Nick D'Virgilio's Rewiring Genesis 8/1/09

"I wasn't getting enough power out of it so I rewired it"-Tim Allen.

I am not sure if Nick D'Virgilio was inspired by that routine from Tim or not but last night we took in the Rewiring Genesis show that Nick D'Virgilo presented at the Center Stage Theater in Whittier, Ca.  The mostly sold out show were entertained by the new spin on the Genesis concept album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.   For those of you not knowing The Lamb is the swan song album for Genesis featuring lead singer Peter Gabriel.  There has been much controversy about the album among Genesis fans but ask those who saw lasts nights shows and none can deny the depth and richness of the music written some 35 years ago now.  

 There were no less than 14 people on stage including two keyboardists, Bass, Drum, Guitarists, 6 piece horn (and lots of other instruments) section and , of course, Nick himself.  The opening number to the Lamb was chilling hearing that opening arpeggio piano, played by Ed Goldfarb,  slide into the chorus that was superbly sang by Nick and his two back up vocalists Kat Bowser and Carolyn Martin.  The addition of the horns to the title track was interesting and inspired things yet to come.  Jimmy Keegan, Spock's Beard touring drummer, and Dave Martin on bass did a great job holding this ensemble together no easy task I can assure you.

Nick's idea to recreate the Lamb seemed embellish the storyline  in the album that is a bit tongue in cheek, British wise, with some serious life choices that face us all. Considering  Peter announced his departure from Genesis at the completion of the tour of this album shows maybe where his mind was in the story and lyrics he mostly created for this album.  He took the score for the Lamb and placed it front of people who had never played it before, session people from Nashville mostly,  to get an entirely different concept.  These idea spring forth in volumes with a Dixieland jazz break in the instrumental section of Counting out Time and In the Colony of Slippermen.  Flutes where there were guitars, accordion, Randy Leago, to play a Tony Banks keyboard solo, human voices to recreate a mellotron, clarinet, Lee Levine, to do the wild solo in Ride the Scree this presentation took this music in many different and not unwanted directions.  In other words this show was a lot fun. Nick just proved to me what a talent he was at times acting out the hero, Rael in Back in NY City, in other parts acting as conductor to this whole mini orchestra, The Waiting Room. 

I really felt the love of this music by the performers all of whom did this with only 2 rehearsals.  That fact was really mindblowing. I have to give major props to Rick Musallam on guitar who took both Mike Rutherford's and Steve Hackett's parts  played them well and even added some of his own.  Nick told us he had two weeks to learn this. The remainder of the group was Kevin Krohn on Keys and baking vocals, John Hinchey on trombone and the horn section arranger, Mark Visher on Sax/Flute, Willie Murillo on Trumpet and Charlie Peterson on baritone sax. 

This wasn't Nick's first time playing the Lamb on stage however and after the Lamb performance we were treated to a video presentation of the group Giraffe from the ProgFest show in 1994 featuring both Nick D'Virgilio and the late Kevin Gilbert.  I guess they performed the entire Lamb show.  This must have been the inspiration behind the Musical Box doing what they did as the band did it with complete costume changes . What we saw was the last part of Watcher of the Skies and then the entire Musical Box song with Kevin singing even using the old man mask that Gabriel wore.  Nick was behind the drums recreating a young Phil Collins to a tee.  It is sad to know that this film was sent to Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks after that show  who were looking for a singer to replace the recently departed Collins and that they wanted Kevin to audition.  His manager went to see Kevin and found his dead body apparently from an accidental suicide.  For those of you who don't know Kevin he co-wrote the song All I Want to Do performed by Sheryl Crowe on her Tuesday Night Music Club CD.  (Some say she stole most of her work on that CD from the members of that club which in reality did exist, Kevin being a charter member.) He also produced albums for Madonna, Michael Jackson and Keith Emerson.  Nick went on to play drums on a track or two of that Calling All Stations album.

Finally the show ended with two other members of Spock's Beard Allan Morse and Dave Meros joining the band on stage for 4 SB numbers the first including the horn section.  I don't have the four numbers names but the last one was a beautiful rendition of June including the backup singers.

All in all a very memorable night and for us personally a few hours escape of what has been a horrific year.  So thanks to all the band and to Jim Harrel the promoters.  Can't wait to see the DVD.