When I took my seat in the stunning Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow, Scotland’s music capital, I thought I knew what to expect. However no level of researching or listening to his songs could have brought you anywhere near the immersive experience that Steve Hackett and his live band provided. From start to finish, Hackett had the Scottish crowd enamoured with catchy guitar hooks and precise playing.
In the first half of his set, Hackett introduced the audience to some of his solo work outside of bands and other projects. The most recent of these was his 2024 album, “The Circus and the Nightwhale“. This included tracks like ‘Circo Inferno‘ and ‘People of the Smoke‘. Not only was the latter the opening track of the 2024 release, but also the opening song of this set. Having listened to the album several times since its release, it was phenomenal to see an artist of Hackett’s calibre be met with applaud and repeated standing ovations for material he has released outwith his most well known projects.
After a short interval, the Glasgow crowd took to their seats once more as Hackett and his live band returned for more. This time, the set consisted of re-worked and re-imagined Genesis tracks, much to the delight of many who were sat in the venue. Hearing tracks such as ‘Lamb Lies Down on Broadway‘, ‘Lilywhite Lilith‘ and ‘Dancing With the Moonlit Knight‘ in this way was incredible. It provided a whole new and powerful perspective on songs that many of the audience will have grown up listening to.
Throughout both sets, everybody on the stage was given their own time to shine. While many were there to witness Steve Hackett‘s intricate style, and tremendous techniques, Hackett allowed each member of his band to have their own individual limelight incorporated into the setlist. Amanda Lehmann took centre stage in a twist from backing vocals to provide a haunting rendition of one track, while supporting Hackett with gritty guitar playing on other songs. Craig Blundell stunned the audience with a very lengthy drum solo that made your arms hurt just by watching. Nad Sylvan provided vibrant vocals for most of the songs, accompanying the most intricate of solos and guitar work from Hackett.
Also leaving the crowd in awe was Jona Reingold who switched between bass guitar and the twelvestring. He played a long and immersive bass solo, allowing everyone to witness a completely unique way of playing the bass that I’d personally never seen before. Roger King was rewarded with loud applaud and cheering for solos, song introductions and outros on keyboards that often added atmospheric, and sometimes comedic, effects to tracks. Rob Townsend was someone you couldn’t look away from. Every time you glanced towards him, he was playing a different instrument. One minute he’s adding momentum and an eclectic environment with percussion, the next he was playing striking sax solos that left even Steve Hackett shaking his head in disbelief.
You rarely see lifelong talent like this, and being able to watch it was such a treat. A musical legend like Hackett would have every right to hog the wealth of attention that his drive and determination has so rightly rewarded him with. However, it was so inspiring to watch him let other talented musicians share their expertise too.
Steve Hackett’s live show in Glasgow was one I was almost disappointed to leave. From stellar solos to an orchestra of sound, these components provided a somewhat operatic overhaul of emotions. In particular, watching Steve Hackett bring seemingly effortlessly bring each hook and riff to life was methodically mesmerising. He absolutely deserved the full standing ovation at the very end, I watched him take it all in, glancing round to see every person out of their seat.
