CULTUURPODIUM DE BOERDERIJ, Zoetermeer

Not too long ago, to be precise just over two years, Steve Hackett did a tour that started at Cultuurpodium De Boerderij if I recall correctly. Because of legal problems the album Out Of Tunnel's Mouth hadn't been released at the time, but still Steve and his band did a marvelous show nonetheless, performing several tracks of that album. He returned to this venue in May 2010 to promote the album properly, this time with the addition of Amanda Lehmann on guitar & vocals. This tour resulted in the double-album Live Rails. Steve sorted out his legal issues, got remarried with Jo Lehmann in June this year and came up with yet another stunning album: Beyond The Shrouded Horizon. To promote this album and to present his new live DVD Fire & Ice, recorded at Shepherds Bush Empire, Steve and his electric band went out to tour Europe again.

This time Nick Beggs couldn't make it to join Steve on stage, because he had other obligations like playing in Steven Wilson's band at the same time. An old friend of Steve's and a well-respected session player stepped in to play the bass, namley Phil Mulford. Cultuurpodium De Boerderij was sold out and there was a truly nice and friendly atmosphere. The sound was near to perfect as usual but from a photographer's point of view, the absence of a pit and the venue being sold out prevented me from roaming around to shoot the best possible pictures. Steve only played his Fernandes Goldtop, but during his solo of course his acoustic guitar. Phil Mulford doesn't play the stick and his stage presentation is 'more common' than the somewhat extravagant outfit and presentation of Nick Beggs.

All the tracks from the new album sounded extraordinary well and some of the nice surprises were The Golden Age Of Steam, from the album Darktown and Walking Away From Rainbows from the album Guitar Noir. The addition of Amanda Lehmann proved to be a very good one, because the renditions of several songs was even better than the show in 2009. The absolute highlight for me this evening was the astonishingly good version of Shadow Of The Hierophant from Steve's debut solo album Voyage Of The Acolyte (1975). At the time Sally Oldfield did a very nice job but Amanda's contribution in my opinion was even better. In spite of the awesome sound I still tend to miss the vintage keyboards and I've heard Gary O'Toole sing slightly better when attempting to perform the Genesis songs. I also had the impression that the sound of Steve's guitar was slightly better in 2009: more sustain and a more 'sweeping sound', particularly obvious in the extra encore on this night's show Spectral Mornings. Nonetheless, in spite of these remarks it was an evening of pure delight, the whole venue responding with the utmost enthusiasm after every song. It must have meant something to Steve Hackett and his band and considering the length of the show of nearly two and a half hours, their reward for the appreciation of the audience must have been this exceptionally long show.

Hackett is still an amazing guitarist with his own style, technique and recognizable sound and he has proven throughout the years that he's still capable of capturing the essence of all of his music as a solo artist as well as the music from Genesis. His current band contains of highly qualified musicians and as long as Steve manages to maintain this level of quality, we haven't seen the last of him yet. Before the show I had the utmost pleasure and the honour to meet this phenomenal guitar player and his charming wife in person and although his reflections will be published in the Interviews section shortly, he told me he is planning to join The Musical Box on stage in Switzerland, so Swiss fans and other fans who live near Zürich, keep your eyes and ears open!

Setlist: Loch Lomond (from Beyond The Shrouded Horizons), The Phoenix Flown (from Beyond The Shrouded Horizons), Prairie Angels (from Beyond The Shrouded Horizons), A Place Called Freedom (from Beyond The Shrouded Horizons), The Golden Age Of Steam (from Darktown), Fire On The Moon (from Out Of The Tunnel's Mouth) , Every Day (from Spectral Mornings), Waking To Life (from Beyond The Shrouded Horizons), The Carpet Crawlers (from Genesis' The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway), Firth of Fifth (from Genesis' Selling England By The Pound), Serpentine Song (from To Watch The Storms), Shadow Of The Hierophant (from Voyage Of The Acolyte) ,Enter The Night (from Beyond The Shrouded Horizons, the special edition CD2), Walking Away From Rainbows (from Guitar Noir), Blood On The Rooftops (from Genesis' Wind And Wuthering, Fly On A Windshield (from Genesis' The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway), Sleepers (from Out Of The Tunnel's Mouth).

Encores: Los Endos (from Genesis'  A Trick Of The Tail), Watcher Of The Skies (from Genesis' Foxtrot).

Extra encore: Spectral Mornings (from Spectral Mornings).