07-03-2012, 07:57 PM
Hi All,
It's time to get proactive up in here.
Peter called me and begged me to give him another chance. He said he would perform "So" start to finish to make up for the crappy orchestral thing he put Dee Dee and I through. I eventually capitulated and agreed to the cheap seats:
section 204, row 1, seats 5-6
Side one
"Red Rain" – 5:39
"Sledgehammer" – 5:12
"Don't Give Up" (featuring Kate Bush) – 6:33
"That Voice Again"– 4:53
Side two
"In Your Eyes" – 5:27
"Mercy Street" – 6:22
"Big Time" – 4:28
"We Do What We're Told (Milgram's 37)" – 3:22
"This Is the Picture (Excellent Birds)" (featuring Laurie Anderson) – 4:25
Why, Yes; I expect Kate Bush and Laurie Anderson to be there. Why is that unreasonable?
I also expect an encore of:
Solsbury Hill
Games without Frontiers
Biko
In Your Eyes
and some mothballed old Genesis song (his choice)
Cheers!
EDIT: ACTUAL REVIEW!
We had excellent seats for once. Front row of the upper tier in the 'Shark Tank'.
Peter introduced the show saying it would be performed in three parts. First would be an acoustic set exploring the development of a new song. Then would come a 'studio session' in which the song would be developed. Those who survived the first sets would be treated to "So" from start to finish.
This was pretentious bullshit.
Yes - the first couple songs were 'acoustic' with Peter on piano and Tony Levin on stand-up bass, but the video screens were active and the full band came out after the first number. Don't get me wrong; it was awesome, but no need for the pretense.
The band then played "Family Snapshot" which was incredible, "Digging in the Dirt" (which I never really liked) and a few other obscurities including "Humdrum" which was neat. They ended the 'Studio' set with a hilariously bad rendition of "Solsbury Hill" done with electric piano and a sit-com/game-show arrangement that bordered on parody. I hope that's what Peter was aiming for, a 'here's my single now fuck off' performance.
Finally they launched into "So". From "Red Rain" to "In Your Eyes" it was pitch-perfect. Peter's voice was flawless. There was some choreographed 'dancing' which was totally unnecessary but I closed my eyes and listened to the music.
All in all I was torn. "So" was note-for-note perfect, but if that is what I wanted why not just sit at home and listen to the album? On the other hand Peter Gabriel is a mesmerizing performer and seeing it live is like having the album come to life.
I think the answer is in the performance. If you are going to perform the album, then provide a visual element that cannot be 'heard'. Sets, props, costumes, FX etc. Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne get it and give you a unique visual experience. Peter needs to reach back to the Genesis days and pull a theatrical performance out of his...heart.
Had fun though.
It's time to get proactive up in here.
Peter called me and begged me to give him another chance. He said he would perform "So" start to finish to make up for the crappy orchestral thing he put Dee Dee and I through. I eventually capitulated and agreed to the cheap seats:
section 204, row 1, seats 5-6
Side one
"Red Rain" – 5:39
"Sledgehammer" – 5:12
"Don't Give Up" (featuring Kate Bush) – 6:33
"That Voice Again"– 4:53
Side two
"In Your Eyes" – 5:27
"Mercy Street" – 6:22
"Big Time" – 4:28
"We Do What We're Told (Milgram's 37)" – 3:22
"This Is the Picture (Excellent Birds)" (featuring Laurie Anderson) – 4:25
Why, Yes; I expect Kate Bush and Laurie Anderson to be there. Why is that unreasonable?
I also expect an encore of:
Solsbury Hill
Games without Frontiers
Biko
In Your Eyes
and some mothballed old Genesis song (his choice)
Cheers!
EDIT: ACTUAL REVIEW!
We had excellent seats for once. Front row of the upper tier in the 'Shark Tank'.
Peter introduced the show saying it would be performed in three parts. First would be an acoustic set exploring the development of a new song. Then would come a 'studio session' in which the song would be developed. Those who survived the first sets would be treated to "So" from start to finish.
This was pretentious bullshit.
Yes - the first couple songs were 'acoustic' with Peter on piano and Tony Levin on stand-up bass, but the video screens were active and the full band came out after the first number. Don't get me wrong; it was awesome, but no need for the pretense.
The band then played "Family Snapshot" which was incredible, "Digging in the Dirt" (which I never really liked) and a few other obscurities including "Humdrum" which was neat. They ended the 'Studio' set with a hilariously bad rendition of "Solsbury Hill" done with electric piano and a sit-com/game-show arrangement that bordered on parody. I hope that's what Peter was aiming for, a 'here's my single now fuck off' performance.
Finally they launched into "So". From "Red Rain" to "In Your Eyes" it was pitch-perfect. Peter's voice was flawless. There was some choreographed 'dancing' which was totally unnecessary but I closed my eyes and listened to the music.
All in all I was torn. "So" was note-for-note perfect, but if that is what I wanted why not just sit at home and listen to the album? On the other hand Peter Gabriel is a mesmerizing performer and seeing it live is like having the album come to life.
I think the answer is in the performance. If you are going to perform the album, then provide a visual element that cannot be 'heard'. Sets, props, costumes, FX etc. Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne get it and give you a unique visual experience. Peter needs to reach back to the Genesis days and pull a theatrical performance out of his...heart.
Had fun though.
![[Image: magpie13.gif]](http://imagegen.last.fm/LastfmLiveJournal/recenttracks/magpie13.gif)
