I'll See This Glass Half (Well, 3/5ths) Full

Since the Genesis machine ground to a halt after Calling All Stations (an album which, on the whole, I like), there's been rumors and rumors of rumors about a reunion tour and/or album. The ultimate dream/holy grail for Genesis fans was a reunion featuring not only the "pop" three of Phil Collins, Tony Banks, and Mike Rutherford but also founding vocalist Peter Gabriel and golden-era guitarist Steve Hackett. Well, the reunion has been announced, but it appears to be limited to the . . . and Then There Were Three guys. Gabriel is officially out, allegedly working on new material, which, given his glacial pace, should mean a sequel to Up! by the next decade. Hackett hasn't been mentioned - presumably he's happy with his own thing, exemplified by the new album Wild Orchid.

For the time being, I'll remain optimistic. My hope was that the whole bunch would get together and generate some new material before touring, as Van der Graff Generator did successfully last year. Alas, that's not in the cards. But maybe a new Collins/Banks/Rutherford album could have some potential. And the live show might still be good, particularly if they make it a more wide-ranging setlist than just hammering the later pop hits (confession - take the abysmal "Hold on My Heart" out of the live DVD from the We Can't Dance tour and that set is really pretty good).

When do tickets go on sale?