Features
Genesis Turns It On Again
Tony Banks,
The day after the 20 stadium-sized shows were detailed at a November 7th lunchtime bash at London’s Mayfair Hotel, The Times of London reported that calling it the Turn It On Again tour isn’t a reference to Collins’s hearing aid and the band isn’t doing it for the money.
“We’re loaded enough not to worry about where the next million or two is coming from. We could have played a lot more shows if it was about money,” Collins told the packed press conference, although the paper estimates the dates will rake in about £40 million.
As for his hearing, Collins, who suffered sudden deafness in his left ear as result of a viral infection in 2000, said loud music wasn’t the cause.
“I was advised not to do any more shows. But it hasn’t got any worse. You just run the risk of buggering the other ear up.”
There had been rumors of a full Genesis reunion with
“Sometimes you read that he’s into it, sometimes you read that he’s not. I think he’s very sensitive, far more sensitive than we are, about what it means,” Collins explained.
“This is just music, us getting together and playing some songs. From my point of view, this is something that will be great fun, whereas Peter has been doing his thing since he left and he is just a little over-cautious about going back.”
Hackett released a statement of his own, wishing the band every success on the road and pointing out that – as Gabriel isn’t joining in – he decided it made sense for the other three to celebrate the band in their “own special way.”
After Finland, the tour takes in Denmark, Germany (eight shows there), Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Poland, France, Monaco, Holland and the United Kingdom before finishing with a free show at Rome Coliseum July 14th.
– John Gammon