I have been a HUGE fan of Peter Gabriel since "So" came out in 1986 and then learned about "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway", which opened the doors to early Genesis, even though I was already a HUGE fan of the Phil era. Once you've heard "Supper's Ready" or "The Lamb", you are never quite the same.
My first Peter Gabriel concert was in 1993 for the Secret World Tour, which really was amazing and captured perfectly on the concert bluray release. I had to wait ten years to see him again in 2003 for the Growing Up Tour. Once again, he delivered in fine form.
This 2023 i/o Tour was a whole other level of some of the most beautiful animation and visuals I have ever seen at a concert...and I have seen hundreds. The sound was perfect and Peter's voice was so strong. It was awesome to see him running around the stage and watching his theatrical presence on full display.
To see his core band - Tony Levin (bass, vocals, keys), David Rhodes (guitar, vocals) and Manu Katche (drums, percussion) together again in their element was fantastic.
The new musicians included brass player Josh Shpak, keys and synth player Don-E, guitarist Richard Evans, cellist-pianist-backing vocalist Ayanna Witter-Johnson and violinist-backing vocalist Marina Moore. The new musicians were so good! They were all so connected musically and you can clearly see their spirits were soaring! So positive.
I loved all of the new material as it is as current anything today and the depth of thought behind the music and levels of creativity and message is unfathomable, but I am ready for the deep dive when the studio recordings are released, especially the Dolby Atmos surround mixes!
I hope you enjoy this musical experience as much as I did. Peter is a true artist in every sense of the word. It was truly an immersive, soul-stirring, musically transcendent concert.
Thank you, Peter!
Setlist:
1. Washing of the Water
2. Growing Up
3. Panopticom
4. Four Kinds of Horses
5. I/o
6. Digging in the Dirt
7. Playing for Time
8. Olive Tree
9. This Is Home
10. Sledgehammer
Break
11. Darkness
12. Love Can Heal
13. Road To Joy
14. Don’t Give Up
15. The Court
16. Red Rain
17. So Much
18. Big Time
19. Live and Let Live
20. Solsbury Hill
First Encore:
21. The Tower That Ate People
22. In Your Eyes
Second Encore:
23. Biko