Afterglow - Mama Tour - A Song At Its Peak

Fans who love the entire catalog of Genesis have witnessed songs that started on vinyl turn into masterpieces live in concert throughout the years. The transitions brought about musical changes in their live shows that improved upon and changed the experiences of their original recordings. Songs including "I Know What I Like", "Firth of Fifth" and "In the Cage" experienced transformations over the years. They were experimented with each tour and reincarnated by the band for fans old and new to discover. In this author's opinion, it was the reincarnation of songs from the past that encouraged new fans to explore the older catalog. 

The reason for the reincarnation of their songs was due to members being replaced in the band with very talented live musicians. When Pete and Steve left, they were replaced by Daryl and Chester. Every time the band would reunite, they would go through the song catalog and make adjustments. The new "Big Five" that played together for 40 years reinvented recorded material live.  The reinvented versions were just as much of a masterpiece as the original content. 

One of the best examples is Afterglow. Over the years, the song would usually conclude a suite of music dedicated to the 70s. Usually, a  fitting conclusion to song sets that started with In the Cage. The original song on Wind and Wuthering concluded the album similarly to the live sets. What was a fitting conclusion on their record would be taken to another level on their live shows. During the ABACAB tour, the In the Cage suite concluded with Afterglow. On the next tour (Mama Tour), the banded added "In that Quiet Earth" to the suite and then concluded with Afterglow. This allowed Daryl to expand upon the suite a bit. The conclusion on this version is the highlight of Phil and Chester returning to end the suite with a new drum pattern at the end that just fills the arena. This was Afterglow at its peak. This version can bring a person to tears as it is such a powerful version of this song. 

Authors Note: It will be interesting to see how the addition of Nic Collins to the band will influence the live material. Stay tuned... (Feel free to comment in the comments section. All comments are read and reviewed by members)