark and I arrived to be greeted by the familiar faces of Andy Lodge and John Wood from Camino and lurking in the background the ever present Mr William Budis (Steve's manager) Organising Mark's pass completed… I contented myself with helping John and Andy set up shop for the punters. Familiar faces and new ones came and went including those of Steve's mum… Kim (Steve's wife) was also there and also one of Steve's old stalwarts… Peter Hicks… an auspicious start!

With show time about to start I ensconced myself alongside Andy at the back of the hall with an excellent view of the stage. Steve and the band emerged to applause and opened the evening with Valley Of The Kings which took me by surprise… a great set opener. Not wishing to know what was to be performed in advance I was in for quite a few surprises tonight! Continuing the trend of new material; the band continued the set with Mechanical Bride; Circus of Becoming and an instrumental version of Frozen Statues from Steve's latest waxing: To Watch The Storms both of which worked extremely well.

A trip back in time followed with a glorious version of Slogans bringing back a LOT of memories for me (and for Peter Hicks if his smile was anything to go by!) continuing with the wonderful Serpentine Song from the new album which has already become a firm favourite with the audience and deservedly so! Ace Of Wands and Hammer In The Sand followed… the latter a real surprise because it had NEVER been played live before… don’t know why; the combination of Steve's guitar and Roger's sympathetic keyboards produced a glorious soundscape.

This was followed by the traditional acoustic set which it has to be said didn't really work this time round. It appeared somewhat rushed which was a shame given that Steve had decided to again include Classical Gas which was a firm favourite of mine. The shimmering chords of Horizons elicited the expected response from the crowd.

Finishing off the acoustic set was a delightful rendition of Second Chance on which Rob Townsend really shone on the flute. This was followed by what for me personally was to be the highlight of every gig on the tour… Steve's introduction of it as… "A song that was written for a drummer to sing…" gave me pause for thought but I never imagined that the band would perform a COMPLETE version of it… here it was: Blood On The Rooftops… I admit… I dissolved in a pool of tears much to Andy Lodge's amusement! What can I say? I was totally unprepared for this and it simply blew me away!

Interval followed during which time I managed to compose myself and prepare for the possible surprises that the second half might hold in store…after THAT anything was possible! The second half opened with another highlight… Fly On A Windshield a truly glorious version which was ecstatically received. Please Don't Touch and Firth Of Fifth were next and as predictable as their inclusion inevitably was; it was nonetheless a delight to greet these old friends.

Another surprise was the inclusion of a song which Steve was road-testing on this tour: A Dark Night In Toytown obviously a chip off the Darktown block and indeed that very opus followed on in a delightfully macabre segue. Brand New continued the emphasis on the new material before another surprise with the welcome re-appearance in the set of The Air-Conditioned Nightmare from the much maligned Cured album… still a good rock romp even after all these years!

Clocks and Spectral Mornings heralded the close of the show proper bring the small but enthusiastic crowd to their feet and baying for more. They were not kept waiting long and the evergreen standards: Everyday and Los Endos signalled the end of show time for this wonderful first show.

Chatting to fans after the gig waiting for Steve and the band to appear for the ubiquitous photo and signing session; the overall opinion was of delight and excitement. It has been a long time since I have been so completely surprised by a live set as I was by this one and with another ten shows to do… both Mark and I wondered over the traditional post-gig curry what other surprises Steve could pull out of the bag?

Next night and Northampton's Derngate Theatre… quite a surprise because I had no idea the venue was so large… apparently Steve had been the first act to play there when the place was opened back in 1988! I was also surprised to see John Hackett and after a brief hello… it was off to set up shop for the night. Another mix of familiar and unfamiliar fans greeted me proffered foaming drafts of Northampton's finest ales which were gratefully accepted (merchandising can be thirsty work, you know?).

Once again the show was in two halves and once again by the time the first half ended I was a gibbering heap… It was delightful to see John on stage again with Steve for a wonderful performance of Second Chance. Other than that… it was an unaltered set and another excellent show faultlessly delivered by the entire band who have simply got better on each successive tour.

Home ground (almost) for the next gig … Birkenhead's Pacific Arts Centre… a converted tram shed! Strange place for a gig… backstage we were surrounded by full scale electric trams and buses… which fascinated both Steve and I. The venue was great… a good live vibe and an enthusiastic and knowledgeable crowd who took the band to their hearts from the off and the surprise dedication of Blood On The Rooftops to myself and Mark (with predictably emotional results!) excellent stuff!

Sunday night and it is… Blackburn… the King George's Hall… a venue I have been to several times… tonight however we were "underground" in the Windsor Suite a somewhat smaller but much more intimate venue for tonight's proceedings. Once again, John Hackett along with his good lady Katrin were present and she gave a helping hand on the merchandise stall too. Another surprise dedication of Blood On The Rooftops to me personally this time… set the seal on a perfect night. For a fuller review of this gig see Mike Ainscoe's comments elsewhere in this edition.

A few days off during which time I was chomping at the bit for the next gig which sadly should have been Sheffield's Lead Mill… a great venue. Sadly not to be this time as the gig had been cancelled! So, instead the next day Mark and I set off for the pastoral delights of Cambridge with a short detour which was to prove highly enjoyable for both Mark and I… I had made arrangements to conduct an interview with Tony Banks about his new album: Seven and Carol Willis from Tony Smith Personal Management Services (that's Hit & Run to most of you) had invited us to stop by and pick up a copy of the album for pre-interview listening. Chatting to Carol in her own home was truly delightful and she was a mine of information and anecdotes a delightful afternoon's prelude to the evening's concert.

Once again the band opted to stick with the same set and it simply got better each night… the newer material definitely shone through although of course nothing could replace Blood On The Rooftops as my favourite the crowd lapped up the performance.

Saturday was going to be a special day in more ways than one… the interview that had been arranged with Tony Banks by Carol Willis took place in glorious sunshine at Tony's home in Surrey after the now traditional lunch at the Crown in Chiddingfold. Mark was obviously in his element meeting his hero and I was simply delighted to have another chance to chat to Tony. That done and a quick detour for photos at The Farm... it was on to the Shepherds Bush Empire for Steve's hometown gig. It was also John Hackett's birthday and so the Hackett clan were out in force.

Steve's special guest: John Paul Jones performed onstage as indeed did John once again on Second Chance and the gig was another excellent one. I even had my own merchandise stall inside the hall itself from where I was kept company by a variety of familiar and unfamiliar faces all of whom insisted in buying me drinks (strange people!). The after show party was another thrill… it was great to be invited and to be welcomed by Steve's family as another member of the "family"… Steve's mum June and Kim were particularly kind. I also had the chance to meet up with almost all of Steve's old touring band: Nick Magnus, Dik Cadbury and Peter Hicks were all there and the team photo should capture the event for posterity.

"Old Boys Revisited #1" L-R Nick Magnus, Dik Cadbury, Alan H, Pete Hicks at The Shepherds Bush Empire Theatre 13.3.04 (Photo: P Gibbon/TWR)

"Alan and a bevy of beauties" L-R: Kim Poor, Alan H and June Hackett Shepherds Bush Empire Theatre London 13.3.04 (Photo: PGibbon/TWR)

"Old Boys Revisited #2" L-R: Peter Hicks, Steve Hackett, NickMagnus, John Hackett and Dick Cadbury at the Shepherds Bush Empire Theatre 13.3.04 (Photo: A Hewitt/TWR)

Sunday and on to Bristol and the Colston Hall another fine old Genesis haunt… a wonderful hall with a great tradition of good gigs and tonight was no excption.

Monday and on to the Midlands for a trip to Birmingham's Alexandra Theatre… another old style British theatre. Once again it was a delight to meet up with some old friends for a natter before the gig. Show wise the set did not alter and once again was very well received. The after show curry with Mark and my old friends Kevin and Shirley and their daughter Rachel was somewhat surreal thanks to the behaviour of some drunken American students (spit!) but nothing could mar the evening for us.

Tuesday and on to Nottingham and another new venue for me… I am used to seeing gigs in the wonderful surrounds of the Royal Concert Hall… and I was not quite prepared for the less than salubrious surroundings of Rock City... a second rate night club... which I have to admit I detested with a vengeance. The gig itself as uneventful with no great changes… the crowd seemed to enjoy themselves but I personally would not hurry back there for another gig!

A day off broke the momentum before we made the hike up to Middlesbrough a long but uneventful journey to discover that Steve was playing in the "Crypt" under the Town Hall… why it was called The Crypt I have no idea but the crowd were certainly one of the most animated of the tour and genuinely enjoyed themselves as indeed did Steve and the band.

Friday and final gig for Mark and I (sniff) at the New Theatre in Oxford. The tour had been totally trouble free for Mark and I and nothing quite prepared us for the journey from hell which we had to make in order to get to Oxford. At one point we were both seriously considering turning back… every road seemed to be blocked with accidents on just about every motorway and A road you could think of. We eventually arrived after a seven and a half hour journey …frazzled but looking forward to this our last Hackett gig of 2004.

Another excellent venue… if slightly off the beaten track and a good turn out too. Once again John Hackett put in an appearance on Second Chance and the show was the same as previous nights and equally as enjoyable although I admit to being a tad emotional about it being the last one and all… I watched certain songs through a haze of tears... some of happiness …others of sadness..

Then it was all over and all that remained was to pack up the merchandise and say goodbye to everyone… what an amazing experience one which I (and I am sure Mark) will never forget.

Well.. I have to say my usual round of thank you's so here goes…

First of all my continuing grateful thanks go to: Steve, Billy Budis, John Wood and Andy Lodge at Camino for allowing this to happen and to help make this happy fan very old!

To Brian Coles this year's tour manager for his expertise despite his considerable personal discomfort due to an attack of gout … his help and assistance were invaluable.

To Steve's mum June and to Kim and to John and Katrin for making both Mark and I so welcome and for their unstinting kindness not just to us but to any other fans they met during the shows too.

To the members of Steve's band: Gary, Roger, Terry and Rob for turning in amazing performances night after night and for their kindness (and in Roger's case… sarcasm) you guys are an amazing team!

To the fans who I met on the tour... old and new; familiar and unknown and with special reference to the following: Kevin, Shirley and Rachel Powell (next time the shepherd's pie… honest!), Stuart Barnes, Paul Gibbon, Ian Macpherson and James and Olivia ,Jeremy Brown (plus mum) and Richard Hewson ; Jeremy Charlett and Douglas Pike, Richard and Andrew Nagy (without whom a Hackett tour is not complete) and to the irrepressible Stuart Waby and his friend Paul… you will get me down to Lincoln for that weekend eventually guys - honest!

Finally my personal thanks to Mark Hughes without whom none of this trip would have been possible… well maybe but certainly not as comfortably or in such good company… I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did - here's to the next one!