Daryl Stuermer talks about the opening night of the Genesis tour on June 11, 2007, in Helsinki, Finland, where the sun rises at 4 a.m., and doesn't set again until 10: 30 p.m. or so.

Hello, this is Daryl Stuermer talking to you from Helsinki, Finland, the morning after the first show.

From the moment we played the first chord of the first song, I knew everything was going to go well. The audience was right there with us, and it actually wasn't as bright as we expected it to be – Even though there was sun pretty much through about half of the show, it tended to get a little bit darker as we went along, and actually a lot of the effects that were on the screen came up very well and the audience just reacted to it all.

Some of the other comments I heard after the show were that they thought it was the best-sounding show we ever had, and I think its also due to the fact that the band is playing better than ever.

I also think that everybody is just so happy to be back together again playing. It's been 15 years, and I have to say that it doesn't feel like fifteen years, it feels more like 15 months. I think the chemistry between us all is what is going to make this work.

I know I've said this before, but it not only feels like a band reunion, it feels like a family reunion. Feels like we've all kind of grown up together. We've all been playing together – at least I've been playing with them since my mid-20s, and now some of our kids are that age. And so it's really a nice feeling when we all get together and see what's happened. And I think that has something to do with how we are all playing so well together and how the show has come together so easily.

And I believe is only going to go up from here.

I'm really looking forward to seeing you all out there. I'm looking forward to seeing you on the European tour and then on the North American Tour.

So I'm going to sign off from Helsinki. I wish you all the best, and take care!

Daryl Stuermer

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