If the band's early years were characterised by anything, it was by constant, gruelling touring. It was through playing live that they gradually learned to enjoy playing, and to find the confidence to follow their experiments through to their logical conclusions. The band changed line-up, via a short period as a four-piece and a guitarist called Mick Bernard, replacing Anthony Phillips with the introverted King Crimson fan Steve Hackett and John Silver with drummer Phil Collins. Against all odds, not least a tidal wave of indifference, the line-up would hold strong for over five years.
Genesis were always, essentially, a fans' band. From a strong audience base in the counties to the South and West of London they ventured further afield within England, then into Europe, establishing themselves a firm following in Italy in particular, and eventually, in 1973 they debuted in the States. Along the way, they played a landmark show at London's Rainbow Theatre on February 9th, 1973, a show which put them on the front of the Melody Maker. The five live songs from this era which finally see the light of day in the "Genesis Archive" were recorded on the next tour at the Rainbow on October 20, 1973.
"At the end of their first American tour, I booked them at a one-day festival at the Chicago Amphitheatre. The concert that was to start at noon and end at midnight - ten local acts and with Richie Havens and Genesis headlining. That's right, you read correctly. It was a strange bill to say the least. At ten o'clock, the band was introduced and the audience, which had greeted them with mild applause, started to walk out of the arena. More than two-thirds of the audience walked out. They sauntered over to the refreshments stands and congregated in the hallways that circled the arena. They ate, they smoked, they chatted. They did everything except pay attention to Genesis. They didn't pine for a spiritually uplifting experience. They were happy eating hot dogs and smoking pot. I watched the set, slumped over in a hernia of depression for booking this meaningless, stupid gig that would do absolutely nothing to build their careers.
Now at that time Genesis used a magnesium flashpot explosion to dramatize the ending of 'Supper's Ready'. They were the first group I had ever seen use this device and were clearly pioneers in this form of pyrotechnics.
At the climactic moment, KABOOM! A tremendous flash of light, like ten thousand flashbulbs going off simultaneously, blinded the audience.
That night, the crew poured an extra measure of magnesium into the flashpot. The resulting explosion was so strong that it blinded the peripatetic audience wherever they were, at the concession stands and in the hallways. Later, I heard that the blinding flash seeped under the doors of the lavatories in the building.
People suddenly started pouring back into their seats for the last chords of 'Supper's Ready', cheering and applauding wildly. They kept this up for twelve minutes. They gave Genesis a standing ovation, saluting the band for blinding them with a magnesium flashpot explosion."
Ed Goodgold
