The man has aged. Even Mick Jagger looks pretty much the same as
he did ten years ago. A shaved head and a snow-white goatee give Peter
Gabriel a look of the Intellectual Musician. This isn't music for art's
sake. He no longer has a need to prove anything. After all, no one forgot
him despite a decade-long silence on your favourite store's CD rack. He now
has a simple need to express himself.
Sadly, not that many people are here to hear his messages. The
1,500-capacity venue is not only not full, but it is full of fans who are
here because they loved Sledgehammer back in Peter's heyday of the 80s.
Kind of like those who go and see The Rolling Stones just because
they're the Rolling Stones. But ha! They're in for a surprise. Peter has
carefully omitted any tracks dating from the pre-1985 era. No 'Shock the
Monkey' tonight. Just perhaps a shock to the system.
It is just three days before the official release of his latest opus 'Up'
(he's making progress in the album title department), so this is a sort of
premiere for the fans who get to hear almost the entire album live before
hearing the studio version. What they discover is a Peter who has reinvented
himself. New musicians (including his daughter on backing vocals), new
directions, yet he is still fond of the synthesizer. The music oscillates
between world music and electronica.
Darkness - the song - opens the show and the Up track-listing
follows, while the audience eagerly awaits for a golden oldie to sing along
to. The single The Barry Williams Show is the only track they seem to
recognise. Some tracks are painstakingly long. Over six minutes. He seems to
be carrying some sort of weight on his shoulders, at times he releases
massive doses of adrenaline, at others he retreats into soft melodies,
remaining half-hidden behind his keyboards for nearly two hours. He even
gives a glimpse of his next album - already - by playing an exclusive track
called Animal Nation. One special fan receives a dedication - the man who
gave us Peter Gabriel, his father, present tonight. He also takes the
opportunity to test his French, an exercise always pleasing to a French
audience. Oh yes, he knows what his fans want. And he gives it to them.
After hearing Sledgehammer, Digging in the Dirt and Mercy Street, they
leave happy. But this concert is just a prelude to his upcoming, more
elaborate and less minimalist tour. Maybe we'll get Shock the Monkey
then.
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