Concert #48 - Mike & the Mechanics at the Universal Amphitheater (April 1989)

My second time to see Mike & the Mechanics, but this time they were without Paul Carrack. Moreover, the "All I Need Is A Miracle" momentum was gone, so the concert was pretty bland.


The opening act was Escape Club, who at the time were enjoying some success with their single "Wild Wild West". They ended their set by saying that they would be back with more hits. I'm still waiting.

Concert #27 - Genesis at the Dodger Stadium (May 22, 1987)

My first-ever stadium concert. I was accompanied by Rodica. An interesting experience overall, aside from the time it took us to exit the parking lot. The light show was truly stunning, they must have invested millions in their sophisticated systems.

Hard to believe, but the concert was still part of the "Invisible Touch" World Tour, which started in September 1986. This means that the concert was pretty much the same as the one I saw in October 1986 at the Forum.

Watch "Home By The Sea" from their London show of the "Invisible Touch" World Tour:

 

Paul Young was the opening act. His fluffy pop was not a good match with Genesis' far more complex sound.

Concert #19 - Genesis at The Forum (October 15, 1986)

Genesis in 1986 - Phill Collins, Mike Rutherford & Tony Banks

This was the Los Angeles leg of the Invisible Touch tour. Five consecutive nights at the Forum, I believe all were sellouts. No opening act. Powerful and elaborate music, combined with mind-blowing visuals. They played most songs from their current album, including the Brazilian, an instrumental number and "Throwing It All Away", my favorite song from the album. From the older days, they played "Domino", "Los Endos", "Abacab" and the exceptionally good "Home By The Sea". They certainly did not deserve the rather dismissive review that appeared in the Los Angeles Times.

SET LIST        

1. Mama

2. Abacab

3. Interlude

4. Land Of Confusion

5. That's All

6. Interlude

7. Domino

8. Interlude

9. In Too Deep

10. The Brazilian

11. Follow You, Follow Me

12. Interlude

13. Tonight, Tonight, Tonight

14. Interlude

15. Home By The Sea

16. Second Home By The Sea

17. Throwing It All Away

18. Interlude

19. Medley: In The Cage, Supper's Ready

20. Invisible Touch

21. Drums

22. Los Endos

23. Turn It On Again Medley

Concert #12 - Mike + the Mechanics at the Universal Amphitheatre (June 1986)

 

Bringing together Mike Rutherford (Genesis), Paul Young (Sad Cafe) and Paul Carrack (Squeeze), Mike + The Mechanics wasn't quite a super-group, but they were certainly a fun group.

  "All I Need Is A Miracle" and  "Silent Running" are great songs. Good videos, too. Both are from their self-titled debut album, released in 1985. At the time of their first concert in LA, that's all they had - one album - which wasn't quite enough for a headlining act. To supplement their meager repertoire, they had Paul Carrack deliver a soulful rendition of Squeeze's "Tempted", which turned out to be the most memorable part of the evening.

The opening act was Keep It Dark, a short-lived British band that left no lasting impressions.