"I am one of the busiest guys on the planet," says Englishman Steve Hackett. And he is likely not exaggerating. Despite being 76 years old, he maintains an active schedule of travel, performances, and collaborations with other musicians.
"In recent months, I have been working with several different bands," he tells Culto. "I have been rehearsing with my own band because we have two new members. I will be working with them in the United States, and I have also been working with a Hungarian band, doing some fusion.
So we are creating a kind of mix of jazz fusion, my own stuff, and some Genesis songs from time to time. Recently, I have also been working with Steve Rothery from Marillion, and we have been doing some things together. We have always collaborated as guests on each other's projects, which is a lot of fun.
Life has been extremely busy lately, but everything is going very well. " Although he is a long-time musician, his time with Genesis as a guitarist is a milestone that still resonates in his career. In the early 1970s, he was part of the classic lineup during the foundational period of the band, which included Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, and Phil Collins.
During this time, he participated in the recording of essential progressive albums such as Foxtrot (1972), Selling Engla…
Notably, Hackett has mentioned that Lennon once expressed his admiration for the group, even calling them "true children of The Beatles. " This statement came at a time when the music press was eager to find the heirs of the Liverpool band. For Hackett, that expansive rock, with strings, symphonic instruments, and studio effects, was key to the development of progressive music.
"Yes, well, it was definitely an influence. " However, the legacy of Genesis has somehow led him to maintain it. In his solo shows, he often includes material from that era and has even toured playing the repertoire from those years, with songs like Watcher of the Skies, Dancing With the Moonlit Knight, among others.
This happened during his most recent visit to the country in 2023, where he offered two shows accompanied by Genetics, an Argentine band that pays tribute to the legend. He returns this season to the country to perform on March 25 at the Teatro Biobío and on March 27 at the Teatro Caupolicán. This connection was established around 2011, at the invitation of their drummer, Daniel Rawsi, who is also a renowned ophthalmologist.
For this reason, Hackett describes him as "a Renaissance man, very nice and intelligent. He is partly a rocker, but at the same time, he is this other thing. " The bond with the Argentineans has a history.
"At first, their singer died," he recalls. "I tried to help them out, so I played with them. We did a concert.
We had already played together in some places before, and I thought they were very good. We toured South America. We played in Argentina, Chile, Peru, Brazil, and it went very well.
So, you know, we became friends. I like working with them. They are great guys.
" Along with Genetics, Hackett has toured playing classic albums from the band, such as the live album Seconds Out (1977), recorded during the A Trick of the Tail tour, which turned out to be the last in which he participated before his departure. But this time, the musician arrives with a repertoire of greatest hits focused on that early stage of the band, before their shift towards a more pop-oriented repertoire in the 1980s. Songs like The Musical Box, Supper's Ready, Dance on a Volcano, and some cuts from his solo material will be performed.
Hackett clarifies what fans can expect. "Sometimes they come very close to the original arrangements. But I hope this time I can do some of my own arrangements of Genesis songs.
So some of the Genesis things have become my own because I include more of myself in them than I used to. And also with the guitarist, Leo. The interesting thing is that we exchange guitar solos, and I give him space, he gives me space, and we turn it into a kind of development.
" - From his work with Genesis, critics often highlight his solos in The Musical Box and The Return of the Giant Hogweed. Does he consider them the best he played? "I think so, yes, they are hits and things that encourage other people to start playing the instrument and all that.
" Tickets to see Steve Hackett and Genetics in Santiago can be purchased via Puntoticket, while tickets for the show in Concepción are available on the Teatro Biobío website.