On June 26, 1971, Genesis took the stage of the Reading Festival for the first time.

Here is the poster taken from the site of Reading Museum:

It is the first ever Reading Festival, held near the Thames in Richfield Avenue between Friday 25 June and Sunday 27 June 1971. Among the artists in addition to Genesis, Lindisfarne and Wishbone Ash.

The Reading Festival originated from an annual Jazz and Blues festival organized by the National Jazz Federation and the Marquee Club of London in 1961.

The first Reading Festival took place in 1971 when promoter Harold Pendleton staged the event as part of the celebrations for the 850th anniversary of the founding of Reading Abbey.

To learn more:

Since 1980 the festival has achieved an international reputation, including the biggest names in rock music.

The late 80s and early 90s saw changes in the contemporary music scene with new indie and cross-over dance sounds.

Nearly 90.000 music fans flock to Reading every August Bank Holiday, making the city an internationally recognized name on the music scene.

It has become an important part of Reading life and in late 2004 the Reading Museum organized a large retrospective exhibition called 'Music, Mud and Mayhem', which chronicles the festival's 30-year history.

Genesis have attended the Reading Festival several times. Here are the recordings.

During the Nursery Cryme Tour on 11 August 1972:

On August 26, 1973:

On August 26, 1979, Phil Collins joined Peter Gabriel at the Reading Festival and performs with him The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway:

Biko:

White Shadow:

No Self Control:

Mother of Violence:

And here are Steve Hackett's holdings:

The songs performed by Steve Hackett in Reading in 1981 are contained in the album "Premonitions - The Charisma Recordings 1975-1983".

You can buy it here: