GENESIS: LIVE IN LEIDEN, OCTOBER 3rd 1981
The ‘booing’ concert
story: Adrie Laan/text: ahand83
In September 1981 Genesis released ‘Abacab’, probably the most important record in their entire career. Abacab was the first album that the band recorded at the Farm, the recording studio they’d build on an old farmhouse’s estate. The album was slightly different from stuff they’d done before. As an answer to punk Genesis used a more simplistic sound. The drum machine had a prominent role on the record and a horn section was included on ‘No Reply At All’.
Even the album’s cover was an abstract piece of art by the English artist Bill Smith, produced in a total of four different colour schemes. And, for the first time in their career as a three-piece, a photograph of Banks, Collins and Rutherford was printed on the inlay of the record. No lyrics were included.
Right after the release of the record Genesis went on tour in Europe starting in Spain, then going to France and then to Holland. Genesis had played the Groenoordhallen in Leiden in 1978 and they returned there in 1981. Originally build in 1969 as a cattle market, the Groenoordhallen became a commonly known venue in Holland, with bands like Queen, U2 and The Police performing there. Genesis played there on October 3rd and 4th 1981. The gig on the 3rd became a rather famous one, painful at present, and much talked of in interviews with the band later on.
During the show the fans made it absolutely clear that they weren’t in any way impressed by Genesis’ new music. Finishing ‘Whodunnit’ and ‘No Reply At All’ the band was treated on a booing concert, the first time ever as Phil Collins later recalled. Cynically Phil Collins’ son-in-law (husband to Joely, Phil’s eldest daughter) is from Leiden. Who would have guessed?
During the gig Collins’ reply was as followed: “Now you guys better have a talk with me boy… I don’t wanna create a bad feeling here boy, but if you don’t like the new music you’d better get the hell out of here.” He said it with a Texas-American accent and a wink of the eye, but his message was clear. Collins didn’t like to be booed. Right after the band decided to change tactics. Phil: “Alright… Just to make it all worth while for people who like the old shit, we will play some of the old music.” Firth Of Fifth was the next song set in motion for the better of it.
Adrie Laan was a big Genesis fan at the time and he’s a living witness of the Leiden gig on October 3rd. He tells: “I always wished to see Genesis perform live. I’d followed the band since the release of ‘A Trick Of The Tail’, because of some friends from school. We went to Leiden in ’81 with a large group of people. I remember walking from the train station to the Groenoordhallen. You don’t really need to know where you’re supposed to go to, you just follow the crowd. Part of the group I was with are captured in this photo.
The most important person at the time, the girl I was in love with, is missing in the photograph. The memory of hearing songs like ‘The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway’ and ‘Firth Of Fifth’ for the first time live is a memory that’s intertwined with her. The relationship only lasted for 4 weeks, but still. A minus that evening was that it was the ‘Abacab’ tour we went to see. Certainly back then, I had hoped ‘Abacab’ would grow on me but it just didn’t. The songs they played from ‘Abacab’ were a real low point in the show. The band even got booed and I recall sympathising with the audience.
In the end it was a memorable evening with classics like ‘Afterglow’ and ‘Dance On A Volcano’. Seeing Phil and Chester playing their drum duet merging into ‘Los Endos’ was just amazing. ‘I Know What I Like’ was a great desert, and every fan will understand I was in heaven. That was that, I had seen Genesis in the company of good friends. With the passing of time the memory has grown in value and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. I believe since then Genesis hasn’t produced any music like they’d done before ‘Abacab’. In 2007 I saw them perform live again for the very last time.”
There’s a recording of the Leiden concert of October 3rd on YouTube. Some excellent photographs of the gig can be found here.