The State of Genesis: Collins and Co. Talk Peter Gabriel, Future Projects and the Alamo

Why did you choose to put the Rome concert out on DVD?
Tony Banks: It was really quite a special show for us. It was a free concert in the Circus Maximus, which is internationally known. It was a free, outdoor concert to a half-million people. It was dark, the weather was great. We decided to go for that one since it was a totally unique show on the tour. Some of the shots when you draw back and you see the Rome skyline look amazing. The whole city of Rome heard it, whether they wanted to or not since we were right in the middle of the city.

I read that a few years ago when you met with Peter Gabriel about a possible reunion tour, he proposed some sort of screen that would project a computer-generated younger-looking version of himself that would mirror his movements and facial expressions as he performed The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway . Can you tell me more about his concept for a possible reunion tour?
Mike Rutherford: We had a meeting about four years ago about an idea of doing a version of The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway with Peter and Steve Hackett — just a few shows. It was a very visual album and nowadays with what you can do with screens, we wanted to do something really special. The thought was to maybe, since the Lamb is about a young Puerto Rican kid and Peter is an old English man, it would be harder to portray him. One idea was about trying to do that with technology where Peter's movements onstage would sync up onscreen with a young face.
Tony Banks: I don't recall talking about that sort of detail. We've been open to the idea for a while, even before we started off on the recent tour. It's something that ? who knows? It might happen. If Peter really, really wanted to do it we'd certainly all talk about it. He's a very busy man these days. He was one of Time's 100 Men of the Year. He's got plenty of other things on his plate at the moment. Going out and performing The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway 35 years after the event is not high on his list.

If you had to give a percentage for the odds a reunion tour with Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett would happen in the next five or ten years, what would that number be?
Tony Banks: I would give it 23.5 percent. Mike Rutherford: I have no idea. My line is "never say never." Phil Collins: Considering it was four years ago since we had the conversation and we thought his album wasn't far away, and we're sitting here and it still hasn't come out and he hasn't done the tour I think you're talking about 10 years being the minimum, just in real terms. I don't think we're going to be doing that in 10 years time. If we do we'll all be up on the screen with young Puerto Rican faces. [Laughs]