Forthcoming radio slots

In the run-up to the tour rehearsals, the band will be appearing in interviews on several radio stations in the coming weeks. All times are BST (British Summer Time).

• Tony and Mike will be talking to David "Kid" Jensen on his Capital Radio Gold show tomorrow (31st) between 9.00am and 12pm.
• Mike Sweeney's Rock Show Special will air between 10.00pm and 1.00am on Good Friday (April 6th), and a regular feature on the band will run for 15 more weeks on this show thereafter.
• April 9th (Easter Monday) will see interviews on Real & Century Radio 1.00-2.00pm, and Rock Radio 96.3 on the Willie Docherty show between 6.00 and 7.00pm.
• DJ Leona Graham will have a feature on either Virgin Radio or Virgin Classic Rock on April 20th between 6.00 and 7.00pm with a repeat 2 days later (April 22nd).
• Tony will feature on BBC Radio 2's feature, Tracks of our Years week beginning April 30th.
• Capital Gold will have a feature on their Planet Rock segment. Details TBA.

More details when we get them.

Radio 2 interview: no surprising insights

The band's interview with BBC Radio 2 DJ, Mark Radcliffe is over. Nothing surprising was mentioned in the 2 pre-recorded interviews (1 with Phil in Holland yesterday and the other with Mike and Tony taped earlier today). They touched on the Genesis of the reunion, tour dates (with a open possibility to maybe play the rest of the world at a later time), sponsorship, rehearsal, setlist and the album reissues. Aside from his involvement with the Tarzan Musical in Holland, Phil also commented that there were 2 possibles for the show's opening song, as well saying that Abacab will not be in the set. He also mentioned that each night will be recorded with a possibility to releasing them on CD, as per the Encore Series.

If you missed the broadcast, you can listen to them here. They were taken from the live internet stream:

Part 1 - stream | download

Part 2 - stream | download

Part 3 - stream | download

Part 4 - stream | download (apologies but a few seconds are missing from this file. The "pause" button is to blame!!)

New date added!

The band's official website has just confirmed that they will play the Scotiabank Place (formerly the Corel Centre) in Ottawa, Ontario on September 15th.

Ticket details when we have them.

Also, Ticketmaster will selling allocations for the VH1 Rock Honors show on May 12th at which the band will be appearing. Prices range from $80.75 to $185.75 and will go on sale this Friday, March 30th at 12pm PT here.

Radio 2

A heads-up as the band are to be interviewed on the Mark Radcliffe show on BBC Radio 2 this coming Wednesday (28th), between 10.30pm (GMT) and midnight.

Box set website

EMI Records has just launched a micro-site to promote the upcoming 1976-82 Box Set of 5.1 releases.

http://www.genesis-box.com/

Ruthers in Scotland

Mike made a brief appearance on BBC Radio Scotland's MacAuley and Co programme yesterday morning.

During the 10 minute interview he touched on the tour, tickets and the new Genesis website.

You can listen to the interview here, for another week.

Los Angeles/Detroit sale dates

The shows at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit on September 30th and The Hollywood Bowl in L.A. on October 12th finally go on sale through Ticketmaster on March 26th (10am ET) and April 1st (10am PT) respectively.

VH1 Rock Honors - Tickets

As already announced, Genesis will be honored by VH1 on May 12th at the Mandalay Bay casino resort, and the event will taped for an airing on May 24th on VH1. An official announcement has not been made as to whether the band will be appearing, although Stuermer did mention it during a radio interview recently.

It is possible to attend this event. Ticket prices start at $125 (for after-show party only) to $750 (show, VIP gift bag and after-show party). They are also offering packages ranging from $1000 to $25,000. Proceeds from these tickets will benefiting VH1's Save The Music Foundation.

You can download an application here. (4Mb PDF)

Please note that band have not made any announcement about their appearance, and it possible that they may not attend.

A New Beginning

This article appeared on US magazine, Entertainment Weekly's website last week and will published in it's March 23rd edition of the magazine.

Genesis say they aren't reuniting for the money. So is it the women or the drugs that led the pop-prog-rock trio — keyboardist Tony Banks, 55, drummer-turned-singer Phil Collins, 56, and guitarist Mike Rutherford, 56 — to hit the road this fall? ''We're still waiting for the women!'' laughs Banks, every inch the proper Englishman. ''It's for the pleasure of the music — sounds corny, doesn't it?'' Since forming in 1966, Genesis have sold an astonishing 130 million albums. By far, the bulk of those sales occurred during the lengthy frontman tenure of Collins, who replaced Peter Gabriel on vocals in 1976. 1986's Invisible Touch alone moved 6 million, and its title track was a No. 1 hit. Collins, who left the band in the mid-'90s after establishing his solo career, admits he's had trouble remembering some lyrics at rehearsals for the upcoming tour. ''I had a problem with the song 'Domino' [from Invisible Touch],'' he recalls. ''How to count it in was the first problem. Then I had no idea what I was going to sing. But it comes back.'' The original plan was to re-form the early Peter Gabriel-fronted lineup and perform Genesis' 1974 concept album, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. Collins says that at a November 2004 meeting, Gabriel promised to think about it and let them know before Christmas. They're still awaiting his reply. Smirks Collins, ''We foolishly assumed he meant that Christmas.''

Possible Tour Changes/Additions

I have the following information given to me by a reliable source, of the following changes that will possibly be made to the North American tour.

• Tickets for the New Jersey show at Giants Stadium are not selling as well expected and Management are considering moving the show to Madison Square Garden in New York City.
• The original plan for Montreal was supposed to have been 3 nights at the Bell Centre on the recommendation of Phil Collins who said the sound there was amazing. A second show in Montreal was offered for September 15th at the Bell Centre, but because of legal implications between Molson Beer Co, who own the Bell Centre, and Budweiser who are presenting the NA tour, a show on the 15th is scheduled to be played at the Scotiabank Place (formerly the Corel Centre) in Ottawa, Ontario.
• Washington, DC may get a second night on September 24th.

Montreal Show coverage

The gig in Montreal at the Olympic Stadium on September 14th apparently is nearly sold out, and there are rumors that a second date has been penciled in for the next day (15th).

Coverage of the show itself will benefit subscribers to Videotron Ltd. (a cable company offering high speed internet, cable tv, and wireless phone services and who are one of the joint promoters of the show) will be able to view the 1st 2 songs that the band play live on their TV screens. They will also be running some contests in the near future to win tickets and a chances to go backstage.

Read the full Press Release here. (PDF)

Chicago - 2nd show added

As per the Philadelphia show, the band will play a 2nd night at the United Center on October 3rd. Tickets are already on sale @ Ticketmaster here.

Philadephia - 2nd show added

For some reason at the moment, Ticketmaster.com is saying that tickets for the Philadelphia show on September 18th are not currently on sale. However, you can still purchase tickets for the show through the venue via ComcastTix here, or buy calling 1-800-298-4200.

Also, the Wachovia Center has made an announcement today that a 2nd show has been added for September 19th, due to popular demand citing that tickets for the 18th sold out immediately after going on sale to the public this morning. However you can still purchase tickets at all price levels - $57, $77, $127 & $227. Tickets for the new show will be going on sale next Saturday, March 17th @ 10am ET, also through ComcastTix. Presumably Ticketmaster are no longer the official vendor for these shows now.

Ticket sale dates

Here is a list of dates and times for tickets that will be going on sale to the 'general public' in the forthcoming days.

March 10th @ 10am ET
Montreal
Philadelphia

March 12th @ 10am ET
Boston
Hartford
East Rutherford
Chicago
Toronto

March 16th @ 10am ET
Columbus
Cleveland
Washington DC

March 18th @ 10am PT
San Jose

Ticketmaster

A warning from Ultrastar

From the staff @ Ultrastar.

So we've noticed a lot of discussion about the tickets that are for sale on various ticket broker sights [sites].  We have another name for ticket brokers: we call them scalpers.  These guys claim to be selling great seat locations for concerts, but in reality do not have the tickets they promise.  Try calling one or two, and don't be surprised when the 'awesome 3rd row ticket!' turns out to be the third row of section 604.

In America this practice is hardly regulated, and in many States is perfectly legal.  Unfortunately, when this misleading information begins to appear on various broker sites (read: tout) it can seem extremely unfair to the honest fans that just want a fair shot at good seats to see their favorite band.

Don't be fooled by these scalpers, who just want to parley not-so-awesome seats into a pocket full of cash.

"Welcome to New York"

Bill MacCormick, who was the Official Site Webmaster before Ultrastar took over the reins, posted this from Tony Smith on the messageboards.

I just spoke to Tony Smith in NY.  'We've been mugged, welcome to New York', were his words.

The virus that attacked Ultrastar's computers, triggered at 9.59 am ET yesterday, was a concerted attempt by a ticket scalper, frankly a crook, to hijack the pre-sale.  It took over 8 hours for Ultrastar's technicians to get the system back on line such was the severity of the attack.  They have never been attacked in this way before which is one of the reasons it took them so long to get back on-line.

Apparently Ticketmaster was the targets of similar attacks a few years ago but they've not seen anything like this since.  Ticketmaster are, however, helping Ultrastar so that they can ensure similar problems do not occur again.

Tony asked me to assure fan clubs members that tickets for their pre-sale have been ring-fenced for every concert and there should be more than enough to satisfy demand.

Exclusive Video

There is a new short clip now available on the Official Site. It's a video of the band in an interview either pre-conference or post-conference answering a couple of questions posted on the Official Messageboards.

You will need either Windows Media Player or RealPlayer plugins to view.

Site back up but presale to start again 03/09

Well after today's commotion with the presale tickets and the lack there of, it's time for reflection and start all over again tomorrow morning for most people.

I won't go into the sordid details. It's already been covered 'to death' elsewhere, but here is a link to all of the updates that the staff @ genesis-music.com did issue today.

Also, I won't be providing anymore updates that appear on the Official Site no more. I've added an RSS feed in the left column, and all new articles from the site will be listed there.

Daryl radio podcast

Further to this morning's interview and subsequent post, WKLH radio has now uploaded the interview onto their website in 2 parts.

Rubbin' Elbows - Listen | Download

Trumpeteer - Listen | Download

Official site problems

12.36pm (CST) Update
Managed to find this on a fan forum since the Official Site is down and so is the old forum where fans have been get asked to get updates for now.

Our site was hit with an automated ticket broker script that was programmed to start at 9:59amET. Our security rebuffed the attack, and the script just kept coming at us. Ultimately, we simply had to shut down the site. We know the extent of the damage as far as early codes going out, it’s approximately 40 codes across 5 venues. We see that some tickets are already up on eBay and other broker sites. Any tickets from those 40 codes that are up on any broker sites will be canceled. The damage is limited. Please note that brokers are also selling presale access codes. We will be shutting down all of that, and canceling memberships of anyone who is selling either tickets, or presale codes.

At the moment, we are working to make sure the site is stable enough to bring back online. We need to make sure that we give everyone a fair chance at getting presale codes, so we are going to try to hold the presales later today, at approximately 3pm.

We are very aware that so many of you have made special arrangements to be near a computer, some of you even paying for internet time at the local cyber cafe.

We are looking at every possible other solution, and I’ll keep you posted here

For those of you attempting to take advantage of the presales and are unable to access the site, don't worry.

we are experiencing very heavy traffic at the moment, please check back. The presale is on hold and no codes are currently being distributed.

Stuermer on his local radio station again

Daryl seems to a regular guest on Milwaukee radio station, WKLH 96.5 as he appeared on the Dave and Carole Show this morning. And yours truly had some questions asked on air!!

Obviously the main topic of conversation was yesterday's Press Conference of the NA leg. I'll summarize the relevant points:

• Obviously the issue of only 13 dates was mentioned and Daryl didn't know any new ones, but thought they could have the option to add extra shows in Chicago and Philadelphia. But also, they could add extra dates in October.
• Production will be 2 stage setups with 2 crews during this tour as he mentioned this will the "Biggest Stage Ever" that Genesis has used. Also said something about "90ft screens".
• Switzerland will be the location for the rehearsals which are due to start on April 22nd lasting for 2 and a half weeks. Production rehearsals will follow lasting the same length of time. The band will also spend 4 days of rehearsals in Toronto prior to the first show on September 7th.
• Daryl and Mike have had some e-mail exchange recently and Mike told him about a couple of other surprise songs that weren't originally rehearsed in October of last year. 22 songs still remain on "the list".
• VH1 Rock Honors: Daryl said he has been contacted by Genesis Management and asked if he was free on May 12th. He believes the show "is a go" and will happen. And they have been asked to perform 3 songs.
• Also confirmed that fellow band mate, Chester Thompson indeed was on TV last night with his wife, on the US Fox show, “American Idol”, supporting contestant, Melinda Doolittle.

Some other key quotes from Daryl during the interview;

"Could be the last tour", "Biggest tour of the summer".

Daryl's 9th album, "Go" is being released on April 23th, on InsideOut Music, his new German label.

VH1 Rock Honors

VH1 ROCKS SIN CITY!

"VH1 ROCK HONORS" RETURNS TO LAS VEGAS AND WILL PAY TRIBUTE TO GENESIS, HEART, OZZY OSBOURNE AND ZZ TOP PREMIERING THURSDAY, MAY 24 AT 9:00 PM*

The Second Annual Event Will Feature Tributes To Rock Music's Elite

From The Mandalay Bay Events Center In Las Vegas
NEW YORK, NY, March 8, 2007 - VH1 pays homage to the legends who influenced the sound of rock with the second annual "VH1 Rock Honors." This year's celebration will honor the music and influence of Genesis, Heart, Ozzy Osbourne and ZZ Top. Additional performers, presenters, and special guests will be announced as they are confirmed.

Premiering on Thursday, May 24 at 9:00 PM*, "VH1 Rock Honors," will be taped at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas on Saturday, May 12. The 2 - hour tribute will salute the groundbreaking bands of rock, the once in a lifetime events and the influential people who made a lasting mark on the history of rock.
The influence of these honorees will be felt through spoken tributes, filmed packages and performances by some of today's hottest rock acts as well as the legends themselves.

Last year, VH1's inaugural show honored KISS, Queen, Def Leppard and Judas Priest and was hosted by Jaime Pressly with tribute performances by Foo Fighters, Godsmack, The All-American Rejects, Paul Rodgers, Tommy Lee, Slash, Scott Ian, Gilby Clarke, Rob Zombie and surprise guest Ace Frehley. Making special appearances were Kiefer Sutherland, Gina Gershon, Jaime Kennedy, Natasha Henstridge, Brittany Snow, Jim Breuer and Penn Jillette.

If the show format is the same as last year, then a well known band will cover one tune, and then the inducting band will perform a few songs. The show will be taped on May 12th and aired May 24 on VH1.

Ticket Pages

Here are some links to sites listing and/or selling tickets for the NA tour.

Live Nation and

Ticketmaster

Press Conference media coverage

Here are just a few links to articles covering the announcement of the NA tour dates:

Billboard

Rolling Stone

ABC News

Starpulse.com

cbc.ca

Live Daily

NME

Reuters

And here are some photo's:

Rex Features

Getty Images

North America: The Dates

With the NY Press conference/live Webcast now over, here are the current 13 dates and venues where they will be playing:

• Sep 07, 2007 Toronto ON CA BMO Field
• Sep 11, 2007 Boston MA US TD Banknorth Garden
• Sep 14, 2007 Montreal QC CA Olympic Stadium
• Sep 16, 2007 Hartford CT US Hartford Civic Center
• Sep 18, 2007 Philadelphia PA US Wachovia Center
• Sep 22, 2007 Columbus OH US Nationwide Arena
• Sep 23, 2007 Washington DC US Verizon Center
• Sep 27, 2007 East Rutherford NJ US Giants Stadium
• Sep 29, 2007 Cleveland OH US Quicken Loans Arena
• Sep 30, 2007 Detroit MI US Palace of Auburn Hills
• Oct 02, 2007 Chicago IL US United Center
• Oct 09, 2007 San Jose CA US HP Pavilion
• Oct 12, 2007 Los Angeles CA US Hollywood Bowl

Click here for detailed information on ticket sales.

There are gaps in between dates, so additional cities maybe added at a later date (Collins did mention in the press conference there would be 20). This leg of the tour does not have any corporate sponsorship, but is being handled by Canadian company, Concert Productions International.

As for the conference, no new relevant information about the tour popped up during the Q&A session. The setup was fraught with microphone problems which made it hard to hear questions being asked.

More dates filtering through

A couple of more venues and dates have been spotted on the net. First is on Ticketmaster.com of all places, jumping the gun a little prior to tomorrow's press conference.

Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH on Saturday September 29th. According to the site, tickets will be priced between $57 and $202 and general sale will start March 16th at 10am EST.

The second was found on a ticket broker site and it lists the band playing in Boston on Tuesday September 11th at the TD Banknorth Garden arena. However, please ignore the prices on this site.

So to sum up what we've got in the last few days, although unconfirmed officially:

• 09/11 - TD Banknorth Garden, Boston MA
• 09/14 - Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Canada
• 09/18 - Wachovia Center, Philadelphia PA
• 09/29 - Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland OH

Only 13 cities??

This posted this morning on the PR Newswire website:

Tony Banks, Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford of the band Genesis will unveil the dates for their first N. American tour in 15 years at a live, online press conference to be held in NYC on Wednesday, March 7th at 11 a.m. ET. The press conference stream can be seen at http://www.genesis-music.com.

The band will trek through Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Germany, France, Holland, UK, Monte Carlo and Italy before heading to 13 different cities across N. America.

The trio will be joined on stage by long-time Genesis sidemen, Chester Thompson on drums and Daryl Stuermer on guitar. Two of the world's greatest show technicians, award-winning lighting designer Patrick Woodroffe and acclaimed set designer Mark Fisher are working on plans for what promises to be one of the most impressive stage shows to tour this year.

The elite British band has achieved global success with over 130 million albums sold. Formed in 1966 by Tony Banks, Peter Gabriel, Mike Rutherford and Anthony Phillips, while still at school, the most successful incarnation was the late 70's early 80's line-up of Phil Collins taking on lead vocals and sharing song writing, with Rutherford and Banks. The Duke album topped the UK charts in 1980 with the hit single, Turn It On Again monopolising the airwaves. In 1987, Genesis played sold out stadium shows across the globe, including four consecutive Wembley Stadiums.

Another unconfirmed date and venue

Just got this in from a discussion on the (current) Genesis Forum. It appears that Genesis are to play the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia on Tuesday, September 18th.

From a fax notification received, it appears that prices listed ($137.50 and $237.50) for the club boxes are aimed at corporate sponsors and are not a reflection of what ticket prices will be for general seating.

All Change Part 2

In an effort to redirect visitors to the main site, I programmed this blog to automatically direct you after 5 seconds (enough time to read this post!). However this web address will still continue to be updated concurrently and will only be used if there is problems with the main site due to server overload or technical difficulties.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Official site update

Part of the new website, designed by Ultrastar, has already been uploaded to the existing site address. Currently there is a just a main page, with the opportunity to purchase the $35 Premium Membership (which yours truly has already done). If you are an existing member of the Genesis Forum, then you should have/will be receiving an email with details on how to sign up with free activation to site. The full site will be available before the Press Conference this coming Wednesday (7th).

http://www.genesis-music.com

NA Tour to include Montreal on September 15th???

A couple of local Montreal Radio stations have suggested recently that Genesis will be making a stop in Montreal on September 15th to be staged at the Olympic Stadium (Big Owe).

However a news article written in the La Presse newspaper say the show is going to take place on the 14th.

If this information turns out to be true, then it would suggest that the band would either be playing at stadiums on the North American leg or a mixture of arenas/stadiums. It will also mean that Genesis will be the first band to play at this venue since U2 back in 1997. All will be revealed on March 7th.

You can view an English translation of the La Press report here.

On another note, Rolling Stone magazine has reported that the band have been confirmed to appear at Al Gore's Live Earth 24 concert event on July 7th. Genesis are appearing in Manchester on that day, and the only feasible way they could be included in this global concert is via a satellite link-up.