A former member of British music icons Genesis has heaped praise on Lancaster after performing in the city over the weekend.
Steve Hackett was invited to appear as a special guest at a sell-out concert ‘Prog at the Priory’, at Lancaster Priory, on Saturday night, alongside his brother John, and friend and fellow musician, Marco lo Muscio, performing an acoustic range of progressive rock classics from the likes of Rick Wakeman, King Crimson, and of course, Genesis.
Writing in his blog about his visit, John said: ‘’Joining Marco and my brother John for an acoustic show at the atmospheric Lancaster Priory was a very enjoyable experience. It was sold out and we received a very warm response from a receptive audience.
‘’Jo and I found it intriguing to look around historic Lancaster too. The imposing castle was a prison for 900 years until about ten years ago. Here at one point the poor women who came to be known as the Pendle witches were incarcerated before being hung for their apparent crimes of witchcraft.
‘’The Priory itself is hundreds of years old and is situated directly beside the castle.
‘’My thanks to organiser Stuart Marshall and his team, as well as to Vince O'Malley for all his help sorting my guitar and equipment.’’
Organiser, Stuart Marshall, added: ‘’They stayed the weekend and all commented about how vibrant the city was.
‘’Whilst here they enjoyed food and hospitality at Merchants 1688, Buccelli's, Atkinsons and The Sun Hotel and did a tour of Lancaster Castle.
‘’Steve's guitar tech said he had managed catch some great live music at the John O'Gaunt and The Pub. I also spoke to audience members who were over for the concert from Germany, France and the Netherlands and they were all enthusing about Lancaster and vowing to return.
‘’One commented about the village-like feel and the friendliness. It was great to get such really positive feedback about our city. Oh and the gig was amazing too.’’
Steve Hackett gained prominence as the lead guitarist of Genesis from 1971 to 1977. He contributed to six Genesis studio albums, three live albums, seven singles and one EP before he left to pursue a solo career.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010.
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