100 Concerts / Concert #11

Headline Act: Genesis

Touring Album: Invisible Touch

Opening Act: The Bangles

Date: March 1, 1987

Venue: Orange Bowl, Miami, FL
Ticket price:  $17.75

"Tonight Tonight Tonight", the 1986 single from Genesis, became synonymous with a beer commercial that aired ad nauseum. So which came first, the song or the commercial? I wonder if a TV jingle was turned into a 9-minute album track by an aging band, well past its creative peak. When I think of Genesis' 1987 "Invisible Touch" tour I think of its sponsor, Michelob. The tour and the beer had a lot in common. Both were watered down, flavorless, and unmemorable.

This isn't an indictment on Genesis, a group with a long history and many excellent albums.Along with omnipresent singer/drummer Phil Collins (part-time "Miami Vice" actor and solo video star), the '80s version of the band was composed of keyboardist Tony Banks and bassist/guitarist Mike Rutherford. The non-Collinses were part of the genesis of Genesis, original members way back in '67 ( the year of my birth). Collins became the frontman after founding member Peter Gabriel quit the group in the mid '70s.

1973 Mod Squad: Tony Banks, Peter Gabriel, Mike Rutherford, Steve Hackett, Phil Collins

In their early days, they were an ambitious progressive rock band with beautiful albums such as "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" (1974) and "A Trick Of The Tail" (1976). Their music evolved into the early '80s with a more commercially viable sound while still maintaining interesting arrangements. "Abacab" (1981) is one of my all-time favorite '80s records, thanks to songs like "No Reply At All", "Man On The Corner" and the hypnotic title track. In our early high school years, as we learned how to drink beer on Hollywood beach, "Abacab" was one of those cassettes that we played over and over on our boom boxes.

Thanks to their frequently played MTV videos, the band reached new heights of fame with their eponymous album, "Genesis" (1983). Songs like "Mama", "Illegal Alien" and "Just A Job To Do" were solid standouts, but "That's All" was overly poppy, a little too Phil Collins' easy-listening light-FM-at-the-dentist-office-kind-of-thing. To me, "That's All" was the beginning of the end (the Exodus?) of Genesis. The band had eaten the forbidden fruit of pop mediocrity and decided it was delicious. And profitable.

 

Bangles Babe: The fetching Susanna Hoffs.

Regrettably, I missed their '84 "Mama" tour, so I had to settle for the '87 stadium show in the Orange Bowl, my second and final concert in the old rust bucket. The opening act was The Bangles, fronted by the gorgeous Susanna Hoffs. The group had a huge breakout hit in '86 with "Walk Like An Egyptian". They also scored hits with "Manic Monday" (written by Prince) and "Hazy Shade Of Winter" (Simon & Garfunkel). The "Egyptian" song/video was a guilty-pleasure hit that still pops up on '80s compilations without being too annoying, unlike some other staples of the decade ("Walking On Sunshine" for example). I must admit it was fun to hear tens of thousands of fans sing along to the meaningless chorus: "Way-o, way-o, way-o, way-o. Walk like an Egyptian." An all-female pop band playing their goofy single to a stadium crowd, truly an Eighties moment.

The Bangles recorded a total of four albums before breaking up in 1990. They've since reunited with a pair of albums in  2003 and 2011. Susanna Hoffs has also enjoyed a solo career and together with the talented singer/songwriter Matthew Sweet ("Girlfriend", etc.) she recorded a couple of excellent albums under the pseudonyms Sid & Susie. Their "Under The Cover" Volumes I & II include excellent harmonies and fresh-sounding arrangements of classics by The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Fleetwood Mac, Neil Young and other greats. Susanna Hoffs, sigh.

As for Collins and Co., I enjoyed the show. But if it weren't for my ticket stub, I'm not sure I'd remember it at all. Their musicianship was fine, they played some good songs, but there is just something missing from most stadium concerts. As I mentioned in a previous post (The Police concert in the OB, 1983), stadium shows can be like musical voyeurism. Unless you are sitting in a prime spot, you are more spectator than audience participant. Very few artists make the stadium experience satisfying. Genesis was not one of those.

Along with some friends, we sat in the lower level of the Orange Bowl, in the northeast corner of the stadium, near where the visitors' bench used to be at Dolphins games. "Invisible Touch" was the point in Genesis' career where declining originality and relevance met opportunity to cash in on a large scale. Collins was in the midst of a successful solo career that produced some memorable songs like "In The Air Tonight" and "Against All Odds". There were also several songs that don't hold up so well ("Sussudio", "Easy Lover", etc.). It's a tough task to be a frontman/songwriter for a band and have a successful solo career at the same time. There are only so many good songs to go around. Genesis was running out of them. 

Do you remember "Land Of Confusion" for the song itself or because of the video with the Spitting Image puppets? The legendary actor/comedian W.C. Fields once said “If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit.” Substitute "high-budget music videos with puppetry" for bullshit and you have the state of Genesis in 1987. The group released two more albums, one with Collins ("We Can't Dance", 1991) and one without him in 1997.

In 2010, Genesis was deservedly inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame.Their influence on the rock world was recognized by Trey Anastasio of Phish. In his speech, Anastasio said of Genesis, “Every musical rule and boundary was questioned and broken.” 

The book of Genesis is complete.They had a great run, sold a zillion albums, and created a lot of memorable music. Now, who wants a Michelob?

Unofficial setlist: Mama, Abacab, Domino, That's All, The Brazilian, In The Cage, ...In That Quiet Earth, Afterglow, Land Of Confusion, Tonight Tonight Tonight, Throwing It All Away, Home By The Sea, Second Home By The Sea, Invisible Touch , Drum Duet, Los Endos, Turn It On Again