The Lamb Lies Down Off Broadway - Steve Hackett's Halloween at the Ryman Auditorium, Nashville TN

By Andrew Pringle

Halloween Night, Friday, October 31^st, 2025- guitarist Steve Hackett brought his 2025 “Genesis Greats, Lamb Highlights & Solo Tour” to Nashville’s Mother Church, The Ryman Auditorium. With a setlist consisting of solo material dating back to the mid-1970s, as well as highlights from his time with English prog rock band Genesis, Hackett delivered nearly three hours of mind-bending music. 

Like any show at The Ryman, the energy of the intimate venue is unlike any other feeling, from the time the band takes the stage until they take a bow and exit, each moment feels special. Even at the age of 75, Hackett delivered each guitar part with passion and perfection. Opening the first set with the intense “People of the Smoke”, the band made it clear that they were there to do what they do best, shred. Right off the bat, the band was weaving in and out of complex and ever-changing time signatures, with Hackett and drummer Nick D’Virgilio already flexing their instrumental abilities. Before I knew it, this nearly five-minute rush of adrenaline ended, and I was ready for more. The band delivered, continuing with “Circo Inferno”, another raging tune bordering operatic metal, with a standout sax solo by multi-instrumentalist Rob Townsend. While it might seem self-explanatory, it really is worth mentioning Hackett’s skills as a guitarist; prior to this show I was only familiar with his work with Genesis, admiring the complexity of his playing and writing, yet that alone could not have prepared me for seeing him actually play. More than anything, I would consider him to be a shredder, evidently deserving to be in the same league of recognition as Eddie Van Halen. After a stage banter by Steve, they changed paces with “These Passing Clouds”, a slower ballad featuring interplay between sustained guitar, flute, and soprano sax. After the breath of air, they delved right back into the craziness with “The Devil’s Cathedral”, opening with a dark organ solo by keyboardist Roger King, fitting for a Halloween show, yet ironic to play a song with that title in a building originally designed as a church. The song was yet another tight performance with the band running on all cylinders. Taking another breather, they took their sound in an upbeat pop-y direction, playing “Every Day”, the first track from the 1979 album Spectral Mornings. Despite being a change of direction, the song still required a high level of musicianship, to which the band never phoned in. Immediately after, they wasted no time going back to the dramatic instrumental metal with “A Tower Struck Down”, using dark and dissonant riffs to compel a feeling of doom, however, they let it comfortably cool down from its boiling point, leading into a tasteful and groovy bass solo from Jonas Reingold, which was eventually joined by the drums, cleanly interlocking as if it they were being played by a single entity. Coming out of the solo, they proceeded with “Camino Royal”, one of Hackett’s 80s pieces, blending melodramatic themes with layered jazz and pop textures, all while retaining his signature feel. They ended the first set with “Shadow of the Hierophant”, one of Hackett’s earliest songs which features all of his expected attributes dating back to early Genesis, such as sustained guitars, choral singing, grand crescendos, and everything in between. Afterwards they announced a twenty-minute intermission before they begin with the Genesis segment. 

Before coming back to the stage, the ambient sounds of city streets washed over the P.A. system. After a minute or so the band took the stage again, with Roger King playing the opening keyboard trills of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, the title track to Genesis’ rock opera album celebrating its 50^th anniversary this year, additionally it was the final Genesis album to feature frontman Peter Gabriel; suffice to say it was the band’s most theatrical effort. Celebrating the significant anniversary, Hackett’s tour centered around the second set, performing highlights from the landmark album. The first three songs of the set ran in sequence with the album’s track list before jumping to the eighth track “Hairless Heart”, then the tenth – “Carpet Crawlers”, which perfectly showcases Gabriel’s (as well as the rest of Genesis’) ability to write sonic euphoric dreamscapes, which then, like most of the album, seamlessly flows into the next song- “The Chamber of 32 Doors”. The following track “Lilywhite Lilith”, changes pace to a more straightforward 70s rock song. The final two songs of the TLLDoB section of the set were “The Lamia” and the upbeat(?) album finale “It”. 

As a whole, this rendition of the album was phenomenal, with each member nailing each of their parts. I must also give special kudos to Nad Sylvan for taking on the role of lead vocalist in Hackett’s band. Filling in on a position originally held by Peter Gabriel, and later by Phil Collins, is no simple or casual task. Not only does Nad execute the performance, he is able to do so with his own voice, never trying to identically match voices of Gabriel and Collins, which is a respectable approach. 

In all honesty, I am indecisive about how I feel about the band only playing sections of the album as opposed to a complete playthrough. For one, TLLDoB is a legendary album that tells a sprawling story, and to cut it down from twenty-three tacks to only nine feels like it doesn’t do justice to the masterpiece that it is. Additionally, of those fourteen tracks not played, some serious gems slipped through the cracks, such as my personal favorite “In the Cage”. On the contrary, I can completely understand the decision to only play certain highlights, such as the full album clocking in at one-hour and thirty-four minutes, which could be a full concert in itself. If anything, I guess I’m just glad that Hackett is still in shape to tour, playing a lengthy show every night, and playing at the level that he does; something that cannot be said of many artists and bands from his era. Furthermore, he’s not afraid to take on challenges, which is a great segway to the final song of the set.

After concluding TLLDoB, Hackett introduced another Genesis classic, sarcastically claiming it to be a short song, the epic “Supper’s Ready”. Since its inclusion on the 1972 album Foxtrot, it has been one of the most beloved and definitive pieces from the band’s early years. Despite its twenty-three-minute runtime, the vast composition features many distinct movements masterfully interwoven by hills and valleys of tension and release, never giving the band a moment to be anything less than peak performance. The first half of the song features many playful interactions between Hackett and Roger King, whose keyboard parts are a driving force of nearly every part of the song. The second half evidently showcases the band’s ability to get weird with time signatures, in the best way possible. 

Afterwards, the band left the stage once again, but the crowd knew the show wasn’t over just yet; with the house lights down, the band once again walked back out. As Roger King sat down, he burst into the beautiful piano intro of another staple of Genesis’ early catalogue- “Firth of Fifth”. The song’s victorious feeling was an appropriate inclusion for the encore. As expected by these longer pieces, having multiple sections allows the band to convey a handful of emotions back-to-back. One of the slower sections featured a mysterious flute solo meticulously delivered by Rob Townsend, which transformed into yet another synth section, even featuring a clap section in which the audience gladly participated. “Firth of Fifth” also features one of Hackett’s most heartfelt and powerful guitar solos, flowing with sustained notes, carrying the song through a long and winding journey. When the song faded out, a single spotlight poured over Nick D’Virgilo as he began to solo on the drums, just in case he still had some energy leftover from the show up until that point, this was his chance to get it all out. Needless to say, he did. If my jaw wasn’t already on the floor, it was for sure after the solo. Truthfully, its common to go to prog shows and be blown away by a drummer that is rarely, if never, talked about in the world of drumming. Coming out of the solo, the band had one more trick up their sleeve, jumping into the breakneck Hackett tune “Slogans”. With crazy scales and instrumental harmonizations, the band was unbelievably locked in, and even went into somewhat of a free-jazz section before bringing it all back together for Genesis’ “Los Endos”. With the unmistakable melody reprised from “Dance on a Volcano”, you can’t help but smile as the band brings the transcendent sounds back down to Earth. What a way to end a show. Period. 

Ultimately, going into this show I didn’t really know what to expect aside from hearing some Genesis classics. However, I had no idea how impressed the show would leave me. I was also surprised at how different Hackett’s solo material is from his work with Genesis, to which I can confidently say I’m a huge fan of both. It should go without saying that Hackett was incredible on both guitar and vocals, but I’ll also give him credit for assembling such a perfect band, whose immaculate efforts were spot on. Overall, I am beyond glad I spent my Halloween at the Ryman seeing a legendary act. Memorable to say the least. Go see him if you get the chance.