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From: bestj
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  • This cover version is a crYme against humanity. :-(

  • Good but the singer needs a word or two

  • That would have to be terrifying to play a classic Genesis song in front of Genesis themselves. Phish did a great job with it though!

  • Took my 15 year old daughter to see The Musical Box, for an oncore they played this she was floored. She is now asking to hear any and all Gabriel era Genesis. I smiled the whole way home as she ranted about the crap music thats out today....Oh by the way, she's also a Howling Wolf fan! YAAAA!

  • where's Peter?

    

  • This sucks beyond sucky suck sukz!

  • Meryl Streep looking disinterested, having never imagined having to sit through old prog rock since she was a junior in college and some hairy guy forced it on her...

  • Wow, some work went into that !

  • They could have brought a Real Progressive Rock Band Like Spock's Beard to do this Introduction ceremony . Not a good version !

    

  • PHISH Sucked... With all due respect to Banks, Hackett, Rutherford & Collins but Peter Gabriel left the band just before Sex Pistols took England by storm fasing out the Progressive movement. Then Gabriel moved towards politics in Africa with Biko and that move made him the greatest and the more important Genesis member, mixing music & politics which sometimes could be davasting if you don´t know the rules of engagement. A Genesis fan since the first vynil.

  • lmao @ the guy who tries to clap along

  • This is painful. 

  • Terrific version!!!! Awesome!

  • NOBODY IS PAYING ANY ATTENTION TO THE MUSIC ! ,THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND....WHY THEY DIDN'T PICK A PROGRESSIVE ROCK GROUP TO PERFORM IT , HORRIBLE VERSION !

  • I've tried to like Phish for 20 years. I just can't do it. And this confirms it for me that they are Not Good.

  • Whoa, slow down there. What's the hurry?

  • @zchouinc it was painful

  • @zchouinc have you actually heard the original recording? it's not so much an interpretation as it is a total reproduction. and i despise phish.

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  • i have to admit i really don't know that much about Phish, but have been a long-time admirer of Genesis! i have to respect Phish for doing this, though. it's about time Genesis made in into the HOF. ;)

  • I agree! the ultimate in "awesomenss!". Playing their music for them. It is so much beter than giving tribute alive rather dead. Btw, what gentlemen too. Genuine humility also. I probably would have ripped P.G. 'Nuff said! Also, someone tell the "Boss" to not talk while someone is performing. No disrespect meant. He is worthy in his own right.

  • Ok, let's be honest here, it's a good cover, but the vocals were a little weak and the intro too fast. I still prefer the original.

  • @kukochan Exactly my words

  • I wonder to what degree the band analyzed the performance. :) They look so nostalgic. I thought the band did a good job, that is NOT an easy song.

  • wow,Phish does and incredible job on this very complex song..Awesome.

  • Terrible!!! Phish really sucks.

  • @wildmanhawkes Go fist yourself " wildman " 

  • @JKW1127 Your a clueless punk ass kid!

  • @wildmanhawkes You sir, are a homo.

  • @wildmanhawkes I've heard a their stuff here and there and I just don't get it. They are good players that can't write songs.

  • i think it's really cool how phish is looking all spiffy. they are all incredible musicians, but mcconnell takes the cake with me, but maybe that's because i'm a piano player....

  • more interesting than bruce or iggy and really well done

  • Tony and Mike looked thrilled @ 6:57 lol

  • Not Genesis, lacks in some dynamics and sophistication - but overall pretty darn good!

    Cool to see (most of) the real thing in the audience!

  • Shit, these guys can play just about anything and honor it like no one else. New found respect for Phish. Viva la old-school Genesis! Thanks for posting.

  • Very brave choice, how do you do this without wondering does it sound right? It sounded much like Gabriel rather than Phil, but then again Phil does it that way too.

  • Phish is a great band and the love they have for Genesis is simply awesome.....

  • I have to say; it takes some balls to play a prog classic like WotS in front of an audience consisting of Johnny Depps and Robin Gibbs!

    -love it!

  • Absolutely amazing. It's wierd seeing the members of Genesis in the audience. I'm pretty sure the rest of the audience were expecting Land of Confusion or something.

  • This is a hell of a tune to tackle for anyone. Check out the original version of this track. Phish have done a great service to it here actually. There is no stage presence like that of Peter Gabriel in the early 70's, but we can't ever go back, you know ;)

  • Phan-freakin'-tastic! One of my favorite Genesis tunes, rendered lovingly by one of my favorite bands! How many of us wanted to see "Trick of the Tail" or "Selling England By The Pound" as one of their Halloween albums?

  • A fan of Genesis since '73, now in his 50s. Phish did a reverent version of the first song I ever heard by Genesis, my favorite band of all-time. Great props from me to Phish, they did a terrific job on one of the Genesis classics. I wrongly thought that the only American band that could do a worthy tribute to Genesis on their RARHOF induction was Dream Theater, but Phish was absolutely superb. Great props to them from this longtime American Genesis fan.

  • First of all - if Phish wanted to, they would have blown the doors off of this. They totally laid back out of respect for the song and the inductees. Twenty to one they play this during the Summer 2010 tour and stretch it out to put a Phish twist on it. And when they do,......make sure you get back on watch them jam the fuck out of it. That is what Phish does - you want singin? go to a musical

  • @pcburgh01 Would be fun: Watcher of the Skies > Twist > Water in the Sky

  • There are many things likeable about Phish. Trey's voice is not one of them, and vocals being the harmonic center of a band, is why I could never dig them. This is a great cover by a very suitable band, with awful, fucking vocals. If Phish has ever collaborated with another singer, I would be interested.

  • @DanMcCaffrey I agree. They never did much for me. I heard one song by them "Bouncing Around The Room?" or something. To me it was like "big deal".

  • @PeterMayer - lol at listening to "Bouncing" and making a judgement on Phish.

    So, if I didn't like "I Can't Dance", I should judge Genesis' entire legacy on that?

    Why don't you try the songs "David Bowie", "Harry Hood", "You Enjoy Myself" or "The Divided Sky".

  • @TheBeerBaron88 if " I Can't Dance", which is horrible, is your first song and impression, yes you could say Genesis is terrible. I'll give your examples a listen, but I think Phish are capable musicians, good chops, but possible not great writers.

  • Genesis is there; now how about Yes, ELP, Supertramp, Kansas, et. al. Rock and Roll "Wall of Shame,"(?) -Steve Hackett's words in quotation marks.

  • @Tsnore They only seem to pick the old top 40 bands. Yes Only had Owner of a lonely heart . Kansas had Africa andone other tune in top 40 and same with Supertramp. Phish right now is playing a Genesis classic that u know never got radio play.

  • @Tom6093 Yes was not originally a top 40 band. They were one of the original progressive acts of the late 60's and early 70's. They were notorious for tracks that hogged up entire album sides.

  • @kipptumor Your right !!!!! I stand corrected. And I also said now that Iv'e re readmy old message that Kansas did Africa, which is not the case. That was Toto.

    Yes and Genesis you have to admit back when they first started out did similar music.

  • @Tom6093 Toto were a damn powerful sounding band for a top 40 recording project consisting of a bunch of record producers. One of the best-produced groups of all time were Steely Dan- I don't know how the Hell they got such a clean sound back in the early 70's.

  • @kipptumor Yup !!! and it goes to prove that true music talent is hidden in it producers of yesterday. Todays rap and R@B producers aren't about music itself today but just all about money , sex and drugs. This is why there is modern rock that won't be remembered past it's decade, and classic rock which will be in the hall of fame and remembered forever.

  • Wasn't impressed by Phish's talents But the Gable Ratchet ' Selling England by the Pound was out standing ' and I did attend Seconds Out back in the day .I do wonder why Gable Ratchet was mentioned on the last box set released of Genesis and no mention of Musical Box ?

  • COLLINS FUCKIN RULES...

  • Can anyone else imagine the Pixies doing a cover of this song? For some reason I'm imagining an awesome version by them...Genesis and the Pixies, 2 great tastes that taste great together!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!

  • Is my uneducated ear fooling around with me, or does Trey sound a great deal like Peter Gabriel from that early era?

  • @rafalweb I thought the same thing rafalweb... and I've been a Genesis Fan since '74 and a Phish Fan since the early 80s... I just never ever could place the two together in my musical mind (other than the way they bend musical rules to create their own atmospheres)... But all you need is Trey with some Bat-Wings and a Bass-Drum and you're back to the 1973 version ;)

  • Puts the original to shame.

  • Wow. The bassist executes this very well. Almost 100% accurate to the studio version, which, I can tell you, is nearly impossible to get completely right. It is a heck of a hard bassline.

  • @etkearne Mike's a total bad ass.

  • Any fan of Genesis and Phish can see/hear how Genesis influenced Phish. Lawn Boy in particular is dripping with influence and Trey's story telling reminds me of Peter Gabriel. Nice version of Watcher Of The Skies. I would have loved to see Phish cover Selling England By The Pound last Halloween.

  • Any fan of Genesis and Phish can see/hear how Genesis influenced Phish. Lawn Boy in particular is dripping with influence and Trey's story telling reminds me of Peter Gabriel. Nice version of Watcher Of The Skies. I would have loved to see Phish cover Selling England By The Pound last Halloween.

  • Guys, Ihave been a fan since '75 saw them play " The Seconds Out tour " Been sad

    most of my life since Gabe then Steve left. Loved the " Tokyo Tapes Tour " with Steve & the former members ( Wetton, Chester, etc. ) Phish does not got it !

    Please, please look for Genesis cover group Gable Ratchet, go to their web site and listen to them . Saw them perform - Selling England by the Pound the entire LP , then they play many from the Lamb, Trespass,Music Box really if you want to hear it live GO SEE

  • @Sherman5150 gable ratchet is a garage band. Musical Box is the real thing

  • What the hell is Meryl Streep doing there?

  • @JackBlair2 no kidding. And she looks bored too. Haha

  • hope they work this into their live routine

  • Just as in '73, when Peter Gabriel & Genesis sprung this amazing music on the public, this crowd sat there - not knowing what to think!!  The current state of "music" worldwide is pitiful. Super job by Phish to recognize music that requires some thought to play & appreciate!!

  • I can only imagine what Phish would have done if they would have given it the full treatment. Very respectful to the original as far as performance. Props to Phish.

  • Very cool old school Genesis! Way to go Guys! Can't wait to see you this summer!

  • Trey does it great because he does not try to impersonate Gabriel. Has his own touch but still captures the original feeling.

  • @niklasrom

    The only problem I had was that Trey seemed to screw up the vocal rhythm at times, but all in all it is better than I would have thought.

  • I wonder what Phil, Tony and Mike were thinking...

    Their faces are so enigmatic!

    The singer is not as excellent as Peter, but musically it was a great performance-

  • @amandagris , yeah, i was wondering what steve was thinking, do you know who he is. must have been brought up on the Phil Collins band.

  • @amandagris they're probably thinking "that could be us up there if Pete had been bothered to catch a damn plane" (joking!)

  • Very respectful version. Especially with Genesis watching. Yikes! Good work Phish!

  • Very cool, very true to the original version.

    Not a Phish fan but much respect.

  • Man! Can you imagine playing Watcher In the Skies for Genesis themselves??!! This is beyond awesome.

  • Fantastic Job!

  • Check out Trey's induction speech honoring Genesis. It blows my mind to see that Meryl Streep , Eddie Vedder and others were there to hear Trey give such a thoughtful speech honoring Genesis (and music in general) and to hear Phish play. Phish are all grown up - playin' for the swells. When I see Bruce Springsteen in the crowd I can almost hear him thinking, "Man, oh man, first sittin' in with these guys at Bonnaroo and now this!! I wanna hang out with these guys some more!!"

  • recorded off tv?

  • most of these people didnt even know who phish are...im sure of it

  • That Phish organ player is spot on Genesis w/ PG what a band w/out not in the same league

  • @zappadead13 Nonsense! The intro is way too fast, Banks never used a Leslie on "fast" (except at the end of Battle of Epping Forest) and some of the chords are "Interesting" - good attempt but not good enough for professionals.

  • @LosEndos55 Post up your professional version that is the way it should be???

  • Awesome version by Phish..Classis Genesis is great stuff

  • excellent, and with genesis sitting in the audience.

  • Dude, fantastic rendition! Phil, Mike and Tonydropped the ball here - one of the last opportunities just to get together and make an impression on your peers.

    They still are on top of there game. Search for italia 1 genesis live concert from 2007 and see for yourself. 500k fans watching an amazing, unforgettable concert.

    Thanks for the memories guys.. seems like we have seen the end of Genesis. Hopefully Phish can carry the torch

  • Gordos layin down the heat with that bass!

    For some reason the crowd shots are funny as hell to me.

  • Very good cover considering the small amount of rehersal they would have had for doing it. Wish they'd have done something from The Lamb though. Watcher isn't one of my faves. Hopefully, Phish will cover The Lamb next year for Halloween! That would just Rock! And "it's only Knock and Know all but I like it."

  • LOL at :55. Looks like Iggy pop's wife says "Who are these guys?" To which iggy probably replies "I don't know".

  • haha that's true

  • Sure wish Genesis would have gotten up there and performed. Could have been opportune time to perform with Steve and Peter in a nice quick, short set. Too bad. Hope Phil's healing well.

  • A very passionate rendition, true to the original. Cheers!

  • trey you look like a preacher, i love it

  • Peter ruled

  • That was fantastic.

  • Awesome!

    Phish nailed it! Very nice musicianship

    Great cover of Genesis "Watcher of the Skies" seemingly passionate about playing it live too bad Peter Gabriel was not in attendance...Love the Mellotron srtings & Organ killer sound

  • Cactus rocks the awesome bass lines in this song...

  • Phunkybart...you are also a douchebag.. Festival 8 was incredible! were you there? They got great reviews for the Exile on Main Street cover. Check it out when it comes out in the theaters PHISH3D!!! Save your negative comments no one wants to read them.

  • ncbloom please stop posting, you obviously know nothing about PHISH. They were a good choice for this because Genesis was very innovative for the 70's much like PHISH has been for the past 25 years. What are you talking about the "consumate commercial band" are you kidding? Your multiple comments are beyond ignorant.

  • @ncbloom im sure they learned the song a week or 2 before and playing it live in front of the actuall members of Genesis, on that note it was preformed great. Btw you prob have never seen phish and never will see phish.

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  • That s réal shit nô merci for gabriel

  • @ncbloom why don't you get up on stage and play, and no their material is far from pathetic...oh the humanity, what do you mean by that??

  • @ncbloom are u on crack. their original stuff is amazin ... better than covers

  • ncbloom... you're a douchebag and obviously completely clueless... their old school original material is way beyond your head and limited understanding. You're probably one those people that don't even play an instrument and feel like they can be overly critical and picky when they can't even grasp what's really happening, and if you do play, judging from your ignorant comments, you suck! Why did you go to so many Phish shows if you didn't like them? Just to be a part of a cool scene? Posser!

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  • I got carried away judging your opinions, and I apologise for the offense... I admire the composure in your reply. Every one is entitled to their opinions, but seriously why did you go to so many Phish shows if you didn't appreciate their material? If there was a tour I'm sure there was some kind of a scene, even if somewhat small compared to what it became later. I did mispell poser with the extra s, but poseur is the adopted french word... poser is the correct spelling in the slang dictionary.

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  • Did they do some sort of video montage for Genesis at all like after phish performed or something?

  • Tony...as handsome as ever.

  • Iggy Pop.

  • and they look so uncomfortable. not a good tribute i dont think .page should have sang. at least he has the voice for it.

  • even phish's own peers and contemporaries dont seem to appreciate them. haha. a true underground phenomenon. so strange.

  • If the members of Genesis that showed up played, they would be backstage arguing what to play. Phil screaming I wanna do an edited Mama. Steve yelling, we're doing Eleventh Earl Of Mar. Sharethemusic is right, be grateful for the Watcher of the Skies that Phish did. It was a treat! So Watcher was rushed alittle and they can't sing or play it on the Genesis level. In 1978 the live versions are all faster tempo. Watch In the cage from 1978 and then from 1980.1978 is much faster, total pandamonium.

  • @marmas58ink  There IS a better version here on Utube now.

  • The rule usually goes that they do worse in front of a crowd that isn't reflecting the love. This kind of Academy-Award crowd, like a talent show or something, is full of other accomplished people who were probably ambivalent about such a band that doesn't typically buy into this sort of commercial thing.

  • Completely agree - this crowd was probably expecting a cover of "In Too Deep" ...

  • I love the earlier Genesis stuff, and I dislike most of the later stuff, but you have to admit that Genesis probably would have just been another forgotten progressive band like Gentle Giant or Camel had they not morphed into a successful pop group in the 80s. Without those platinum pop records of the 80s, they probably would not have been elected to the hall.

    But I agree, the RRHOF crowd generally doesn't take kindly to stuff like Watcher of the Skies.

  • @sandro28grizz

    That was a somewhat hidden sub-point - the R&R HoF has quite pointedly ignored the seminal prog rockers - despite their formative influence on many bands.

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  • Please give me one reason you think this, because it makes no sense to me. Rolling Stone snubbed them most of the time, they've never been interested in releasing singles, built their fan community from the grassroots, and write music that breaks rules and repulses people who prefer the superficialities in music. One of (if not THE) most open-hearted bands ever.

    Go vent your frustrations on someone who deserves it. Don't hate what you don't understand.

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  • @marmas58ink iggy pop man its iggy pop

  • That would be Iggy Pop....

  • Iggy Pop.

  • who si the guy at 1:05?

  • Let's get to the meat of the matter,any GENESIS member who wanted to honor their fans should have gotten up and played ,with or without Peter & Phil. I'd have been ecstatic to have seen Anthony Phillips ther, aqs he was a big part of there original musical course.

  • Ant has stage fright...a big reason why he left Genesis.

  • nice job boys

  • Wonderful...the middle america look completely bored and baffled by this musical opus! Congrats to Phish for having the balls to play this!!!

  • No offense, but that was probably pretty boring to play for a band of Phish's caliber.

    And Whoooaaaa Cactus...Rockin that Tux

    One more thing, Trey...Phish Finally played in front of a completely seated crowd...LOL

  • People wonder why I love this band, look the lyrics up to this song....Its perfect for the induction!

    These guys have long shed their skin of Genesis...and "No Reply" was for the "Who is Who" in the audience that never caught onto Phish.

  • Watcher was great, No Reply sucked.

  • Henrietta!

    WOOOO HOOOO!

    I love both of these bands, always and forever.

  • Omg be more quiet on your bootleg recordings! No seriously, mine would have been 10x worse.

    I was giggling like a little school girl to all of Phish's faces/gestures and especially Phil's lol.

  • Trey doesn't have the best range. But what gave me the biggest kick of the whole evening, was Phil's faces throughout the performances by Phish AND the entire induction speech.

    He was either like, "Who the fuck is this Trey guy?" or, "Can we just get on with this bloody ordeal?"

    He did not look pleased LOL

  • @phildd0t He didn't look pleased because Trey began with references to Trespass, so Phil hears that and think, OMG this guy likes the old stuff, can we talk about ABACAB?

  • This trey fellow has his heart in the right place but Genesis can only do Genesis songs, The Musical Box is a close second. By the way... is

    Phish more of a Grateful Dead type band.

  • Give them a listen - there are some wonderful (and not so wonderful) in the Free Stash at Nugs(dot)net .

    Phish was once described in RS magazine as an amalgam of Zappa, Genesis, and Sun Ra.

    They are definitely Dead-influenced but with more of an edge.

  • O  M G !!!!!!!!!!!

  • this is fantastic. not an easy song to do. it's a shame genesis couldn't do it. peter gabriel at least had a valid excuse due to touring commitments and phil has a back problem. at least they got the right band to do justice to this song and do a ripping version of "no reply at all".

  • As much as I love The Musical Box, I think it woud have been in bad taste to have a trubute/re-creation band perform at the Hall of Fame Ceremony in front of the original band. Given the circumstances (Peter, Phil's health) I think the Phis performance was nice.

  • Nice to see Trey honor Genesis and have the guts to perform a Genesis Classic that is true to the original band. Nice job Phish! The look on some of the clueless Waldorf faces during Wacher is priceless! Congrats Genesis and thank you for all the music from Watcher to Ripples to Epping Forest to Domino to well these posts are limited in size!

  • Watcher Of the Skies - Genesis

    WATCHER OF THE WATERS - PHISH

  • Watcher Of the Waters - Genesis

  • Even The Boss is smiling...gotta love it.

    Page did the keyboard intro very well.

    David Myers has these parts nailed, hands down...difficult yet beautiful music.

  • I really LIKE that they chose such a special song from that era and not something from the mainstream-era.

    Phils look says "why that boring old stuff ?" ;)

  • Good job Phish. You guys sounded great.

  • I don't know how you held the camera so still for so long, I was sitting here rocking out to their performance. Thanks for sharing! Kudos to Phish for hitting a home run. Simply awesome. And the crowd couldn't have been more bored nor uncomfortable during the opening. Up yours Springsteen.

  • This is pretty cool but I think Firth of Fifth would have been a better choice.

  • Where is Peter? (Gabriel)

  • I love Peter Gabriel, but he fucked up!

  • It's cool that Trey is apparently a big Genesis fan -- but not a very inspired (or inspiring) performance.

    I was lucky enough to see Genesis with Gabriel perform this as an encore on The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway tour in San Diego in early 1975 -- that show was still one of the best I've ever seen in 28 years of live performances by ANY band. This includes shows by Pink Floyd, The Who, Yes, U2, Springsteen, The Stones, Gabriel solo, and The Musical Box, the ultimate Genesis tribute band.

  • PHISH nailed it.

  • Agreed blulinr77...a noble attempt at this epic piece by Phish...and very bold one, I might add, considering the audience. Notice the reaction of Phil Collins and Tony Banks at the beginning,,,they don't seem too flattered or impressed to say the least.

  • I also would have preferred to hear "The Musical Box," but that's my favorite Genesis song. Actually, come to think of it, they should have played "Supper's Ready"... All 23 minutes of it.

  • How long has it been since this was played live? Unreal. I can't imagine the pressure with Phil, Tony, Steve and Mike in attendance. No Reply At All wasn't nearly as good.

  • Summing up Genesis' career with a seven minute speech and two songs is like giving a eulogy about someone who lived 100 years. What can you say or do? Genesis should have performed "One for the Vine", themselves. Bring Chester in to do the drumming, one ten minute song is better than two Phish renditions. They would have blown the doors off any other act, without going over the top and leave the audience truly wanting more. Even those Hollywood types.

  • Being a huge Genesis fan I am thrilled to see that they got their due by being inducted. I wish Peter Gabriel could have set aside whatever phobia of being connected with Genesis for one night so they could have played the song instead.

    That said Phish did pretty well with their version. Trey had moments where he couldn't pull off Peter's vocals, but kudos to them for attempting one of the 5 hardest songs in the early Genesis collection

    Would've been cool to see 'Musical Box' do it instead

  • Yes Musical box would have nailed it...

  • Was it rocky in spots? Yes. But it's also a song that few if any bands would have the stones enough to try live. Let alone in front of Genesis themselves, the Boss, dumb ass movie stars, etc. Phish have always been braver than their contemporaries. Well done boys. (And yes I know the Musical Box - seen them - they're great multi times - SEBP, Foxtrot, Lamb)

  • @neildoc  yes!true!

  • nice!!! especially love the digital mellotron (not a real one), always a highlight of this tune...i think they nailed it. too bad genesis couldn't do it themselves, but this might have been better.

  • David Myers uses a synth in a Mellotron case as well.

    Beautiful song.

  • @rennyminou well, that was because when they did use a real Mellotron, they had pretty much the same problems using it that Tony did when he used it in Genesis. Always out of tune, tapes would worble every once in a while, etc. So, they got Mike Pinder's Mellotron samples, and put it through a MIDI controller, and built a fake Mellotron case, and used that.

  • Certain kinds of magic happen only once in a lifetime. When Peter was with Genesis, it was truly magical.

  • Damn, now I KNOW Bruce Springsteen has heard Watcher of the Skies! Freaky Thought.... And I bet he thought his Buddy, Peter Gabriel would be in attendance.