The Last Domino? Tour

Genesis last saw activity in 2007 when drummer/singer Phil Collins reunited with keyboardist Tony Banks and bassist/guitarist Mike Rutherford to reform the trio line-up. They completed the Turn It On Again Tour, after which the group entered a 14-year hiatus. During this time, former members Anthony Phillips, Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett reunited with the three core members for the 2014 BBC documentary, Genesis: Together and Apart. Since 2011, the five have expressed mixed opinions about a reunion of the five-piece line-up of the band.[1][2][3][4] A return to group activity became possible when Collins ended a five-year retirement from music in 2015 and embarked on his Not Dead Yet Tour, which ended in October 2019 and featured his teenage son Nic Collins on drums. Banks and Rutherford followed with interest in touring with Collins again,[5][6] and Rutherford even joined Collins onstage for a performance of "Follow You, Follow Me" on the tour.[7]

On 22 January 2020, the trio were spotted at a basketball game in New York City, which prompted speculations of a potential reunion.[8] Banks said later that the band had spent some time in the city to discuss the possibility of another tour, and gave people the excuse that they were in fact together for a mutual friend's wedding.[9] Banks said that Gabriel and Hackett had not been contacted to participate, reasoning the difficulty in getting everyone on board to do the tour.[9] Rehearsals took place with Nic and Genesis's longtime live guitarist Daryl Stuermer. The first songs they played were "Land of Confusion" and "No Son of Mine" as they were not technically difficult.[10] Banks praised Nic's style of drumming, which he compared to his father in his youth, and said it allows the opportunity to perform songs that the group had avoided previously.[9] Rutherford was pleased with the sound that they achieved during these sessions, which he compared as darker to his side group, Mike + the Mechanics, and named the instrumental sections as particularly strong.[11] American musician Dave Kerzner, who had assisted Banks with his keyboard rig for the 2007 tour, was invited to work with Banks once again to update his set-ups with longtime Genesis associates, technical assistant Geoff Callingham and producer Nick Davis.[12]

In October 2020, the group reconvened in London to start rehearsals. Prog magazine was allowed to attend and photograph the band at a session.[13] On 22 January 2021, the day the tour was rescheduled for a second time, Genesis released a 50-second preview video of the band rehearsing with their chosen stage design. The video revealed the group playing the opening to "Behind the Lines" from Duke (1980).[14] The clip also revealed Genesis performing with two male backing vocalists.[15]

On 3 March 2020, BBC Radio 2 advertised on Twitter that "a massive band" is to announce their reunion on the following morning's edition of The Radio 2 Breakfast Show with host Zoe Ball.[16] The trio were revealed as live guests and announced their reformation and the tour, which initially comprised 10 dates in Ireland and the UK between 16 November and 11 December 2020.[17] The tour is named after the second part of the song "Domino" from Invisible Touch (1986).[18] Collins said that songs "based more on my drumming" would not be performed,[19] and he added that despite his inability to play the drums due to ill health, "I'll be doing my best to play some bits" alongside Nic.[20] Earlier that week, a picture of the trio was posted on the group's official Instagram page with the caption: "And then there were three.", a reference to ...And Then There Were Three... (1978), their first album recorded as a three-piece.[19]

Pre-sale tickets went on sale at on 5 March 2020 for O₂ Priority and Live Nation members, followed by a general sale on 6 March from 9 a.m.[9] The first wave of general sale tickets sold out within ten minutes, which prompted the addition of six dates after one hour to meet demand.[21] One extra show was added in Liverpool, Newcastle, Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester, and Glasgow, bringing the total number of shows to 16.[22] On 9 March a second show in Dublin, scheduled for 17 November, was added.[23]

On 24 July 2020, the tour was rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic with the new dates taking place between 1 and 30 April 2021. On the same day, an additional date in Birmingham on 7 April and in London on 30 April was added, bringing the total number to 19.[24] On 22 January 2021, the tour was rescheduled once more and will now run from 15 September to 13 October.[14]

Genesis

• Tony Banks – keyboards
• Phil Collins – lead vocals, percussion
• Mike Rutherford – guitars, bass guitar, backing vocals

Additional musicians

• Daryl Stuermer – guitars, bass guitar
• Nic Collins – drums
• TBA - backing vocals