From Marty:
About meeting pg, the first time was just before his 2nd solo tour at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh. He came up through the back lobby before doing the "searching for musicians." I gave him a packet of poetry and one very strange angst-inspired short story. I sat down with my buddies and one of them said "you just missed Peter's entrance." I said "I had to give him a letter." They looked and saw Peter wave at the crowd, letter in hand, set it on the piano and play Me and My Teddy Bear. They were stunned and my heart was a flutterin', too.
The next time was not so much a meeting as it was a revelation. My college buddies decided that since Peter's Tour of China wasn't coming to Pittsburgh, we'd drive to Buffalo to see him at the Kleindham(?) Music Center. Now the audience was into Peter's performance, but they were rather sedate, waiting to see what Peter would do next. We were in the second or third row.
That whole summer the song "Biko" had been working some very deep magic within me and when Peter performed it live. When the song reached the chant part at the end, I couldn't hold back. I stood up in my seat and started doing the chant with him, raising my arms steadily in rhythm to the rising notes in the chant til on the last note of the 3, my arms were fully extended and vibrating. And I was weeping. I had read Wood's biography on Biko and knew that the words Yihla Moja meant Descend Spirit. Anyway, Peter of course noticed and came to the edge of the stage. He could see me weeping and singing through it all, and tears began to fill his eyes. Unforgettable.
The next time was in Passaic when I sneaked into the empty Passaic theater before soundcheck of the Security tour. I waited for about a half an hour alone in the place. Then Peter came out to check the tuning of his electric grand. He wasn't pleased. He acknowledged me and said "sounds pretty fucked up, doesn't it?"
The reat of the band came out and I got to see them work on San Jacinto and Not One of Us. Peter went out into the theater to listen to the backing vocals and the sound from the back. I didn't want to make a nuisance of myself and I could see he was very absorbed in getting the sound right two hours before show time. I introduced myself and said I wanted to thank him especially for the song Biko. I told Peter that the song Biko "fed a decision and a particularly growthful period in my life." I don't even know if growthful is a word and I'm an English teacher - but that's what I said. He thanked me in return and looked at my shirt and said "I like the shirt." It was a simple homemade variety: jet black tee shirt with red capital letters over the front of the shirt: YIHLA MOJA. I thanked him again and left.
The last time I saw him face to face was at Stabler Arena at Lehigh College. I was working as a DJ for WMUH summer radio in Allentown and had a world music show called The Land of Many Colors. I waited behind the stadium with a tape recorder hoping to get a promo. Peter came right up to me and I said "I don't know if you remember me..." He interrupted and said quietly "Of course, I remember." He did the promo and invited me backstage! However, I knew if I went in, my wife would feel a little disappointed at sitting alone at the show (I had slept out the night they went on sale and was first in line). I declined and he said very politely, "Well, then perhaps I'll see you afterwards." When I headed back after the show, a horde of fans awaited him (one of them was dressed up in a watcher of the skies outfit like on the LIVE album). Peter was ever gracious and talked with them about the music, signed autographs. I just smiled silently, didn't bother to ask to be let in, since I was really no different than what anyone else was at that moment - a fan. I hope to meet up with him again someday, but what would be the ultimate would be for him to have listened to my music and acknowledge it as the work of someone who embraces music as a source of help in the attainment of a deeper quest.
From Chris Rubin:
I must've seen at least three Gabriel shows there. He walked out on the tables one night, knocking over drinks. Fripp sat entirely in the shadows and was introduced as "Dusty Roads." And Gabriel sang, as you probably know from boots, Ain't That Peculiar, Back In New York City and All The Day And All of the Night (or whatever that Kinks song is called) at various performances there. Opening act one night was a knife thrower; the board into which he hurled the knives was set up with a mic and heavy reverb-- and we were all so stoned we could barely move, so it was somehow very exciting.
What else? It was the first time I'd seen Tony Levin, who made a strong impression. I thought the other guitarist, Steve Hunter, was Fripp because he was playing most of the leads. They were amazing shows, very pared down. His only "effects" were the hood on his sweatshirt which he pulled up on Moribund, and a tambourine he held in front of his face on Solsbury Hill.
I never missed a tour, and sometimes saw more than one performance,
for every tour from Lamb on. How I wish I'd seen Genesis at the
Roxy on the Selling England tour!
From Ken:
Chicago, December 13, 1986
1) During "Shock the Monkey" (I think) the lights (which
Graeme mentioned) moved up and down with the music as if they
were attacking PG. He writhed on the floor as the lights moved
up and down. Very powerful.
2) "Here Comes the Flood" I don't remember anything specific about this particular performance, but I remember thinking -- I need to hear that song *again*.
Chicago, July 10, 1993
1) During "Digging in the Dirt" PG tearing off the covering
on the rock to reveal his own larger than life face. That image
remains in my mind as the perfect encapsulation of that song --
whatever the struggle, sooner or later you have to confront yourself
to solve it.
2) The end of the show (before the encores) -- the band members disappearing into the suitcase which PG then carried to the end of the stage, waiting for the blue dome -- a symbol of the feminine and the unknown -- to descend, enclose, and accept him. It seemed to me that he was saying to the audience and to himself, "This is where my music has brought me."
3) Probably my favorite concert moment of all -- the end of "The Blood of Eden" when PG reached out, but did not touch, Joy Askew as they sang "It was all for the union -- the union of the woman and the man." The gap between them expressed so much more than words could ever do.
From Sam:
Saw PG in small venues for most of the early 80's - I've never seen him in anything larger than 10,000 people, and as few as a couple thousand... First tour that had him using the headset microphone (Buffalo, NY about 1982??) he was having all kinds of glitches - sound was breaking up- he apologized for "the technical f***-up", and either repaired or replaced the headset... can't remember.
I think in 1980, he did The Lamb as an encore and screwed up the final verse of lyrics..... (Buffalo, NY)
In 1985, when he did "Solisbury Hill" he sang the final verse as "grab your things I've come to take you home", instead of "you can keep my things, they've come to take me home." (Buffalo, NY)
Not complaining at all!! Imagine trying to remember all those lyrics from a myriad of completed songs, incomplete songs, etc., night after night..... .
PG screwing up a verse or two IS STILL PG singing PG's songs.... and there ain't nothing better than that!
Cheers,
Sam
From Kevin:
Intruder was the best on the "Security" tour. Great in concert. Not to mention Humdrum on that tour. When I saw him in Worcester, MA in a theatre (1983) he started singing the second verse of Humdrum first! He stopped the song and said, "well, that's the first mistake of the evening, I started singing the second verse first." Then proceeded to start the song over! HA! Has anyone else seen him do this kind of thing or does anyone have an unusual story about one of his concerts?
Love To Be Loved, PG at Glam Slam Los Angeles, April 3, 1993.
Where most artists aren't able to maintain the quality of their music when performing live, Peter Gabriel actually manages to make it sound even better.
In this case he adds a touch of human passion that gives this already very emotional song extra depth and meaning, thus making it impossible for the listener not to get sucked in by Peter's inner most feelings. It makes you want to jump on the stage, grab the guy, and scream: "It's okay Peter! I'm here now. I'll love you, I'll like you, I'll need you for as long as I live!"
That crack in his voice when he sings "I cry, the way that babies cry", the conviction when he squeals "I let go, I can let go of it" from the bottom of his heart.
I have never seen or heard anyone bare his heart and soul to an audience like that. A person must have enormous guts and inner strength to be able to do that. And he must have a huge musical talent and have a natural honesty and purity about him to be able to make it sound so convincing.
Peter has all of that and then some. I have the utmost respect for this performance.
In 1982, at the end of a concert from the 'security' tour Peter came back on stage alone, sat in front of his piano and sang 'here comes the flood'. No words can describe what it was. Just pure magic.
Hi you all. First, excuse my bad english, but I'm calling from Italy, and it's quite difficult to me to practice the wonderful language of our wonderful Peter.
I was eleven, when my brother came back home with Nursery Crime. Then I started to love Peter, and I still do it. In 1993, in Rome, I could throw him a teddy bear: he took it on his piano, and sang "Here comes the flood" with my (his) teddy bear.
Peter Gabriel is the greatest singer-artist in rock-music history. Thank you for everything you do for him
Place: Milwaukee When: July 25, 1987 The band plays "Lay Your Hands On Me", Peter turns around and falls into the crowd. The audience goes wild and three drunken fans run down my row and return 3 minutes later with one of Peter's socks. Meanwhile Peter is pulled back on to the stage, only wearing his pants which have an enormous split. Peter disappears off stage for 5 minutes to redress.
Yes, I remember on the "So" tour Gabriel doing "San Jacinto" with the roving vari-light boom things (go on someone tell me the technical name for them), the line "I hold the light" was a moment to cherish as the lights focussed on his outheld hand. Very animalistic in their movements, I thought the lights were superb. Second only really to Gabriel`s performance.
I`d like to keep this thread going, because I think it`s a good one, so please allow me the indulgence of another Gabriel moment, not golden so much as deeply moving. I was reminded tonight by UK TV of a moment some years ago, standing on the north east coast of Scotland and seeing a glow on the horizon out to sea. We were doing some survey work in a place called Dunbeath, and could see the fire of the Piper Apha Rig out to sea, which claimed many lives, and taught Scottish people the very real cost of oil.
I`ll never forget the words of Gabriel`s,"Perspective" we heard that night, how very true they rang over the sounds of a far away disaster, that was man made, born of greed and a disregard of the commercial cost of natural resources. Thank you for these words Peter, we are so blind...
"I used to be industrial giant
sitting in a garden full of chemical plant
trying very hard to get you off my mind
acting like any man
taking you for anything I can
just the same, the same as all my kind
- so blind
I need perspective"
From Amy
Hey all
I remember a concert I saw in Houston. It must have been the So tour (it's been so long it is hard to remember).. I had great seats and sneaked my camera in. A huge *Security* guard threatened to take it away so I had to hide it under my coat the rest of the night. During the same concert, PG was beginning Here Comes the Flood when he played the wrong chord. He stopped and said sh**, sh**, sh** in rapid succession. He started over and the song was great. Nobody minded except PG.
I had great seats for the SW tour as well. I was on the floor in the middle between the two stages so when PG rowed by, he was very close. It was a fantastic night as most of you know already.