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Last year, former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett recorded a performance at the famous Royal Albert Hall that commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Genesis album, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. He’s just released those recordings as The Lamb Stands Up Live at the Royal Albert Hall, and he’s embarked on a U.S. tour in support of that release as well as his new solo album, The Circus and the Nightwhale.
On a break from recording violin and viola for a new album he’s working on, Steve Hackett recently spoke via Zoom from his London home about the upcoming tour that includes a stop on Tuesday, Nov. 4 at the Goodyear Theater in Akron.
Talk about your new live album, The Lamb Stands Up Live at the Royal Albert Hall. How special was the show you played there last year?
The album went to the top of the rock and metal charts, which is nice. It seems to have taken off big-time, which I’m very pleased about. The show was a much-anticipated one. I haven’t taken it thoroughly around the world, but I will bring it to your shores in October or November.
What stood out about the Royal Albert Hall concert?
It’s great material. I’m not just doing that. I’m also doing stuff from my solo career and other Genesis albums as well. I’m going through the hits in a way. We tried to do authentic versions and then to take it to the mountain, so we’re not stuck to the letter. It’s not a tribute band.
I know you paid great attention to the mixing and mastering. At a time of streaming, it’s unusual to get a release that features this kind of audio quality.
That’s just it. I understand streaming and everything. I understand that some people want the vinyl. I like to work with CD quality. That is a personal preference. When CD arrived back in the day, when we were releasing things on recycled vinyl, I hesitated to put anything out on vinyl because we were getting some much noise. There was also the debacle that so many things were assessed on cassette. CD came along and everyone got hi-fi. Now, there is a return to dragging a piece of plastic around and saying it sounds better. You have distortion and hum; if you like that, fine. It’s like the Mellotron. It has its faults, and that is part of the appeal. That’s part of the package. It’s part of its appeal. Personally, I prefer to not have the record jumping and having to get up and turn it over.
CDs really do have more dynamic range.
It doesn’t have to be tizzy because it’s on CD. If you want to give analog warmth, there are plug-ins that will do that for you.
Why do you think The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway still resonates so strongly with fans?
Well, I think it’s a strange thing, but it’s an album that wasn’t particularly popular when it was first out. Over time, it’s become part of the curriculum for universities. The irony is that last century’s failure becomes today’s wonder. I was having this conversation with an Icelandic drummer friend of mine. They were talking about Aha. Their hit was released three different times and failed the first two times. Eventually, it was a hit. I can quote the I Ching as saying “work on that which has been spoiled.” There is a whole section in the I Ching about this ancient Chinese sage stuff. The other is that perseverance furthers. It’s the whole don’t give up things. It’s part Chinese society and Confucius but there are some truths that are eternally relevant to us who make a noise for a living. If at first you don’t succeed, release it again. There’s no such thing as someone who hasn’t made it. It might not have found its time. What I think is a hit record is something that makes someone want to go out there and play and do the whole nine yards. It’ll produce far bigger result than how many units have you sold this week.
I feel that the Rock Hall could use that when considering who to induct.
Yes. I got a Hall of Fame T-shirt. Just recently I ran out of pajamas and started sleeping in it.
The live version of the song “Lilywhite Lilith” stands out. Talk about your approach on that tune?
It was a neat little tune. It was written before Lamb and was written with other lyrics. We decided to reconstitute it. I played basic guitar in George Harrison style. I was chiming away on the original. This was pre-Chorus Unit. Now, I do it with Chorus Unit. I want it to sound vintage. There is no replacement for a baritone guitar put through a fuzz box. We have things that are more modern now. We triple it actually so it’s a big version of that sound. It’s a catchy little tune with an impenetrable lyric.
Reflect upon your time with Genesis. Were you aware that the music you recorded with the group would still be relevant all these years later?
I don’t think anyone ever thinks that when they’re doing an album in the early days. No one is thinking of a 50-year plan. You are lucky if anything you have done stands the posterity test. I find myself doing stuff in the classical style with the idea that it would ne nice if it survives. I’ve heard melodies I have written played by 20 guitarists all at once, and I’ve seen high school bands playing stuff like “Dance on a Volcano.” All playing in 7/8 with attuned percussion. That joins Beethoven, those bits because they are so different and suited to a symphony orchestra. It’s generally challenging. I happen to think it’s good music too. The enduring appeal is because we call through-composed. At one moment, we were happy that John Lennon said he liked us. Recently, I heard a tape where he said he considered us true sons of the Beatles. That would have been great if we had been able to tweak that back in the day. Media wasn’t always in step. We were gaining larger and larger audiences but it was s slow burn. There were other bands that were meteoric. Not every territory in Europe bought into the myth. We started small with England, and Belgium suddenly took off and Italy. There was a pop singer who did a cover version of White Mountain. It suddenly meant that we arrived and there was some prehistory. That made a big difference. It doesn’t all happen all at once. Nobody had all the answers, and nobody gets all the success all the time. We were lucky to find each other and be sufficiently hard working and idealistic. Nobody told us, “You shouldn’t do it.” the ‘70s were a fertile time. The ’70s were given several albums to develop. The quick era was MTV approved or not. During the ’80s era, albums were filled with hit singles instead of journeys. No more magical mystery. We want another Rumors. Every track is a hit single.
For the current show, you’re playing selections from The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway as well as other Genesis songs and some of your solo material. Talk about what it’s like to mix that material together.
I’ve heard it said that most people who are new to what I do and have no idea. They say they prefer the solo stuff because it’s charted in recent years. I have got that. There’s a new audience and a loyal fanbase that loves the Genesis stuff maybe in all its incarnations or they prefer the Lennon-approved or MTV-approved three-main version that was MTV approved. Five man writing team produced some weird and wonderful work. Pete continued his adventurous stuff and invested more in visuals. I was pressing the need for a light show. I said, “We must have our own synthesizer. We must be state of the art.” You can’t expect people to listen to songs that the average length was 10 minutes and retain their interest. People would wander off to the bar. You have to have something to grab them. “What is this singer wearing? Bat wings. The Day-Glo makeup. Ultraviolet lights.” I’ve been around the block a few times, so no one comes to check out what I’m wearing. We have a flamboyant lead singer. He does a great job with both Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel. He does a convincing Richie Havens too. It works very well. It’s a United Nations of a band.
What is your life expectancy when it comes to touring and recording?
I tell you what. It was [classical guitarist] Andres Segovia, who I’m a huge fan of, who said, “I have a prayer. Lord, I don’t deserve your glory — yet.” He lived until he was 94, same age as [guitarist] Les Paul. Ninety-four is pretty good. We’ll see. I have an aunt, who is 107 years old, and she had a brother who lived to 108. If the family genes get passed down the female line to yours truly here, I have a chance of performing at 100. I’m looking forward to it if I have all my marbles. I won’t have my hair, but I will have I will have a convincing wig. Wheel me out!
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This article appears in Aug 27 – Sep 9, 2025.
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Jeff Niesel
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