Genesis was created in 1967 by two rival bands who met at Charterhouse, a prestigious boarding school located in southeast England. They ended Saturday night at London’s O2 Arena at the final date of the group’s Last Domino reunion tour.
“Tonight is a very special night,”Collins addressed the crowd early in evening. “It’s the last stop of our tour. And it’s the last show for Genesis… After tonight we’ve all got to get real jobs.”
They did not announce the reunion in 2019, so there was some confusion about it being their last tour. They even called it “The Last Domino?”Collins was able to give the band some breathing room but he made it clear that he would not be continuing with the band after the London show. They removed the question mark in the name of this tour and renamed it as “The Last Domino!”
Many Genesis fans traveled from around the globe to London to see them close out their show. It was an emotional evening. However, the setlist was exactly the same as any other show. It’s a mixtures of radio hits like “Invisible Touch”And “That’s All”You can also enjoy lesser-known tracks like “Duchess”And “Home by The Sea”Some prog-era classics, like “I Know What I Like”And “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.”Below, you can see fan-shot footage of the grand finale. “Dancing With the Moonlight Knight”And “Carpet Crawlers.”
Phil Collins suffers from severe physical disabilities that make it difficult for him to stand for long periods of time. However, he was able to take a bow alongside the entire tour band. The extra musicians were allowed to stand aside at the end so that core members Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford could give a final bow. Collins was last to go, slowly moving with a cane up the stairs.
The two last songs were from the Peter Gabriel era, with Gabriel himself in the audience. Here’s a backstage photo of Collins, Gabriel, and their early Seventies road manager Richard McPhail. Gabriel is wearing a laminate, which gives him his distinctive look. “AAA”Access to the arena Unfortunately, he didn’t use it to wander onstage and join the band for the final two songs. It’s not very surprising since Gabriel hasn’t sang a complete Genesis song in public since 1983. He probably wanted them to enjoy this moment by themselves.
From tonight’s final #GenesisShow in London (from left to right) #PeterGabriel, #PhilCollinsRichard McPhail (long-time friend, and tour manager in the ‘70s). If you’ve not read Richard’s book on Genesis, you should. @genesis_band @itspetergabriel @PhilCollinsFeed pic.twitter.com/Zsmo0WMGr1
— World of Genesis (@WorldofGenesis) March 27, 2022
Fans who are devoted to Gabriel and Steve Hackett will not stop dreaming of a reunion tour. The fantasy is that they’d do it with Nicholas Collins subbing in for his father on the drums, much like he did on this tour. However, it is still a remote possibility. It’s very possible that the O2 Arena show was indeed their Last Waltz. It’s a sad day, but at least Gabriel was in the audience to see the end of the band he helped start all those years ago.