Mike Rutherford says Genesis’ final show was “bizarre” and “emotional”

Mike Rutherford has described Genesis‘ final show as both “bizarre” and “emotional” in a new interview.

Speaking to Classic Rock magazine, Rutherford reflected on the band’s last live gig, which took place at London’s O2 Arena on March 26 2022.

He said when he looked down at the set list and saw that there were only a handful of songs left to play, he started to feel “emotional.”

He continued: “It was nice afterwards when everybody, including Peter [Gabriel] and Richard McPhail [tour manager from the seventies], were 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.”

He also went on to describe their last tour as a “joy”.

He added: “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 band – comprised of Rutherford, Phil Collins and Tony Banks, along with touring musicians Daryl Stuermer, Nic Collins, Daniel Pearce and Patrick Smyth – bowed out with a sold-out show at London’s O2 Arena last year.

Formed at Charterhouse School, Godalming, Surrey, in 1967, the show marked the end of an illustrious 55-year career that saw them remembered as one of music’s most successful acts, selling over 100million albums worldwide.

Playing 23 tracks in total, Genesis ran through a long list of their biggest hits including ‘I Can’t Dance’, ‘Mama’, ‘Turn It On Again’, ‘No Son Of Mine’ and ‘Invisible Touch’.

Before playing ‘Land Of Confusion’, Collins addressed the crowd and announced that it would be Genesis’ final show. As the crowd applauded the band, Collins sat looking thoughtful, seemingly taking in the fact that it was the last hoorah. He then quipped: “After tonight we’ve all gotta get real jobs.”

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