Daryl Stuermer @ Bears Den (inside Seneca Niagara Casino), Niagara Falls, NY
Saturday, April 10, 2010
By: Thom Jennings
Shortly after 8:00pm, Daryl Stuermer and his band hit the stage, opening the show with excellent renditions of two Stuermer instrumental songs, Breaking Point and Striker, before launching into the Genesis material sung by Martin Levac. If you witnessed Martin Levacs performance in Daryl Stuermers Genesis Rewired project on Saturday at the Bears Den, inside the Seneca Niagara Casino in Niagara Falls, NY, you may believe that human cloning is possible and that Levac is Genesis vocalist Phil Collins clone. Levacs mannerisms and vocal phrasings are eerily close to that of a young Phil Collins and yet Levac still manages to add elements to the performance that distinguishes him as far more than just some Phil Collins stand-in.
Classic Rock bands like Journey, Yes and Foreigner are currently touring with lead vocalists that sound like the front men from their heydays, and still doing quite well even with few original members left in their bands. To lump Daryl Stuermers Genesis Rewired in the same category, or as a tribute band, would be unfair. The unique arrangements alone make seeing Stuermer and his band well worth the price of admission and truly legitimizes the project as far more than a night out for fans of Genesis.
When Stuermer toured with Genesis, for the most part he played the complex Steve Hackett parts on guitar and bass guitar on the post Hackett compositions. In Genesis Rewired, Stuermer gives a glimpse of what Genesis fans could have had if Stuermer had been a full-fledged member, instead of just a part of the touring group. On tracks like I Cant Dance and Follow You Follow Me Stuermer truly jazzed up the arrangements and added a new dimension to the restrained guitar work of Mike Rutherford. In addition, Stuermer handled many of the Tony Banks keyboard solos on guitar and they sounded fantastic.
The two and a half hour show featured lovely ballads, like an acoustic rendition of Your Own Special Way and powerful renditions of progressive rock staples like Squonk, a song that Stuermer told the crowd was the first Genesis song he heard after Jean-Luc Ponty gave him a cassette tape of the Genesis album Trick of the Tail.
Nearly every song was met with riotous applause and a majority of them received a standing ovation. Stuermer's instrumental Genesis medley, including the instrumental section of the Genesis classic Firth of a Fifth, practically brought down the house. The entire band executed every song with precision.
Stuermer did a masterful job blending in his solo material with Genesis standards, and there did not appear to be the typical lack of response from the crowd that many artists get when they play unfamiliar material.
To see music of the caliber of Genesis Rewired in an intimate setting is quite a treat, but this amazing band is definitely worth seeing in any setting as Genesis Rewired put on one of the best musical performances this reviewer has seen in awhile.
Set List:
Breaking Point
Striker
Throwing it All Away
No Son of Mine
Your Own Special Way (Acoustic Trio)
Land of Confusion (Instrumental Version)
Squonk
Masala Mantra
Misunderstanding
Follow You Follow Me
Heavy Heart
Genesis Medley (Excerpts of Behind the Lines, Firth of a Fifth and Squonk)
In Too Deep
Invisible Touch
I Cant Dance
Encore:
Turn it On Again
We would like to thank James Bratton of the Seneca Niagara Casino for helping Backstageaxxess.com in covering the show.
