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Mike Rutherford says Genesis’ final show felt “bizarre” and “emotional”.
The prog rock legends – also including Phil Collins and Tony Banks – played their last-ever concert at London’s The O2 arena on March 26, 2022, and the co-founding member admitted it started to get real for him when he glanced at their setlist and saw there were only a handful of songs left to perform.
Speaking to Classic Rock magazine, he said: “It was nice afterwards when everybody, including Peter [Gabriel] and Richard McPhail [tour manager from the seventies), was together in the dressing room. Apart from that we kept backstage closed off.
“But the actual show felt bizarre. I was kind of okay until I saw on my setlist that there were just four songs left. Seeing that in print made me emotional, but having got through all of the problems with Covid, it felt very good to see things through.”
However, Mike, 72, admits their last tour, entitled ‘The Last Domino?’, was a “joy”.
He said: “I tend to forget how much the music means to people’s lives. For instance, we did a couple of shows in America in a city we hadn’t played in 30 years and sold out both nights. It proves what a lovely reach Genesis had. There was some sadness, but I thoroughly enjoyed our last tour. It’s always a joy to be onstage with Phil and Tony.”
The musician’s other band, Mike and The Mechanics, are embarking on a tour, which kicks off in York on April 12, and they will be joined by Phil’s son Nic Collins on drums as Gary Wallis has been having medical treatment.
The 21-year-old sticksman also got behind the kit in the place of his 72-year-old dad on the Genesis tour, as due to a spinal injury, he’s struggled to perform in recent years, having to sit to sing and play tambourine on the run.
