Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Location: St. Veit a. d. Glan / Herzogburg / Austria
Concert date: June 9, 2018
Attendance: 120
Ticket price: €28.00
In the idyllic Austrian town of Sankt Veit an der Glan, the legendary guitar grandmaster Steve Hackett turned up as a special guest of the world-renowned Hungarian jazz rock fusion/world music outfit Djabe. Hackett first rose to fame as a member of the cult English prog rock band Genesis, and later built himself a splendid and wonderfully varied solo career. Mr. Hackett has been collaborating with Djabe on and off since 2002. Together they’ve recorded a whole slew of live albums and worked on two Djabe studio projects, including the current studio album »Life is a Journey – The Sardinia Tapes« (2017).
In 2009, Djabe also played here in Slovenia, in Slovenj Gradec. That was both Steve’s first visit to Slovenia and our first hangout with him, most of which we spent by the local fountain before the show. This time Steve wasn’t the only special guest of his old Hungarian friends, as he was joined on stage by the endlessly versatile Icelandic drummer/percussionist Gulli Briem. Briem swapped back and forth between two different drum and percussion setups with Djabe drummer Peter Kaszás, and the two of them made an incredibly dynamic rhythm duo. In the rare moments when Steve wasn’t on stage, Djabe guitarist Attila Egerhazi handled lead guitar. He was mostly the rhythm guitarist that night, though he also pitched in now and then on some percussion and an extra synthesizer. He also entertained us by introducing individual Djabe pieces, in English with a thick Hungarian accent.
To warm up, Djabe, who this time played in a small but idyllic space among the castle walls, performed their own piece »Flow«. Then Steve joined them on guitar, with his trusty scarf, for one of the lesser-known Genesis evergreens, »In That Quiet Earth«, which reminded the few Slovenes in the mostly Austrian crowd of our own Lado Leskovar and his long-standing habit. Genesis and Hackett solo evergreens always turn out fascinating when performed by the English guitar icon together with Djabe, because these excellent musicians add loads of jazz and world music elements, mostly thanks to Áron Koós’s trumpet and a whole range of different percussion. After the warm-up, Briem came on for his percussion showcase »Hang Drum Song«, and surprised everyone by playing a special drum that looked like the metal lid of a giant sea shell. Along the way, Briem slipped in the rhythmic motif of Bowie’s classic »This Is Not America«, and he shares more than a little physical resemblance with the late music legend, too.
The small crowd got a bit louder for the first time when this dexterous bunch of old musical buddies took on Steve’s beloved solo classic »The Steppes«. Thanks to its world music elements, Djabe always play it with special fire whenever the guitar legend guests with them. Next came »Life is a Journey«, written for the aforementioned studio project of the same name by Djabe bassist Tamas Barabas, who also took over the lead vocals during its performance. Soon another surprise followed, a newer-era rock classic from Hackett’s solo treasure chest, »Last Train to Istanbul«, which he created for the album »Out of the Tunnel’s Mouth« (2009).
Mr. Hackett also treated himself to a short solo spot on acoustic guitar, which started with an unpleasant surprise: during the opening bars of the Genesis instrumental »Horizons«, the cable connecting his guitar to the amp burned out. Steve sadly lost all desire to start »Horizons« over from the top, so once the technical problem was fixed he preferred to play the solo instrumental »Walking Away from Rainbows«, which also wrapped up the first half of the show in St. Veit. After a short fifteen-minute break, the international crew returned to the little stage in the castle building in grand style with the Djabe piece »Lava Lamp«. The moment some had been waiting for came with an unusual version of the epic Genesis masterpiece »Firth of Fifth«, where keyboardist János Nagy fumbled a few times before locking in with the other musicians, while Steve’s famous guitar solo inside this classic once again scored a clean win. The ever-unflappable Steve wasn’t fazed at all by Kovacs’s slip-ups, and that’s exactly how it should be.
One of the best moments of the evening was undoubtedly the transition from the Genesis evergreen »Fly on a Windshield« into Hackett’s solo standard »Please Don’t Touch«, which he doesn’t play all that often. Steve and his Hungarian-Icelandic crew closed the show the way you’d expect, with the unforgettable Genesis treat »Los Endos«. The jazzy stamp of this masterpiece came through even stronger, and the drum/percussion duet got special attention, although of course it didn’t turn into the kind of drum battle Genesis used to stage between Phil Collins and Chester Thompson.
At the Djabe show in St. Veit we got to enjoy a fantastic atmosphere, which is what you get whenever the great Steve Hackett takes the stage. He won us over once again with his guitar artistry and musical versatility. It makes no difference whether it’s Djabe compositions, his own solo work, or Genesis classics from the seventies: Steve enjoys every single performance equally and plays it in the best possible way. Some people had worried beforehand that it would all be too loud for such a small space, but in the end nobody complained about the sound. This time it’s also worth mentioning that Mr. Hackett isn’t just an outstanding musician but also an incredibly kind and approachable person who takes time for every single fan. Before and after the show he was available the whole time for a quick chat or an autograph, and he strolled freely among the concert-goers. During the occasional breaks when he was off stage, he even joined the audience on the bench in the front row several times. After the show he signed records together with the Djabe members and exchanged a word or two with some fans of his music, which has long been his habit, and which quite a few of his guitar peers from the prog rock world could stand to learn from.
Setlist
1. Flow
2. In That Quiet Earth
3. Hang Drum Song / This is Not America
4. The Steppes
5. Life Is A Journey
6. Buzzy Island
7. Last Train To Istanbul
8. Walking Away From Rainbows
—15-minute break—
9. Lava Lamp
10. After Limoncello
11. Firth Of Fifth
12. Fly On A Windshiled / Please Don’t Touch
13. Angklung
14. Clouds Dance
15. Los Endos
—encore—
16. Distant Dance
Photo gallery
