After growing up in the “smoke of London,” guitarist Steve Hackett “absolutely loves Arizona.”
“I remember years ago, doing a tour — and this was decades ago — I went to Arizona, and I wasn’t sick,” said Hackett, who formerly played with Genesis. “It wasn’t until I went to Arizona that I felt really well. It transformed me. Suddenly I could breathe again. For people who grew up in the smoke of London, as I did when I was a kid, it was just wonderful to breathe oxygen-rich air.”
He’ll return to the Grand Canyon State for the “Foxtrot at Fifty + Hackett Highlights” gigs at the Rialto in Tucson on Friday, April 12, and Phoenix’s Celebrity Theatre on Saturday, April 13.
Hackett’s shows are in two halves. He’ll play his solo material to start, and then, after a 20-minute intermission, the Genesis lead guitarist will revisit songs from the band’s 1972 album, “Foxtrot.”
“I have, what I consider, the world’s best band,” Hackett said. “They’re fabulous players and singers. My latest album, ‘The Circus and the Nightwhale’ has gone ballistic in the U.K. and German charts. It went to the top of the rock and metal charts. We’ll play three tunes from that straight off.
“After the 20-minute break, I’ll play the whole of the 1972 Genesis album, ‘Foxtrot.’ The second half is like the museum doors have flown wide open for the sonic exhibits of yesteryear.”
Hackett explained this is his favorite era of Genesis, when it was fronted by Peter Gabriel, around 1972 to 1973. The band received a stamp of approval from a peer.
“That was the classic period when John Lennon gave an interview and thought Genesis were the true sons of the Beatles,” he said.
“That was the kindest thing that any Beatle has ever said about the band. At the time, we were a five-piece with Peter Gabriel as a lead singer. We were all writing — Phil Collins, Tony (Banks), Mike (Rutherford) and Peter Gabriel. As a five-man writing team, you can produce exceptional work.”
In 1974, Genesis started to make inroads into America with its album “Selling England by the Pound,” he said. However, Hackett explained, American audiences wanted to “boogie” more than they wanted to purposefully listen to music. A year later, Collins took over vocal duties.
New album
Hackett said “The Circus and the Nightwhale” is a rite-of-passage concept album with a young character called Travla at the center of it. The 13 tracks are autobiographical.
“The latest album I’ve done, it’s conceptual and driven by narrative,” he said. “It’s a story and it’s somewhat biographical. It starts in 1950 with actual music and sounds from the year I was born. It’s a soundscape before the band arrives. It goes through various noises and a string orchestra.
“The album starts before rock ‘n’ roll, and the style of music that closes the album is rock and pop. It’s basically autobiographical and metaphorical. It seems to have gone down so well with fans on both sides of the pond.”
This is Hackett’s first new music in more than two years. Recorded between tours in 2022 and 2023 at Siren studio in the United Kingdom, the album features a stellar lineup of musicians. They include Roger King (keyboards, programming and orchestral arrangements), Rob Townsend (sax), Jonas Reingold (bass), Nad Sylvan (vocals), Craig Blundell (drums) and Amanda Lehmann on vocals. Nick D’Virgilio and Hugo Degenhardt return as guests on the drumstool, engineer Benedict Fenner appears on keyboards and Malik Mansurov is back with the tar. Finally, Hackett’s brother, John, plays flute once again.
“This is very different to my first solo album,” he said. “Half the guys in Genesis were helping me out on it. My rhythm section was Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins. The second album, ‘Please Don’t Touch!,’ was more challenging.
“I’ve been lucky to have had some incredible experiences with other musicians, many of whom have been at least my equal and have given me so much more.”
His music is a collage of sorts, as he takes a pan-genre approach to songs with his second album, “Please Don’t Touch!” The collection features guest artists like singers Randy Crawford, Richie Havens and Steve Walsh; drummers Phil Ehart and Chester Thompson; and bassist Tom Fowler, with Van der Graaf Generator violinist Graham Smith.
“I love all kinds of music,” he said. “I was influenced by some CBS albums made in the late-1960s, ‘The Rock Machine’ and ‘The Rock Machine Loves You.’ They had music by Simon & Garfunkel, the Zombies, some British, some American, altogether.
“My friends and I loved these albums. Put on one of these and they’re perfect for the party. I wondered if I could make an album like this and do music where each song was a different style and a completely different team. That’s what ‘Please Don’t Touch!’ meant to me.”
When Hackett left Genesis in 1977 — having been with the group throughout the 1970s — he knew straight away he wanted to work with American Black musicians. He called it a “groundbreaking team.”
When Genesis debuted in the United States, it performed on bills with Havens serving as headlines.
“As Genesis gained prominence by 1977, we were looking for a support act at Earl’s Court, which seats about 18,000,” he said.
“We did three nights with Richie as our support. We became firm friends. I got to spend time with him. My mother was living with me at that time. She just separated from my father. She was very impressed. Here’s this guy on stage at Woodstock one minute, and the next minute he’s helping her with the washing up. She was very taken with him.
“He charmed her, and he was a wonderful guy to work with. He’s probably the greatest singer I’ve ever worked with.”
Long and winding road
Hackett was born in London, while his Genesis bandmates grew up in the countryside. One thing they had in common was their love of Jimmy Webb and classical music. Hackett said Genesis was “a melting pot for what was to come” for him, musically.
“The latest album is my 30th album,” he said. “I seem to have made more albums than anyone I know. I am still crazy about music. I love recording it. I love writing it. I love touring it. I feel I’ve been lucky to have been able to do that for the whole of my professional life. It’s an absolute privilege to make a living this way.”
Steve Hackett
WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday, April 12
WHERE: Rialto Theatre, 218 E. Congress Street, Tucson
COST: Tickets start at $39
INFO: www.rialtotheatre.com
