STEVE HACKETT : THE LAMB STANDS UP LIVE AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL

STEVE HACKETT : THE LAMB STANDS UP LIVE AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL

Disc One (69:02)

People Of The Smoke
Circo Inferno
These Passing Clouds
The Devil’s Cathedral
Every Day
Hands Of The Priestess
A Tower Struck Down
Low Notes And High Hopes
Camino Royale
Shadow Of The Hierophant
The Cinema Show
Aisle Of Plenty

Disc Two (77:32)

The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
Fly On A Windshield
Broadway Melody Of 1974
Hairless Heart
Carpet Crawlers
The Chamber Of 32 Doors
Lilywhite Lilith
The Lamia
It
Dancing With The Moonlit Knight
Firth Of Fifth
Los Endos

Label : Inside Out Music

Venue : The Royal Albert Hall, London, UK

Recording Date : October 23, 2024

Release Date : July 11, 2025

Review (ProgWereld) : Het procédé is inmiddels genoegzaam bekend. Steve Hackett toert een deel van de wereld over met een oude lp van Genesis onder zijn arm en daar brengt hij dan een liveregistratie van uit. Met zijn tour met “The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway” – vijftig jaar oud inmiddels – is dat niet anders. Van de show in de Royal Albert Hall in Londen in oktober 2024 zijn opnamen gemaakt en die verschijnen nu onder de titel “The Lamb Stands Up Live At The Royal Albert Hall” op de markt. Zijn vaste, uitstekende begeleidingsband was uiteraard present en daarnaast waren enkele gasten te verwelkomen. Ik stel ze later even voor. Eerst speelde Hackett wat nieuw en oud eigen werk, waarna een selectie van nummers van “The Lamb” volgde. De toegift laat zich al bijna raden. De setlist wijkt een klein beetje af van die tijdens het concert in Tivoli Vredenburg, in juli 2024. Voor een groot deel kan ik dan ook naar dit concertverslag verwijzen, want ja, de concerten van Hackett blinken uit in degelijkheid en consistentie. Het in Utrecht gespeelde Spectral Mornings is vervangen door het gevoelige Hands of the Priestess, met fraai fluitspel van broer John Hackett, gevolgd door A Tower Struck Down. Tijdens het slot mag bassist Jonas Reingold even het nummer naar het einde bassen. Hij gaat door in Low Notes And High Hopes, een langgerekte bassolo (hou toch eens op!). Shadow Of The Hierophant krijgt zijn volledige uitvoering, dus met de zang van Amanda Lehmann. Het blijft een schitterend nummer. Tijdens Fly On A Windshield verschijnt Steve Rothery (Marillion) ten tonele. De twee Steve’s rekken dit korte nummer op tot acht minuten in een hogeschool gitaarduet. Twee van die grootheden op één podium is om je vingers bij af te likken. Carpet Crawlers krijgt een vocale invulling door Ray Wilson (ex-Genesis). Ik ben zelf geen groot fan van “The Lamb”, maar op deze manier een aantal hoogtepunten achter elkaar voorgeschoteld krijgen, is toch echt geen straf. Dance On A Vulcano van de set uit Utrecht is vervangen door Dancing With The Moonlit Knight, waardoor het eind van het concert een hoog “Selling England by the Pound”- gehalte heeft. De onvermijdelijke drumsolo van Graig Blundell aan het begin van de finale Los Endos duurt 5.30 minuten. Ach… Een mini-stukje Dance on a Vulcano is in dit nummer verwerkt. We hebben dan Firth Of Fifth al gehad, een zekerheidje. Onvoorstelbaar dat hij dit iconische nummer – met dé solo – al een slordige 850 keer gespeeld heeft, en dat het blijft staan als een huis. Een optreden van Steve Hackett, mij verveelt het nooit, ook niet als hij maar de nadruk blijft leggen op het werk van Genesis. Deze muziek is met recht tijdloos en in combinatie met flarden van zijn eigen werk levert dit altijd een prachtig concert op, met een uitstekende Hackett als bescheiden middelpunt.

Review (Written In Music) : Vorig jaar was hij met zijn band drie avonden achter elkaar te gast in De Boerderij in Zoetermeer; het verslag gaat in op het optreden van 6 juli. Je kunt daar al lezen dat de band uitstekend op dreef was en dat Steve een uitstekend team om zich verzameld had, met oudgedienden Roger King op toetsen, multi-instrumentalist Rob Townsend op toetsen, zang en een variëteit aan blaasinstrumenten, Craig Blundell op drums, Jonas Reingold op bas en zang en met als onbetwist vocaal vaandeldrager, Nad Sylvan. In tegenstelling tot de avond in Zoetermeer speelde de band in de Royal Albert Hall voor de pauze eerst meer Hackett-werk. Let wel, in de Royal Albert Hall werden ook net wat andere nummers gespeeld. Spectral Mornings kwam daar bijvoorbeeld helaas niet voorbij. En ja, natuurlijk kennen de meeste mensen Hackett als gitarist van Genesis, maar ook als je onbekend bent met zijn solowerk, zijn ook de eigen Hackett-nummers zeer zeker de moeite waard. De avond in de Royal Albert Hall werd nog specialer door de gasten die Hackett voor de avond had uitgenodigd. Broer John schoof eerst al aan om fluit bij te dragen voor Hands Of The Priestess; erg mooi. Naast John Hackett is ook een tweede vaste waarde in de geschiedenis van Steve Hackett Amanda Lehmann. Zij droeg bij met gitaarspel aan de avond en zij nam de leadzang voor haar rekening in Shadow Of The Hierophant, waarvan je je dus nu gerust kunt bedenken dat het inmiddels 50 jaar oud is. De match tussen de stem van Lehmann en de instrumentale kracht van het nummer werkt wonderwel samen. Het nummer bouwt heerlijk op en zoals het hier klinkt, blijkt eens te meer wat een dijk van een nummer het ook is. Het leverde de band destijds een stevige staande ovatie op én, ook terugluisterend, snap je de beleving van de zaal, begrijp je ook dan hoe zeer de band weer door die reactie overweldigd was. Hoe geweldig de band live is, dat hoor je ook aan de geniale uitvoering van The Cinema Show. Luister eens goed naar de geweldige interactie tussen de bandleden: dat zegt heel veel over hoe de band op het podium stond. En nu het album hier weer eens klinkt: Camino Royale! Hoe geweldig wist de band dat ook te brengen. Met terugwerkende kracht ervaar je nog eens hoe historisch de bijdragen van Hackett aan Genesis meer nog hadden kunnen zijn: de interactie van de band hier laat je beseffen hoe zeer Hackett met zijn muziek ook optimaal inzette op hoe het geheel van de band klonk. Er moet wel worden gezegd dat hij met Townsend en King ook topinstrumentalisten in zijn band heeft en met Blundell een drummer die weliswaar anders drumt dan Collins maar die ook zeer zeker zijn mannetje meer dan staat. Na een korte pauze ging het verder met The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway en met het titelnummer daarvan. En daar zaten ook erg fraaie verrassingen in. Fly On A Windshield met Marillion’s Steve Rothery was daarbij voor velen een droom die uitkwam en die de twee gitaristen schouder aan schouder laat spelen. Dat was niet de laatste verrassing van de avond. The Carpet Crawlers vroeg ook nog om een speciale gast en dat bleek Ray Wilson, die ook ooit lid was van Genesis, maar veel, veel later dan dat Hackett aantrad. De zang in deze uitvoering, ook in combinatie met Lehmann, maakte het wel heel erg fraai. Daarna was het weer terug naar Sylvan om de leadzang voor zijn rekening te nemen. In alle jaren dat Sylvan nu naast Hackett de zang in de Genesis-klassiekers voor zijn rekening, was dit de tour waarin hij vooral heel erg als zichzelf kon klinken. Met een stem als de zijne, zijn de vergelijkingen met zowel Collins als Gabriel niet van de lucht, maar laat die vergelijkingen nu maar eens voor wat ze zijn. Als je de nummers in deze uitvoeringen beluistert, valt vooral op hoezeer de stem van Sylvan bij de nummers past én hoe gedreven hij zingt, tegelijkertijd dusdanig dat je het idee hebt dat hij in zijn beleving van de zang nu ook nadrukkelijk vrijheid ervaart. En, alsof het niet al geweldig genoeg was om in de Royal Albert Hall een zo indrukwekkende set van Hackett te krijgen, waren daar ook nog de nummers die niet tot The Lamb hoorden. Om als liefhebber daarna nog Dancing With The Moonlit Knight, Firth Of Fifth en Los Endos met de band te mogen genieten, hoe mooi kon je het krijgen? Steve Hackett en band waren deze tour in bloedvorm, genietend van het spel én als liveband ijzersterk. Sterker dan deze uitvoeringen ga je deze nummers niet meer live gebracht horen worden. Topband, toplocatie, topavond, top live registratie.

Review (The Progressive Aspect) : Another Steve Hackett tour, and another live album/video to mark its success, as well as being a perfect souvenir for all those that witnessed one of the many dates, and want to relive the show at home. This is another instalment in the current series of Genesis Revisited live albums, which started back in 2013 with the release of the recording of the band’s Hammersmith show that year. Since then every new tour has also been celebrated with a live release from a selected show on that particular tour. This latest one is the 9th in the series, which this time features the tour marking the 50th anniversary since the release of Genesis’s much-revered The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway album, and focused specifically on that material for a large section of those shows. It’s not the first time that Steve has included various Lamb cuts in his set (pun intended), but it is the first time he has amassed so many and featured them all in one large slab. Which for hard-core fans of the classic 70’s Genesis era, that original 1974 album is often viewed as one of the band’s finest achievements, and of course the fans welcomed the prospect of hearing some of those songs being performed once again. Steve Hackett - The Lamb Stands: Live At The Royal Albert Hall (photo by Chris Simmons) Steve Hackett has been flying the flag for that golden era of Genesis, with him being the only band member out of the fab five that seems to have a genuine continued love & fondness for performing those classic songs live, even though some of those tunes are over half a century old now. He’s essentially filling a demand in the market, that previously was being provided by the likes of Canadian Genesis tribute band Musical Box, and several other similar high-calibre tribute acts across the globe. While people continue to love & cherish that 70’s era of superbly inventive & inspirational British progressive music, there will be those that want to hear those songs being played live, and who better to do that than a member of Genesis that was very much involved with the creation of the music during that period. As such, for the last dozen or so years Steve has been riding the wave of a resurgence of interest in his old Genesis back catalogue. Deliberately dedicating more than half the running time of his shows, to playing Genesis material that he was actively involved with the song-writing at that time. The fans love it, the shows are very well attended, and Steve genuinely loves playing those songs. Surprisingly this is Steve Hackett’s 2nd live album release this year. The first one being his Live Magic at Trading Boundaries live album back in January, which was essentially an acoustic-style set, with a smaller amount of supporting musicians, performed in fairly intimate surroundings. The Lamb Stands Up is a more typical live release, featuring his full band of regular players, as well as some guest appearances for this special show in the magnificent surroundings of the Royal Albert Hall. This is actually his 2nd live album recorded at the RAH, with the previous one being released in 2014, when it was a complete Genesis live set. Whereas in recent years his tours have tended to be the 1st half showcasing his solo material, and then the 2nd set entirely dedicated to Genesis songs, as is the format with this new album too. The set for this particular evening is very similar to the show he was touring last year, with a few odd exceptions because of the guest artistes who made their contributions on stage. These include Ray Wilson, Steve Rothery, and John Hackett, all of which have also guested in previous recorded shows by Steve Hackett. Steve Hackett - The Lamb Stands: Live At The Royal Albert Hall (photo by Chris Simmons) As with Steve’s previous Foxtrot At Fifty tour and the accompanying live album which I reviewed, this is purely a review of the audio release of The Lamb Stands Up. The entire show that evening was filmed, and is being issued on Blu-ray/DVD as a complete concert experience being represented both musically and visually. However, I only had the audio to deal with here, so as such I knew in advance that there would be some selections in this collection of songs that would work much better when they had the live visuals to accompany them, rather than solely experienced as audio alone. Yet regardless, the sound quality is absolutely superb, and this can definitely be placed among Steve’s finest live works. The first half of this show features songs from Steve Hackett’s solo career, with the majority of it being post-Genesis, and the exceptions being the material from Voyage Of The Acolyte, which was written and recorded while Steve was still in the band. As some fans will be aware, 1975 marks the 50th anniversary of the Acolyte album, and although I don’t think there are any current plans to mark the occasion with a special touring set, there are 3 songs from Steve’s debut album being played in this very show. As often with each new tour that is undertaken, Steve was also promoting his latest studio album, and his most recent one has been The Circus and the Nightwhale, which has been very well received by long-term fans, and amongst the prog community in general. This 1st disc opens up with 3 songs taken from that album, with the very opening number being People of the Smoke, followed by Circo Inferno, and then These Passing Clouds. All of these are fine songs, proving that Steve Hackett is not merely resting on the laurels of his Genesis past history, and is still creating new music to this very day. Steve Hackett - The Lamb Stands: Live At The Royal Albert Hall (photo by Chris Simmons) Next up is Devil’s Cathedral, which was featured on the last live album, Foxtrot At Fifty, as are the other songs that follow in this set, such as Every Day, Tower Struck Down, bass solo, Camino Royale, full version of Shadow Of The Hierophant, etc. It does feel kind of familiar in that respect, as I’ve played the Foxtrot At Fifty album many times. However there is an added bonus from the Albert Hall show with Hands Of The Priestess being added to the set, with Steve’s brother John Hackett accompanying on flute for this beautifully haunting instrumental. Also, because of the running length of the 2nd half of the show, 2 of those songs have been moved across and added to the end of disc 1, if it happens to be the 2 disc CD set that you are listening to. Those tracks are Cinema Show & Aisle of Plenty, which during the course of the concert were actually the final songs of the 2nd set, prior to the encores. Cinema Show is a really excellent version, with the lead vocals from Nad Sylvan being on top form. I’m not going to go in to any detailed account of the music & performances, as I’ve described it all in depth during my review of Steve Hackett’s Gateshead Glasshouse show from this very tour. But I will say that the quality is just as high on this recording as it was on the night that I saw them. Disc 2 of this collection is the 2nd set, and the big selling point of this album, with 9 tracks from The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway being played in succession. A full rendition of the entire album was never going to be on the cards, as Steve Hackett himself has stated that there were songs that he had little to do with the writing of, or had any impactful musical contribution to, as the music was already so busy with drums, bass, keys & vocals. Yet the ones he has selected to perform here are ones where you can strongly hear Steve’s musical presence, and performed in the same chronological order as they appeared on the original studio album. Most of these tunes Steve has featured in previous Genesis Revisited live shows, with the exception of It, which I’m so pleased he that chose to include the song this time around. I still think that there was an opportunity to play Cuckoo Cocoon as it is pure Hackett through & through, but sadly it wasn’t to be. However these numbers still stand the test of time so well as they are superbly written songs, and Nad Sylvan is singing better than ever before, delivering top-notch lead vocal performances on the Genesis back catalogue numbers through-out this entire show. My only real niggle from the Lamb section of the set, is the hugely extended guitar solos during Fly on the Windshield. Marillion guitarist Steve Rothery has joined Steve Hackett on stage prior to this, back in 2013, with the two Steve’s sharing lead guitar duties on the closing section of The Lamia, which back then was extended by an extra couple of minutes for some guitar interplay. Whereas the guitar soloing section of this particular song goes on for almost 7 minutes before finally moving in the following number of Broadway Melody of 1974. It is fantastic to have the 2 prog legends trading guitar licks & phrases, which I’m sure on the accompanying DVD will be better with the visuals. But as a stand-alone audio rendition, I personally feel that it’s a bit too bloated, and loses the climatic build-up going into the next song. The remaining inclusions on this disc are 2 further songs from the hugely acclaimed Selling England By The Pound album, with Dancing With The Moonlit Knight, and the ever-present ultimate Genesis classic, Firth Of Fifth. The closing number is his usual rendition of Los Endos which also features a section of Slogans in the middle. It’s a good lengthy concert overall, with a total running time approaching two and a half hours long. It has some stunning moments, including Ray Wilson’s guest appearance to sing Carpet Crawlers, as well as Nad Sylvan’s brilliant vocal interpretation of The Chamber of 32 Doors, among his many others. My least favourite parts were probably the solo spots and improvisation sections. A 3 minute bass solo, a 5 minute drum solo, a 5 minute jam in the middle Camino Royale, as well as the afore-mentioned extra 5 minutes of guitar solos during Fly On A Windshield. I’ve no doubt some people will love these moments, and I certainly don’t dislike them, as the musical abilities of all those involved is absolutely superb. It’s merely a personal preference by me that I’d rather just hear the songs. And I’m also fully aware that when viewing the Blu-ray/DVD of this exact same show, that the visuals will undoubtedly make those moments have more substance and be far more enjoyable too. Steve Hackett - The Lamb Stands: Live At The Royal Albert Hall (photo by Chris Simmons) I am a huge fan of the previous live album, Foxtrot At Fifty, because I adore the live sound mix on that release. It was mixed by Chris Lord Alge & mastered by Ted Jensen, and they both did such a marvellous job. You can imagine I was delighted to find out that both of them would also be involved with this new live album too. To be honest, it is a slightly different mix overall, perhaps less bass guitar prominent, maybe a little more percussive in the upper mid range frequencies for the drums, etc. Yet I’m finding that I have no defined favourite, as the production on this album is also of the same impeccably high audio quality, just a little different with how certain instruments and vocals have their presence in the mix. I also have to give a deserved acknowledgement to another The Progressive Aspect contributor, photographer Chris Simmons, who is not only providing photos to go with this review, but has also provided the cover photo for The Lamb Stands Up, as well as some of the others shots used in the accompanying booklet. A fellow South Shields prog music lover, and a long-term fan of Genesis and Steve Hackett. Huge congratulations to you on your achievement. Steve Hackett - The Lamb Stands: Live At The Royal Albert Hall (photo by Chris Simmons) I’m not too sure what Steve Hackett’s next touring project will be like, or if he even has any plans for a UK tour in 2026. I always look forward to his shows, as I get to experience some incredible music from decades ago, being recreated live, and performed by the man that played guitar on all that iconic material. None of our idols and musical heroes from yesteryear are getting any younger, so I could not more strongly urge people to get out and see these amazing artistes while you still can. I’m hoping Steve still has a few touring years left in him, as his youthful passion for music never seems to have waned. As for The Lamb Stands Up live album, it’s a perfect representation of the current musical excellence of Steve Hackett and his band. They are still touring this year with Italian dates in September, and then a North American tour in October & November. I’m sure Steve is already working on some new material, and hopefully a new studio album to surface sometime in the not too distant future. Then fingers crossed for another UK tour. 2026 … 50th anniversary of A Trick Of The Tail, 55th anniversary of Nursery Cryme, or perhaps a tour that could even highlight both albums … who knows? I can only wish.