STEVE HACKETT - This is the supper of the mighty one

25. June 2015

Steve Hackett

STEVE HACKETT - This is the supper of the mighty one

Not many know it yet, but there is a beautiful live recording for band and orchestra of Genesis' epic "Supper's Ready". Recorded and filmed in January in Iceland, the result is stunning. The band is called Todmobile, an award-winning prog band, founded in the late 80s in Reykjavik. The orchestra is the Northern Symphony Orchestra. Guest star: Steve Hackett! I've never been to Iceland before, and when Steve visited me in Los Angeles last December and told me that he was going to play some concerts with a local prog band there, I was fascinated and amazed.

"The whole thing will take place in mid-January," Steve told me. "I won't take my own band, I'll play as a guest." And he quickly added: "I love playing with musicians from different countries and cultures." Although I was curious, I also thought: "Who the hell is going to Iceland in mid-January, when the sun comes out there for only a few hours and it's always snowing? I wish Steve all the best. During the holidays, I got an e-mail from a friend in Boston. Jack Beerman is a Harvard professor and a huge Genesis fan. "I'll see Steve in Reykjavik," he wrote.

"He plays with Todmobile and a seventy-piece orchestra. They're performing Supper's Ready. You must come with me, Armando!" After a short research I found out that Todmobile is the Icelandic band that recorded a live recording of the masterful Yes piece "Awaken" with Jon Anderson and the Icelandic symphony orchestra plus choir. I called Steve in early January and he confirmed: "Yes, it's the same orchestra that worked with Jon, and Todmobile are the same band. They asked me if I wanted to do Supper's Ready with them. I really like what they did to Jon. This is gonna be fun. Will you be there?" I booked my flight the same day.

Jack was happy and informed me that Volker from Germany would also come with me. Volker Warncke is another huge Genesis fan [his impressions of Hackett's Islandtrip can be found on the homepage of the German Genesis fanclub "it"]. We met at the airport of Reykjavik and went straight to the Harpa Concert Hall, where Steve rehearsed for two days with Todmobile and the orchestra...

Lesen Sie mehr im eclipsed Nr. 172 (Juli/August 2015).