jtl (12/03/82)
i saw peter gabriel and his band last saturday night at the
palladium in nyc. it was a thoroughly excellent show overall;
note that the style gabriel is employing now is the same as
he has used through his career (i.e. charismatic active stage
presence, pantomime and dance etc), though his music has
changed a bit between his first two albums and the following
two.
the emphasis is now on very complex rhymthms, rather than the
wild guitar/synthesizer styles of the past. the lyrics still
remain intelligent and poetic to the extreme. and gabriel's
voice remains excellent, an instrument of incredible (often
eery) variety.
virtually all of the music was from the second two albums.
stand-outs were 'san jacinto', 'family snapshot', 'lay your
hands on me', 'family and the fishing net', 'biko' (the closing
number), and others i can't think of right off. he also did
a throwaway electric version of 'solsbury hill' (fun anyway).
no 'diy'.
the band was his usual album backup: levin, marrotta, fast,
and ? on guitar.
i suggest that if you love the first two albums and hate the
second two, you stay away - gabriel is definitely changing
his style. but if you like third-world rhythms melded with
excellent rock instrumentals and vocals, check it out.
the fourth album ('survival' as geffen labeled it) is very
indicative of where peter's going and what you'll hear.
by the way, has anyone heard anything about the reunion
concert in england this past fall, genesis with gabriel
and hackett ? i heard phil collins talking on the bbc rock
hour last night - it apparently did happen, in a torrential
downpour. they did all the old music, peter wore his
costumes, chester thompson and darryl stuermer played along.
i'd love to see a movie or album come out of that!
by the way, phil said it was a one-time, probably never happen
again thing.
tom love
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